AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: December 12, 2006

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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: December 12, 2006


Prokop Defuses Haubner Law


1. In the dispute over a Social Affairs Ministry ruling, Interior
Minister Liese Prokop has now taken the edge off Social Affairs
Minister Ursula Haubner's controversial decree, which denied family
benefits to the children of some foreign-born mothers living legally
in Austria. In the future, the children's birth certificates and the
mothers' residence permits, but not passports, will be required to
receive the benefits.
Interior Minister Liese Prokop told semi-official daily Wiener
Zeitung that her move to make it possible for the non-Austrian
mothers concerned to receive family benefits was "an amendment that
would have been introduced anyway." Clearly, however, the change
anticipates amendment of the Austrian child benefit and family
compensation laws as planned by the SPOe and the OeVP, the Wiener
Zeitung writes. While, the Social Democrats have welcomed the
Interior Minister's decision, the BZOe has accused Prokop of having
"left our common path on the alien rights package." The adaptations
as implemented by Prokop were the "morning gift" of the future grand
coalition, the BZOe complained.


No Breakthrough in Coalition Talks


2. Monday's round of coalition talks between the Social Democrats
and the Conservatives failed to resolve the deadlock in the
formation of a new Austrian government, although the atmosphere
appears to have improved somewhat. SPOe floor leader Josef Cap
stressed that, "of course" his party wants to form a government with
the OeVP, and his counterpart from the OeVP said the Conservatives
are willing to hold additional negotiations, if necessary.
All Austrian media continue to report on the slow progress of
coalition negotiations between the Social Democrats and the
Conservatives. Commenting on the ongoing dispute between the two
parties, SPOe floor leader Josef Cap in an interview with
independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten stressed it was
"only natural there would be disagreement on the key issues...The
important thing is for these conflicts to be solved through debate,
so that in the end both parties find themselves fairly represented
in a coalition agreement. (...) Better we argue now than after the
formation of a government." Meanwhile, mass-circulation tabloid
Kronen Zeitung quotes OeVP heavyweight and Lower Austrian governor
Erwin Proell as stating on the deadlocked coalition talks that he is
fed up with "this farce. The Austrian people have no understanding
for this." The SPOe, he argues, "should finally put their cards on
the table." Proell also complains about what he calls the Social
Democrats' "double strategy" in the negotiations.


Partial Suspension of Turkish EU Bid


3. At their meeting in Brussels yesterday, the European Union's
foreign ministers agreed on a "partial freeze" of the Turkish EU
membership process because of Ankara's failure to open its ports and
airports to traffic from Cyprus. Negotiations in eight of the 35
policy areas will be suspended for the time being, as proposed
earlier by the EU Commission. Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula
Plassnik said EU ministers also agreed on more rigorous annual
reviews of Turkey's membership efforts.
Despite the EU's suspension of membership talks with Turkey in eight
areas, negotiations on the other policy topics will continue. ORF
radio quotes a Turkish international relations specialist as saying
Ankara's move to open one port and airport to Cyprus was
significant, because it had "immense symbolic significance for both
sides." Mass-circulation provincial daily Kleine Zeitung quotes
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik as telling journalists
that the "membership negotiation process has passed its first test:
There are no guarantees and nothing is automatic." Centrist daily
Die Presse writes that despite their call for "sanctions," the
"Turkey hardliners, including Austria have failed to assert
themselves," as there will be "no de-facto deadline" for Ankara to
open all its ports to Cyprus. Nevertheless, Plassnik stressed she
was pleased with the outcome, calling it a "strong signal for
Turkey," the daily quotes.


Ambassador's Letter to the Editor


4. An Austrian daily publishes a letter to the editor by US
Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw regarding rendition of terrorism
suspects.
Liberal daily Der Standard publishes a letter to the editor by US
Ambassador Susan McCaw, who argues that some "recent media reports
may have led to a misunderstanding among some readers about the
policy of the United States in our discussions with the European
Union concerning the rendition of suspected terrorists." The United
States, Ambassador McCaw continues, has been in a "useful dialogue
with the EU, both in a multilateral context and with individual EU
member states, about the appropriate legal framework for the fight
against terrorism. However, contrary to recent press reports, the
United States has not tried to develop a 'framework agreement' on
renditions with either Austria or the EU." Rather, as part of
America's ongoing "constructive dialogue with the EU on legal
issues," the United States has "explained the limited circumstances
under which the United States has used renditions and the legal
basis for those renditions. The United States has also pointed out
that European countries have used renditions, and that European
courts have upheld renditions," the Ambassador stressed, adding that
productive discussions with the EU and member states "about issues
critical to all of us may be undermined by incomplete public
understanding."


Journalist Exchange Program with the USA


5. Two Austrian journalists have been chosen to participate in the
newly-created "US-Austrian Journalism Exchange Fellowship," and will
swap workplaces with two American colleagues for six weeks next
year. The program is being financed by the Austrian Chancellery, the
Austrian Newspapers Association and the US Embassy in Vienna. US
Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw stressed that exchange programs
are "the best way to overcome stereotypes and to really get to know
a country."
According to liberal daily Der Standard online, the recipients of
the journalism exchange fellowship, Christoph Prantner from the
Standard and Michaela Roithmayr from Life Radio will serve as
foreign correspondents and spend six weeks reporting from Washington
DC early next year. Two American reporters will replace the
Austrians in Vienna during that time. About 60 journalists from
Austria and the US applied for the program, which was organized by
the Austrian Journalists Training Committee and the US International
Center for Journalists.


Dozens die in Baghdad Suicide Bombing


6. Two car bombs have exploded in central Baghdad, killing more than
50 people and injuring over 140. The blasts went off simultaneously
in a central square -- one in a parked car; the other in a vehicle
driven by a suicide bomber. Police say the bombs were aimed at a
police patrol and a crowd of Iraqis applying for jobs.
The blast is the latest in a series of disastrous suicide bombings
in Baghdad, mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich online writes.
Meanwhile, Kofi Annan delivered his final speech as UN Secretary
General, painting a dramatic picture of the situation in Iraq and
calling on the US not to lose sight of its core principles in its
fight against terrorism. In what has been widely interpreted as
criticism of the policies of US President Bush, Annan stressed that
"no nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over others,"
Oesterrreich says. The outgoing UN Secretary General reiterated his
call for a broad dialogue to solve the crisis, which should include
not only all factions in Iraq, but also its neighboring states and
the United Nation Security Council's five veto powers.
McCaw