AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 24, 2006

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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 24, 2006


Coalition Talks Continue


1. Amid statements from the negotiation teams on the "positive
atmosphere" during yesterday's meetings on domestic issues, talks
today will address education issues.
After the talks on domestic issues yesterday, both SPOe delegation
head Norbert Darabos and Interior Minister Liese Prokop praised the
"positive discussion climate" and agreed that further talks on the
subject will be carried out by three subcommittees on integration,
domestic security and the judiciary, semi-official daily Wiener
Zeitung like all Austrian media. Today, the committees on education
will meet to discuss hot topics such as the SPOe's proposals to
introduce comprehensive schools in Austria, and to abolish
university study fees.




Proell Backs Schuessel


2. In the OeVP's leadership debate, which has seen harsh criticism
of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel by leading party representatives,
Agriculture Minister Josef Proell has emphasized his support for the
Chancellor: He stressed Schuessel should continue to lead the party
and head the OeVP coalition negotiation team.
Minister for Agriculture Josef Proell has harshly attacked the
critics of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, namely former EU
Commissioner Franz Fischler and Economics Chamber President
Christoph Leitl, ORF online news writes like all major Austrian
media. Talking to centrist daily Die Presse, Proell dismissed
Leitl's call for "new personable faces" in the OeVP, stressing that
such a suggestion was "funny - given that the Economics Chamber
President has been on board for so long himself." Schuessel should
stay on, according to Proell, because those who "believe a party's
success merely depends on re-shuffling representatives and
introducing new faces is paving the way for the next defeat." The
Minister also emphasized that he wants a "debate on issues, not on
personalities," the Presse says.


No Clear Concept


3. The European Union does not have a clear joint strategy on
addressing the issue of legal and illegal migration, an Austrian
expert says. This is partly due to the fact that not Brussels, but
the individual member states decide on their respective immigration
policies.
Mass-circulation daily Kurier publishes a critical analysis of the
EU's policy on legal and illegal migration, warning that Europe has
no clear concept on how to address the issue. Austrian expert on
migration Rainer Muenz said in an interview with the daily that
there is "no clear EU policy regarding those people who try to come
to the EU illegally, and who cannot simply be sent back to their
countries of origin. It is "hardly conceivable that the EU
Commission regulates immigration criteria, as the US and Canadian
immigration authorities, for example. A joint European immigration
office would make the EU even more unpopular with the member states'
populations." However, a "European solution is not possible at this
point, because Brussels' authority here only covers a number of
limited areas. There is no common approach to asylum policy or the
protection of the EU's borders. While admission to the EU and the
granting of visas is regulated under the Schengen agreement, the
migration of workers and admission regulations for students, on the
other hand, are within the member states' national authority," the
expert explains.


US Government Expert Discusses Mid-Term Elections


4. Ahead of the November 7 mid-term elections, American government
analyst Thomas Neale gave an interview to an Austrian English
language radio station as part of a PAS-Vienna facilitated lecture
and press briefing tour. He discussed the Republican Party's chances
of winning on November 7 and President Bush's popularity in general.

US government expert Thomas Neale told FM4 radio that when you
"begin to see the Republican candidates not appear with the
President, it seems to be a sign that he takes away as much or more
of their campaign as he might give to it." Turning the tide against
the Republicans, according to Neale is "first of all, the
administration and the spokespeople have been saying for the past
three years that success [in Iraq] was just around the corner. (...)
Simply because of the constant, incessant coverage, people are
realizing that the situation is not going as well as it might be."
Dominating the election campaign are also "job losses and a sense
among the people that they are still not secure," Neale adds. The
Democrats, Neale elaborates, have "certainly focused on the war in
Iraq and particularly on asking the American people whether as a
result of this war they feel safer than they did before. The
majority is now saying: Well, no we don't." With respect to the
economy, the Democrats have a program. They say that if they
"control both Houses of Congress, they will during the first 100
days move to enact certain economic elements of their program, such
as raising the national minimum wage, canceling tax benefits for
major energy companies and allowing the tax cuts for the most
wealthy people to expire." The expert believes that chances for the
Democrats are "probably better in the House, but they could also
take the Senate. In either case we're talking of fairly small
majorities."


Iraqi Officials Stole Millions


5. Quoting Iraqi sources, US television networks are reporting that
officials in the former Iraqi interim government stole between $750
and $800 million meant for buying military equipment. High-ranking
politicians are said to be involved in the corruption scandal.
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung reports that high-ranking
representatives in the Iraqi Defense Ministry have apparently been
pocketing vast amounts of money designated for the modernization of
the Iraqi army. They are suspected of having skimmed off up to $800
million out of the $1.2 billion budget set aside for weapons
purchases. In addition to criticism that the Iraqi government has
been downplaying the number of civilian casualties in the country,
the corruption scandal in the Ministry over the alleged embezzlement
of military funds has put Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki further
under pressure, the daily adds.


Change of Course in Iraq?


6. The top US commander in Iraq and the US Ambassador are to hold a
joint news conference in Baghdad later today, as speculation grows
of a change of strategy. A senior White House policy advisor has
meanwhile said the Bush administration is monitoring the Iraqi
government's progress on security, but that there is no deadline to
withdraw troops, says ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal.


Hungary Protests Continue


7. Dozens of people were injured in protests in Budapest last night,
at the end of commemorations to mark the 50th anniversary of the
1956 anti-Soviet uprising. Tear gas and rubber bullets were used
against demonstrators, who were calling for the resignation of Prime
Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany over his admission he lied to the public
to win the election, according to ORF radio early morning news
Morgenjournal.
Kilner