Warsaw open to a Walesa role

A shift in government attitudes and estimates of Lech Walesa, the chairman of the disbanded Solidarity trade union, may be in the air.

On his release a month ago, officials wrote off Mr. Walesa as ''the former chairman of a former trade union.'' Since then they have often played down his importance, Monitor correspondent Eric Bourne reports.

But a senior official told a Western reporter at the weekend that Mr. Walesa's future was ''up to him.'' If he supported ''national understanding,'' he could still be a partner.

Mr. Walesa is waiting for the government's imminent move on martial law before committing himself. He has expressed broad support for agreement and indicated privately that he believes new unions should not get involved with political advisers - the government's main objection to Solidarity's activities - as the union did last year.

Mr. Walesa was never entirely happy on this question. He accepted necessary legal and political advice in negotiating the August 1980 agreement but had strong reserves about the influence of the advisers thereafter.