AUSTRIAN REACTION TO THE SECRETARY'S STATEMENT ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 003824

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/AGS - VIKMANIS-KELLER
NSC FOR DAMON WILSON AND TRACY MCKIBBON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2015
TAGS: PHUM PREL OPDC AU EUN
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN REACTION TO THE SECRETARY'S STATEMENT ON
ALLEGED U.S. DETENTION AND TRANSPORTATION OF TERRORIST
SUSPECTS

REF: A. (A) STATE 220071

B. (B) STATE 219905

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Scott F. Kilner. Reasons: 1.4 (b) an
d (d).


1. (SBU) Charge and visiting EUR/AGS Director Weygandt
discussed the Secretary's December 5 statement and related
letter to Foreign Secretary Straw (refs A and B) with
Chancellery Diplomatic Advisor Hans-Peter Manz in the context
of Chancellor Schuessel's December 8 meeting with the
President. Charge also raised the issue in a separate
meeting with MFA Political Director Mayr-Harting and Americas
Director Lennkh. At the same time, PAO distributed the
Secretary's statement in English and German to all chief

SIPDIS
editors in Austria, as well as to a wide selection of key
journalists, academics, representatives of think tanks, and
other opinion leaders. Post will continue to disseminate the
message widely both with officials and with the Austrian
public.


2. (C) Looking to Schuessel's upcoming meeting at the White
House, Manz stated, "we need to make clear to our publics
that we are fighting for the same thing -- we're all in this
together." The core question, in Manz' view, was "how to
fight enemies who do not play by the rules."


3. (C) Manz stated repeatedly that Schuessel "doesn't have
the slightest interest in playing up this issue." While the
Chancellor would not be able to avoid the subject with the
President because his government was "getting plastered" in
the Austrian media, Manz expressed full confidence that the
discussion would be a constructive one.


4. (C) Manz called the Secretary's statement "a strong one"
and said he was encouraged by it. More broadly, he stressed
that transatlantic relations were "too important to be
dominated by sensational issues" in the press. In that
connection, Manz lamented that many non-governmental
organizations were making a "completely unjustified leap"
from the question of rendition to an automatic assumption of
torture. He praised the Secretary's statement for
confronting this fallacy head-on.


5. (SBU) In public comments on December 6, Schuessel said he
would "of course" discuss the issue with the President. He
noted that the Secretary had said the U.S. was using "legal"
means and weapons to fight terror, and that she had said that
the U.S. was not employing torture.
KILNER