Poland’s first PM Mazowiecki passes away

Poland's first Prime Minister after the fall of communism, Tadeusz Mazowiecki is dead . He was 86. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski described him as one of the fathers of Polish liberty and independence. Mr Mazowiecki was one of the architects of the Round Table talks, between communist leaders and opposition, paving the way for elections in 1989.

The Solidarity movement's victory set a precedent for the toppling of communist governments across Eastern Europe. This climaxed with the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany in 1989.

Mr Mazowiecki held office for 15 months. He lost elections in 1990 following the implementation of a raft of stringent reforms to try to salvage Poland's stagnant economy. In 1992 he was appointed as the UN's first Special Rapporteur to the former Yugoslavia. He resigned in 1995 after the fall of Srebrenica.

In 2005, he became one of the founders of Poland's Democratic Party, and co-authored the 1997 constitution. He served as adviser to President Bronislaw Komorowski since 2010.