On the last stop of his Europe tour, Obama recognized Poland's economic and democratic growth, saying it could be a template for pro-democracy movements in North Africa and the Middle East. 
 
 Exxon Mobil and Chevron are vying to tap Poland’s shale gas reserves, which one US survey says are the biggest in Europe and could meet Poland’s energy needs for 300 years. 
 
 Shale gas drilling, or “fracking” as it is called, is facing mounting global criticism over fears the technique could pollute ground water, but not in Poland, where even Greenpeace has given its conditional support, saying it could help wean Poland off of its coal addiction. 
 
 To the disappointment of Poles, Obama made no announcement on the ending of visas for Poles traveling to the US. Poles have been critical of the fact that they are not a member of the visa waiver program even though most other European countries are. 
 
 On Friday evening, Obama sat down for dinner with 20 Central and Eastern European leaders who were in Warsaw to discuss how they could help the pro-democracy movements in northern Africa and the Middle East. 
 
 
 
 Obama said the region’s own totalitarian past under decades of Communism could serve as a template for Arab nations. 
 
 
 
 “We have taken great inspiration from the blossoming of freedom and economic growth in this region and we’re confident that will continue,” Obama told the East European leaders. 
 
 
 
 "I hope that ... this [meeting] signifies how important we consider our relationship with central and eastern Europe." 
 
 
 
 Shortly after arriving in Warsaw on Friday, Obama laid wreaths at two monuments: one commemorating Poland’s war dead and another for those who died in the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising. On Saturday, Obama laid flowers at a Warsaw memorial to the victims of the 2010 Smolensk plane crash, which killed the former president and many of the country’s elite. 
 
 
 
 But in something of a low-key visit, Obama gave no speech to the Polish public as he did in Prague in 2009, when he laid out his vision for a nuclear-free world. 
 
 
 
 Former Polish president Lech Walesa also declined to meet Obama, explaining it would be nothing more than a “photo opportunity.” 
 
 
 
 For Poland, Obama’s visit, along with the Eastern European summit, were further proof of the country’s growing confidence on the international stage. Poland is set to take up the EU rotating presidency in July. ||||| Polish leaders praised President Barack Obama on Saturday for pushing ahead on issues of key importance to Warsaw: establishing a U.S. military presence in this central European country and making it easier for Poles to visit the United States. 
 
 U.S. President Barack Obama and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, right,speak after a press conference following their meeting at the Prime Minister's Chancellery, in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, May... (Associated Press) 
 
 U.S. President Barack Obama and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, right, attend a press conference after their talks at the Prime Minister's Chancellery, in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, May 28, 2011,... (Associated Press) 
 
 President Barack Obama, left, and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk participates in a joint news conference at the Chancellery Building in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, May 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Associated Press) 
 
 President Barack Obama, let, and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrive for a joint news conference at the Chancellery Building in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, May 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Associated Press) 
 
 U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at a press conference after talks with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, May 28, 2011, on the second day of Obama's visit to Poland.... (Associated Press) 
 
 President Barack Obama, left, and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk participates in a joint news conference at the Chancellery Building in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, May 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Associated Press) 
 
 Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during a joint news conference with President Barack Obama, not seen, at the Chancellery Building in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, May 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn... (Associated Press) 
 
 As Obama wrapped up his first visit to Poland, the White House said the U.S. plans to establish an Air Force detachment of U.S. F-16 fighter jets and C-130 Hercules aircraft in Poland in 2013. 
 
 "I believe a new stage is opening in Polish-U.S. relations, also in the area of the U.S. military presence in Poland," Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said in an interview after Obama's visit. 
 
 Poland and the U.S. are NATO allies and already cooperate closely, but Poland wants a stronger U.S. military presence on its soil as a way of enhancing its security. 
 
 "The order of magnitude is not really large, but the gesture is very significant," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a joint news conference with Obama. 
 
 An analyst said having American "boots on the ground" has as symbolic aspect but that it's importance goes beyond that. "It means the commitment is larger than the commitment through NATO," said Marcin Zaborowski, director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs. 
 
 Obama also said he backs legislation sponsored by several members of the U.S. Congress that could ease travel restrictions for Poles _ a key issue in Polish-U.S. ties. 
 
 Obama noted that Poland currently does not meet criteria to enter the visa waiver system, and that "I could not simply waive the law." But he said the legislation he backs would change the criteria and should "resolve this issue in a way that is satisfactory to Poland but also meets the security concerns of the United States." 
 
 To a Polish reporter who asked when Poles could expect to shop on Fifth Avenue in New York, Obama said: "We very much want you to shop on Fifth Avenue and anywhere else in the United States." 
 
 President Komorowski said he felt "great satisfaction" that Obama presented "specific ideas for solving this problem that unnecessarily burdens Polish-American relations." 
 
 Currently, Poles must have a visa to enter the United States, a source of much dissatisfaction for years now. Many Poles feel they should have earned the right to visa-free travel to the U.S. given the nation's strong alliance with the U.S. and its support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
 
 "The issue of visas exemplifies that there is a lack of reciprocity in this relationship. ... If you can't travel there (without a visa) you feel kind of humiliated," said Zaborowski. He added that while Poles will welcome Obama's promise to push the matter in Congress, ultimately Poles will judge him on the results. 
 
 _____ 
 
 Monika Scislowska contributed to this report.
– President Obama wrapped up his Europe trip today with a stop in Poland, where he called the nation's transition to democracy a model for the Arab world. “Poland has navigated that process as well as any country in recent history,” said the president, who added that he wanted "all states undergoing similar experiences to learn from Poland.” While there, he met with leaders of the old Solidarity movement, with one notable exception: Lech Walesa opted out, saying it would be only a "photo opportunity," notes the Christian Science Monitor. Obama had more tangible news for Poland as well: The US plans to roatate F-16 fighters and C-130 Hercules aircraft to a Polish base in 2013 to further cement the nation's military ties, reports AP. And though he had no surprise policy announcement on the issue, he said he backed newly proposed legislation making it easier for Poles to travel in the US. "We very much want you to shop on Fifth Avenue and anywhere else in the United States."