Apology for Czechoslovakian invasion

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Former Polish President Wojciech Jaruzelski apologized Sunday for his country's role in the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

The 82-year-old Jaruzelski, who said he was still "tormented" by the decision to send in Polish troops to stop the Prague Spring pro-democracy movement, made the apology on the event's 37th anniversary, the BBC reported.

"It was a stupid political act ... today I deeply regret it but at the time I could not act otherwise. It was a political decision," Jaruzelski on Czech television.

"But, in 1968, I was the defense minister implementing a political decision, convinced that there were grounds for that on the basis of the information available to us then."

Dozens of Czechs and Slovaks were killed in the massive military action by the five Warsaw Pact countries, while many were arrested and lost jobs. Many of the Czechoslovak leadership were arrested, including Prime Minister Alexander Dubcek.

Soviet troops remained in Czechoslovakia until 1991 -- two years after the "Velvet Revolution" that overthrew communism and Soviet control of Eastern Europe, the BBC said.