AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: November 20, 2006

UNCLAS VIENNA 003373 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: November 20, 2006 Is Schuessel Planning Coalition Rerun? ¶1. Austrian media speculate that Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel may be planning a continuation of the OeVP-FPOe coalition. Following his "amicable" talks with Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache last week, the Conservatives could be exploring the possibility of forming a three-party government with the FPOe and the BZOe, should the grand coalition with the SPOe fall through. Like several Austrian media, mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich speculates about a potential "OeVP-FPOe coalition comeback," following a meeting last week between Chancellor Wolfgang Schuesssl and Freedom Party boss Heinz-Christian Strache. While Interior Minister Liese Prokop stated that the OeVP had "a lot more in common with the FPOe" that with the Social Democrats on a number of issues, such as Austria's immigration policy, both party leaders have tried to downplay their "amicable" meeting as "nothing out of the ordinary." The Schuessel-Strache one-on-one has nevertheless boosted speculation that the Chancellor and his party could be working behind the scenes toward re-establishing an OeVP-FPOe-BZOe government. BZOe leader Peter Westhenthaler has said such a coalition would be "an interesting project." While some OeVP representatives are reportedly "relieved" about their party's rapprochement with the Freedom Party and the BZOe, the Social Democrats are watching developments with considerable suspicion. OeVP Finance Minister? ¶2. The post of finance minister would be a key position in a grand coalition, both the SPOe and the OeVP emphasized in recent weeks. SPOe secretary general Norbert Darabos said on ORF TV that an OeVP Finance Minister was "conceivable" for the Social Democrats - "as long as it is not Karl-Heinz Grasser." Speaking on ORF TV's Sunday night panel discussion program Offen gesagt, SPOe secretary general Norbert Darabos said that, for a grand coalition, his party was willing to compromise on some key portfolios including the finance minister's, provided the OeVP's choice was not incumbent Karl-Heinz Grasser. According to ORF online news, however, Grasser as finance minister does not appear to be a basic condition for the OeVP, either. The Conservatives could therefore be willing to "sacrifice" Grasser in return for keeping the highly important ministry of finance. Interview with Ambassador McCaw ¶3. US Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw gave an interview to the online version of a leading Austrian daily, discussing US President George Bush's past six years in office, possible mid-term election fallout, and the 2008 US presidential elections. In an interview published in liberal daily Der Standard online, US Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw says the "Bush presidency has been marked by the war on terror. Of course, terrorism existed before President Bush assumed office, but September 11 had far-reaching consequences on his term of office, and on our country. It has changed the way we see the world." Marked by 9/11 and terrorism, President Bush's presidency will in time been remembered for his commitment to facing these threats, Ambassador McCaw explains, adding that it will "take generations to understand the impact of President Bush's strategic leadership." The mid-term elections were a "call on the part of the American people for a government that works with both parties in Congress, something that is not out of the ordinary for the US." On "shooting star" Barack Obama, the Ambassador says that is would be "fantastic to have an African American as US president. It says a lot about our country. I believe he is a very capable, qualified young man." For full interview in German go to : http://derstandard.at/ ? Politik ? International ? USA ? "Ein Afro-Amerikaner als Praesident waere grossartig" Former US Ambassador Presents New Book ¶4. Former US Ambassador to Austria Swanee Hunt has presented her new book, the autobiographical Half-Life of a Zealot, in which she reveals details about her ambassadorship in Vienna. Mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich in its Life&Day supplement reports on the presentation in New York recently of former US Ambassador to Austria Swanee Hunt's autobiography. Following her ambassadorship in Austria, Hunt has emerged as a leading figure in the global movement for boosting women's rights, the paper says. She is also said to have good chances for a career in politics, the tabloid speculates: Hunt has been suggested as a candidate for a top cabinet position, should Hillary Clinton succeed in making it to the Oval Office, according to Oesterreich. In her book, Hunt discusses her career as Ambassador in Austria, her encounters with a number of leading Austrians at that time, and her commitment to women's rights, among other topics. Saddam Trial Flawed? ¶5. A leading human rights organization says the trial of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was flawed and that the death sentence should be set aside. Human Rights Watch released an extensive report after ten months of observation. ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal says a recent report by Human Rights Watch claims the Saddam Hussein trial was flawed. The international human rights group says the flaws include the regular failure to disclose key evidence to the defense in advance, and violations of the basic right of the defense to confront prosecution witnesses. A spokesperson for Human Rights Watch is quoted as saying it was a "fundamental misstep to put the burden of conducting this complex, highly-charged trial onto the backs of judges and lawyers who did not have the experience for conducting these kinds of trials." The Iraqi government responded by saying the trial had been open and fair. New Iraq Strategy? ¶6. An Austrian tabloid says the Bush administration could be contemplating a change of course in its Iraq strategy: Allegedly, the US is going to attempt a last concerted effort to stabilize the country, before it begins to withdraw its troops. Mass-circulation tabloid Kronen Zeitung says Washington's revised strategy for Iraq includes: Deploying an additional 20,000 US troops to the country to support the 140,000 already stationed there in securing order in Baghdad after four years of chaos, after which the US would withdraw; holding a regional peace conference with the participation of neighboring states Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Jordan, aimed at pacifying these countries' borders with Iraq and at dissolving the private armies operating in Iraq supported mainly by Syria and Iran; and allocating an additional $60 billion for the build-up of Iraq's military, which - according to the Kronen Zeitung - is key to setting up an authoritarian military government as an alternative to the current corrupt civilian administration. Moscow Heading for WTO Membership ¶7. At the APEC summit in Vietnam, Russia and the US signed an agreement aimed at securing Moscow's membership in the World Trade Organization. The "historic" deal has brought Russia a lot closer to reaching its goal of joining the WTO. Austrian media reporting on the APEC summit in Vietnam say that although it is not clear at this point when exactly Russia will join the WTO, after signing a bilateral agreement on the issue with the US, the deal is nonetheless a major political success for Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, on ORF radio's Morgenjournal, commentator Sybille Rothe analyzes the summit: "One issue clearly stood out among the many topics on the agenda at the APEC summit: the deadlocked Doha Round. Representatives from the Pacific states appealed for a resumption of the talks, announcing they would make new concessions regarding the cutting of trade barriers in the agrarian sector, and calling on their trading partners - including the EU - to support their strategy. On the political level, North Korea was at the top of the agenda, though the Pacific states only verbally denounced Pyongyang's nuclear tests. A disappointing result for US President Bush, who ahead of the summit had assumed that a joint resolution on the issue would be passed. China and Russia made sure the statement on North Korea was not part of the official wrap-up communiqu. The two countries want to limit the political pressure on Pyongyang. Washington also failed to push its agenda with regard to terrorism: there were no new initiatives; merely a commitment to vigilance from the participants." McCaw