(WARSAW) - The European Union's emergency summit on the Georgia crisis has sparked a row between Poland's conservative president and liberal prime minister over who should go.

While EU summits are traditionally attended by prime ministers, Poland's President Kaczynski is insisting on going to Monday's summit in Brussels citing his constitutionally guaranteed foreign policy role and his active support for Georgia.

The leaders differ politically on a range of issues and also see the Georgia crisis differently.

In an attempt to resolve the issue, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Lech Kaczynski were due to meet Friday.

On Thursday presidential aide Piotr Kownacki insisted it was President Kaczynski who should head the Polish delegation to Brussels.

"If the president is in the Polish delegation, it is obvious that he lead it due to his office," Kownacki said during a radio interview.

Tusk had not reacted to the development but on Wednesday Deputy Prime Minister Grzegorz Schetyna said Kaczynski's presence "was not going to help matters" at the summit.

Kaczynski along with the presidents of Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Estonia and Latvia's prime minister visited Georgia shortly after the August 8 start of Russia's five-day assault on Georgia, expressing their support and asking Russia to withdraw its troops immediately.

Kaczynski also blasted the six-point peace plan negotiated with Russia by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country is at the helm of the 27-nation EU, saying it failed to mention the need to respect Georgia's territorial integrity.

Tusk's liberal government, however, has not echoed Kaczynski's criticism of the Sarkozy plan, but the prime minister said he hoped to convince EU leaders to speak with once voice and take a hard line on Russia at Monday's summit.

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