CHANCELLOR SCHUESSEL PRAISES U.S. ROLE IN

UNCLAS VIENNA 001065 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/AGS AND INR/EU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL AU SUBJECT: CHANCELLOR SCHUESSEL PRAISES U.S. ROLE IN DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT ¶1. In a March 31 speech commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Austrian statehood, Chancellor Schuessel underlined the crucial role American power and generosity played in securing Austria's re-emergence as a nation in the post-World War II period. Schuessel added that it is well documented that when communists took power in Prague and Budapest in 1948, the Austrian Communist Party (KPO) had similar, detailed plans to seize power in Vienna. Without the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, as well as adept maneuvering by a bipartisan group of Austrian politicians, he noted, Austria would have fallen into the Soviet sphere of influence. Schuessel stressed that the Truman Doctrine defined a consistent, though "not always perfectly applied" USG foreign policy objective -- assisting nations to build democratic societies. ¶2. Schuessel observed that the historical continuum of democratic development in post-War Europe lasted from the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan to the signing of the Austrian State Treaty in 1955, and on to the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. According to Schuessel, the process continues today. Developments in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan were unequivocally positive, he said, and there is now new hope for Afghanistan and Iraq. Schuessel opined that a "good European foreign policy" should proactively seek new opportunities to promote democracy. The Balkans, in Schuessel's opinion, is a region where Europe can do more to foster stability and democracy. Schuessel noted that the EU now accounted for 90% of the financial and personnel resources for peacekeeping operations in the Balkans. He added that the increased European involvement complemented transatlantic strategies in other regions. Brown