Polish party says ready to quit cabinet

WARSAW, Aug 5 (Reuters) Polish junior coalition leader Andrzej Lepper accused Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski today of waging war on him and said his party was ready to pull its ministers out of the cabinet.

Kaczynski fired Lepper from the post of farm minister four weeks ago over a corruption investigation, triggering a political crisis and raising the possibility of early elections in the European Union's biggest ex-communist nation.

Kaczynski and his twin brother Lech, Poland's president, have urged Lepper's Self-Defense, a leftist rural party, to dump their leader and remain in the coalition or face early polls.

But with surveys showing both parties may lose to centre-right and leftist opposition, Kaczynski and Lepper have so far stopped short of formally ending their alliance while trading increasingly harsh rhetoric.

''The Kaczynskis have declared war on Self-Defence, but I'm prepared for a long war,'' Lepper said after a meeting of the party's national council.

''They may have won a few battles, but not the war. I'm not laying down my arms.'' He said dared Kaczynski to dismiss the two remaining Self-Defence ministers, saying voters would punish the prime minister at the polls for creating chaos.

''Our ministers will put themselves at the disposal of the prime minister,'' Lepper told a news conference. ''Kaczynski may dismiss them tomorrow.'' Lepper has denied any wrongdoing in the corruption probe that led to his sacking and is demanding a parliamentary investigation into what he says was an illegal sting operation to remove him from politics.

He warned Kaczynski that he cannot count on Self-Defence's loyalty when parliament ends its summer recess in late August.

Some analysts speculate that Kaczynski may call early polls if Self-Defence votes with the opposition on any major issue at the start of the next parliamentary session.

Such polls could be held in September or in November, two years ahead of time.

Reuters RS DB2133