AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 05, 2006

UNCLAS VIENNA 002976 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/AGS, INR/EU, AND EUR/PPD FOR YVETTE SAINT-ANDRE OSD FOR COMMANDER CHAFFEE WHITEHOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO AU OPRC SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 05, 2006 A Grand Coalition - Or Not? ¶1. The chairperson of the Social Democrats Alfred Gusenbauer has said he only wants to hold coalition talks with the conservative OeVP, because "a two-party coalition is more stable than a three-party one." The OeVP, however, is divided on whether they want to govern with the SPOe. Presenting his team for the coalition negotiations, SPOe leader Alfred Gusenbauer Wednesday stressed he would prefer a grand coalition, and urged the Conservatives to "show responsibility and calm" in the negotiation process. All politicians now need to "accept, understand and implement" the election results, mass-circulation daily Kurier quotes him as saying. The Austrian people want change, Gusenbauer said, and the OeVP will have to comply, because otherwise the "message was that the voters were wrong." The OeVP, however, disagrees on the issue of a grand coalition, writes liberal daily Der Standard. While Interior Minister Liese Prokop says she can no longer imagine cooperation with the SPOe, the OeVP's top economic representatives are in favor of a SPOe-OEVP coalition, because "at this point there is no alternative." Apparently, the Standard concludes, the Conservatives are suffering from post-election trauma. Fischer on Government ¶2. Speaking on ORF TV yesterday, Austrian President Heinz Fischer emphasized he would welcome the formation of a "stable coalition government" by Christmas. After meeting with the leaders of all five major Austrian parties on Tuesday and Wednesday, Heinz Fischer explained on ORF TV's prime time news Zeit im Bild I that for him the election outcome is "clear enough" to ask one of the party leaders - most likely SPOe chairperson Alfred Gusenbauer - to form a coalition government. According to semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung, Fischer added he sees no need for preliminary talks between the parties as after the past two general elections. Although he is hoping a government will be formed soon, the decision is not up to him, the President said. Aside from expressing his wish for a stable government, Fischer declined to comment on whether he has a preferred coalition combination. The Eurofighter Problem ¶3. Austrian media continue to see the controversial Eurofighter purchase as a potential stumbling block for a new government. A daily suggests the formation of a (grand) coalition could even fail because of the issue. Centrist daily Die Presse explains in a front-page report that the SPOe, which wants to back out of the Eurofighter deal could succeed in getting a parliamentary majorit October 30 for its plan, as both the Greens andthe FPOe have suggested they might support the Social Democrats' move. OeVP floor leader Wilhelm Molterer, on the other hand, re-iterated that for the Conservatives the interceptor purchase is not up for discussion, and that it remains a key issue for the OeVP in any government coalition negation. Likewise, Defense Minister Guenther Platter underscored that acquisition of airspace surveillance jets is necessary. Given these fundamental differences, the Presse suggests that a grand coalition could collapse even before its inception. Schuessel's Future ¶4. An Austrian daily speculates that outgoing Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel is going to resign as OeVP leader following the coalition negotiations for a new Austrian government and that he could be arranging for a career in the EU Commission. According to a report in newly established daily Oesterreich, Wolfgang Schuessel is already working on his transfer to Brussels behind the scenes. The paper suggests that Schuessel could replace Foreign Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner in the Commission. This would require Ferrero-Waldner to step down, whereupon the Austrian head of government - most likely Alfred Gusenbauer - could nominate a new Commissioner. The plan would actually work in the SPOe leader's favor: He would be rid of his key opponent, Oesterreich argues. The only problem is that the Foreign Relations Commissioner's portfolio is going to be curtailed substantially in the next few years, so Schuessel might not consider the post prestigious enough any longer. EU Visas for US Diplomats ¶5. The EU Commission is considering making US diplomats apply for visas, in retaliation for Washington's refusal to waive visas for citizens of 10 EU states. Commissioner Franco Frattini says the US position on the issue is "no longer understandable and acceptable." In the dispute over lifting US visa requirements for Greece and all new EU member states except Slovenia, the EU Commission has now suggested "sanctions" against the US, centrist daily Die Presse reports. Brussels has suggested introducing visa requirements for US diplomats. The EU interior and justice ministers are meeting in Luxembourg today to discuss the issue. Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung quotes Commissioner Franco Frattini, who complained in a letter to US homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff that US visa requirements for some EU states were "an extremely frustrating experience" for these countries' citizens. According to the EU Commission, no progress has been made in talks with the US on visa waivers for the EU states in question. Turkey and the EU ¶6. A year after the beginning of membership talks with the European Union, Ankara is still lagging behind on reforms. The pressure on Turkey to meet EU requirements is growing. In particular, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is going to push for Turkey to open up to Cypriot ships and airplanes when she meets with Turkish government officials today. A EU "compromise on Cyprus is not on the agenda," the German Chancellery said in a statement. Thus Germany, which will take over the EU Presidency next year, made it clear it expects Ankara to signal its willingness for the continuation of EU membership talks, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung writes. Merkel's trip comes at the time of the most severe crisis between the EU and Turkey over Ankara's membership in the Union. Now, Turkey has come under considerable pressure regarding Cyprus, because if it fails to comply by the end of this year, the EU could call off entry talks entirely, the daily says. Palestinian Government Efforts Fail ¶7. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday that talks with Hamas on forming a unity government had collapsed and that the preliminary coalition agreement of September 11 was not longer valid. Talks will have to begin from scratch again. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is holding talks with Israeli political leaders today. ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal says she is expected to push for an easing of border restrictions around the Gaza Strip. The Arab League Ambassador to the UN has stressed the US must involve all countries in the region if Washington wants to revive the Mideast peace process. ORF radio quotes him as saying that, hopefully, the "trip of Secretary Rice is the beginning of a new phase to engage the Arabs and the Israelis in direct negotiations leading to a peaceful settlement." Middle East expert and foreign editor for liberal daily Der Standard Gudrun Harrer argues that at this point it will be particularly difficult for the Secretary of State to sell the US Mideast policy plans to Washington's allies in the region." Most Arab leaders have little appreciation for the US' rejection of Hamas, and with the exception of the Saudis, the entire region is still dealing with the fallout of the Lebanon war. Frustration in the region over America's Middle East policy has never been greater, and the countries' leaders can hardly afford to distance themselves even more from their people on this, Harrer says. US Closing Down Its Borders ¶8. US President George Bush has signed into law a fence project for the US border, despite protests from Mexico. The more than 1,000 kilometers of barbed wire fence mounted with video cameras is to stem the flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Around 1.2 illegal immigrants were arrested last year, trying to cross the US border with Mexico. Outgoing Mexican President Vicente Fox has called the fence "shameful" and compared it to the Berlin Wall, says ORF radio Morgenjournal. Newly established daily Oesterreich writes that with this measure, the Bush administration is continuing its hard-line course on immigration. The daily notes that the Mexican embassy in Washington launched a formal protest against the planned 950-million-Euro project. The US is meanwhile trying to ease tensions, with State Department spokesperson Tom Casey stressing that Washington "values its good relations with Mexico." He emphasized the immigration dialogue the US was entertaining with its southern neighbor and which it would continue to entertain. US Warning for North Korea ¶9. A top US official has revealed that Washington has directly warned North Korea not to test any nuclear weapons. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said the US has sent a message SIPDIS to Pyongyang through diplomatic channels at the UN in New York. According to ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal, however, Hill did not specify how the US would respond if the nuclear test announced by North Korea takes place. Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung writes that China has meanwhile urged Pyongyang to show restraint on the issue and to avoid everything that could further increase international tensions over North Korea's nuclear ambitions. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called on Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table and resume the six-party talks. Scandal Hits US Republicans ¶10. The leader of the Republicans in the US House of Representatives Dennis Hastert is facing new charges of covering up a scandal involving former Congressman Mark Foley, who resigned last week after it emerged that he sent sexually suggestive e-mails to young men on his staff. The allegations of a cover-up could prove problematic for the Republicans ahead of the mid-term elections in November. A former aide said he warned Hastert about his colleague's conduct more than two years ago, says ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal. A political commentator for a Washington radio station is quoted as explaining why the allegations of a cover-up could hurt the Republicans in the mid-term elections: "The cover-up is going to be worse than a crime. I think what people are saying is: Do Republicans care more about just preserving their majority, or do they care about the integrity of the institution, the House of Representatives?" Like all Austrian media reporting on the issue, mass-circulation provincial daily Kleine Zeitung argues the scandal is putting pressure on President Bush: In the run-up to the November elections, his battered party has lost one of its key campaign arguments, its "moral integrity," the daily says, adding that the scandal could not have come at a worse time for the Republicans. McCaw