Poland-Reagan and Pope Statue

Poles honor Reagan, John Paul II with new statue

GDANSK, Poland (AP) --
   Polish officials have unveiled a statue of former President Ronald Reagan and
John Paul II, honoring two men whom many Poles credit with helping to topple
communism.
   The statue was unveiled Saturday in Gdansk, the birthplace of Lech Walesa's
Solidarity movement. In attendance were about 120 former Solidarity activists,
many of whom were imprisoned in the 1980s for their roles in organizing or taking
part in strikes against the communist regime.
   The bronze statue, erected in the lush seaside President Ronald Reagan Park,
is a slightly larger than life rendering of the two late leaders. It is based on  an
Associated Press photograph taken in 1987 on John Paul's second pontifical
visit to the U.S.
   AP-WF-07-14-12 1734GMT