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