FORMER GOVERNOR KLASNIC TO CHAIR FUTURE FUND

UNCLAS VIENNA 000157 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/OHI (SCARLIS) AND EUR/AGS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KNAR PHUM PGOV AU SUBJECT: FORMER GOVERNOR KLASNIC TO CHAIR FUTURE FUND ¶1. On January 13, the Board of Trustees of the Future Fund, charged with disbursing 20 million Euro in surplus monies from the Reconciliation Fund for Nazi-era forced and slave laborers, elected former Styrian Governor Waltraud Klasnic as its chairwoman. The Future Fund will finance projects to commemorate the Holocaust and address the threat of totalitarian regimes. ¶2. Klasnic is a member of Chancellor Schuessel's Austrian People's Party (OVP) and is personally close to Schuessel. Jewish Community (IKG) President Ariel Muzicant welcomed the appointment and praised Klasnic's excellent record of "altruistic support for the Austrian Jews." In 2003, Klasnic coordinated the Austrian states' Holocaust compensation to the IKG, which totals 18 million Euro. ¶3. The new Future Fund Deputy Chairman is Federal Economic Chamber official Christoph Kainz. Secretary General is Richard Wotava, who already served as secretary general of the Reconciliation Fund. Other SIPDIS members of the board are the head of the Diplomatic Academy, Jiri Grusa, Claims Conference Representative in Austria Moshe Jahoda, and City of Vienna Restitution Official Kurt Scholz. McCAW