AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 06, 2006

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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 06, 2006

Gehrer Turns Her Back on Politics


1. Education Minister Elisabeth Gehrer is the first politician to
respond to the OeVP's defeat in the general elections: She announced
yesterday she will resign as minister when the new government is
sworn in and retire from politics entirely.
All Austrian media report that Elisabeth Gehrer not only resigns as
minister - she is also not going to claim her parliamentary seat
following the formation of Austria's next government. Talking to
centrist daily Die Presse, Gehrer emphasized her "shock" over the
(election campaign) attacks on the chancellor and her person by the
SPOe and the Greens, stressing she considered the TV and newspaper
ads "poor style, hurtful and insulting." She also told ORF TV she
does not want to be labeled someone who "holds on to a post past
their time," and that she wants to make room in the government for
younger people. The SPOe, the Greens and the FPOe say they do not
regret Gehrer's decision, the Presse concludes.


Analysts on General Elections


2. Austrian political analysts agree that polling institutes failed
to predict the election result, and particularly the OeVP's losses.
The Conservatives have lost the support of many religious voters,
they say.
In semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung, head of polling institute
Fessel GfK Austria Peter Ulram admitted that "in all honesty, the
pollsters did not foresee this result. No institute had the SPOe
down for first place." Ulram adds that although polling institutes
expected losses for the OeVP, they always saw the Conservatives
ahead of the SPOe by at least 2 to 3 percent. According to the
political analyst, among the reasons for the unexpected election
outcome are the vast number of undecided voters, as well as the
considerable losses the OeVP incurred among religious Austrian
voters.


Poll on Chancellor Preferences


3. A survey by polling institute Gallup on who Austrians prefer as
the next chancellor shows that 60 percent want SPOe leader Alfred
Gusenbauer as the next head of government. In addition, 68 percent
of Austrians say they would prefer a grand coalition.
According to the Gallup poll, the balance has shifted in favor of
SPOe leader Alfred Gusenbauer, when it comes to the question of who
Austrians want as their next chancellor: While 60 percent say they
prefer the Social Democrats' chairperson holding that office, only
27 percent want a third term for incumbent Wolfgang Schuessel. In
addition, newly established daily Oesterreich writes, the Gallup
survey showed 68 percent in favor of a grand coalition, while ten
percent want a SPOe coalition with the Greens and the BZOe, and only
nine percent would welcome an OeVP-FPOe-BZOe government.






Coalition Preferences According to the OeVP


4. Support is increasing in the OeVP for a center-right coalition
with the FPOe and its spin-off BZOe as an alternative to the
"unloved" grand-coalition option.
According to a front-page report in centrist daily Die Presse,
Styrian OeVP leader Hermann Schuetzenhoefer in particular said he
sees "no reason to ostracize the 500,000 FPOe voters."
Schuetzenhoefer told the Presse that his party should consider all
possible coalition options, including cooperation with the FPOe and
the BZOe. Other leading OeVP representatives, too, have suggested
the formation of a center-right government, "should the SPOe refuse
to budge" on issues important to the OeVP.


Europe and Anti-Americanism


5. With Anti-American tendencies on the advance worldwide, an
Austrian panel of political experts suggests Anti-Americanism is the
"glue keeping Europeans together."
At a U.S. Embassy-organized conference in Vienna, experts were
discussing the reasons and the possible development of Anti-American
trends. Pollster and political analyst Peter Ulram, who believes
Anti-Americanism is something that unites European, argues that the
joint stance against the US "helps cover up the lack of common
topics among Europeans." While people from different European states
may have little to say to each other regarding country-specific
topics, they can easily share their views on the United States,
particularly given the fact that the majority of Europeans holds
negative views of the US, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung reports
on the conference. Peter Ulram points out that Europe's critical
stance towards the US is partially rooted in history: There is a
long tradition of Anti-Americanism. Furthermore, since the collapse
of the Soviet Union, the US has not been needed any longer as a
protective force against Communism. Rather, the opposite seems to be
the case: the key motivating force for Anti-American tendencies is
rooted in the desire to establish a more balanced world and to
relieve the US of its position as the only remaining superpower.





Israel's Attack on UN Soldiers


6. The UN has accepted Israel's explanation that its attack on a UN
post in southern Lebanon in which four soldiers were killed was an
"accident." In fact, however, the Israeli army had been watching the
UN post because Hezbollah was able to access information on Israel
via the UNIFIL website.
Mass-circulation daily Kurier explains that in the most recent
conflict between Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli army did not have a
clear picture of its opponent, due to the rather short run-up time,
and was therefore walking into one trap after another. Hezbollah
leader Hassam Nasrallah, however, merely needed to access UNIFIL's
web page in order to get the latest news on Israeli troop movements.
The information there was usually about 30 minutes, and never more
than 24 hours, old, Kurier writes. In contrast, the Israeli army did
not have that option with Hezbollah, although UNIFIL also had a very
good overview of their activities.


US and China Warn North Korea


7. Following a stern warning from the US, China has now also adopted
a tougher stance on North Korea. China's Ambassador to the UN Wang
Guangya warned that Pyongyang would have to expect "serious
consequences," should it push ahead with its nuclear weapons test.
Like China, the United States has issued a strong warning and
threatened consequences should Pyongyang refuse to call off its
nuclear test, underscoring that America would "not accept a North
Korea armed with nuclear weapons." Pyongyang could choose between "a
future or these weapons," liberal daily Der Standard quotes
Assistant Secertary of State Christopher hill. The daily adds that
Japan has said it would also ask the UN Security Coucil to issue a
warning. Japan, Britain and France have meanwhile stressed that a
strong statement is necessary, US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton
is quoted by the daily.


Rice Urges End to Iraqi Violence


8. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking to Shiite,
Kurdish and Sunni leaders on a surprise visit to Baghdad, has called
on politicians to act urgently to end the rising tide of sectarian
violence in the country.
Speaking to Iraqi representatives across the spectrum, Rice called
on them to work together towards reconciliation and to disarm the
militia groups behind the violence, ORF radio early morning news
Morgenjournal says. Similarly, liberal daily Der Standard reports
that the US Secretary of State on her surprise visit in Baghdad
criticized the Iraqi parties' "political inactivity." The security
situation in the country was "no longer acceptable," Rice
emphasized.
McCaw