World Notes

When Prime Minister Zbigniew Messner resigned two weeks ago, Poles figured that the choice of his successor would say much about the regime's attitude toward demands for reform. It did. Last week Mieczyslaw Rakowski, 61, a critic of the banned Solidarity union, became the new Prime Minister. Said a Solidarity official: "This is the worst possible choice."

Rakowski took on some formidable problems, notably a deteriorating food situation, labor unrest and a round-table meeting set for this month with "moderate" opposition groups, including Solidarity. On his first day in office, Rakowski countered his Solidarity opponents by saying, "Our enemies have not yet surrendered." No olive branch there.