Troika talks in Poland pull things out of mire

The historic meeting between Poland's Communist, Roman Catholic, and independent union leaders may have been only the first of many - and could lead to an indirect government role for the Solidarity union and the Catholic Church.

The talk after the meeting is of forming a national front - an agreement to start an ongoing dialogue. Meanwhile, though, Solidarity gave the government a deadline of three months to satisfy its demands or face a possible national strike.

Solidarity's national commission has called for peace in Poland, but it stopped short of asking for an end to wildcat strikes by more than 150,000 workers. Solidarity officials said the Communist authorities offered negotiations on all outstanding disputes.

The three sides met after 16 months of economic and political crisis. After the meeting among Prime Minister Wojciech Jaruzelksi, Archbishop Jozef Glemp, and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, all three said future dialogue would adhere to the socialist system. But the possibility of political accommodation between the Communist Party and Solidarity was left wide open.