Dialogue in Poland still possible

Czeslaw Kiszczak, martial-law interior minister, told parliament here Thursday, ''A dialogue in the interests of our country and nation cannot be conducted with stones, iron bars, and Molotov cocktails on one side and with water cannon, tear gas, and batons on the other.''

He was presenting a detailed report of the rioting on Aug. 31 (the anniversary of the 1980 strikes and of the birth of the Solidarity union) and the next several days, Monitor correspondent Eric Bourne reports.

The authorities, he said, had tried since April to establish contacts with several of the principal Solidarity activists operating underground since the imposition of martial law, but without result.

Approaches, he said, had been made with the help of the Roman Catholic Church leadership and through ''prominent Catholic laymen of goodwill.''

They were accompanied, the minister said, by guarantees of their security if the underground leaders came out of hiding for talks, regardless of the outcome.

''The only answer,'' the minister said, was silence, which ''showed a lack of political realism in judging the situation both before and after Dec. 13 [when martial law was imposed].''

The interior minister's speech is seen as a possible indication to union rank and file that the authorities are still ready for dialogue