AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: May 29, 2007

UNCLAS VIENNA 001414 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: OPRC KPAO AU SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: May 29, 2007 New Accusations over Eurofighter ¶1. The head of the parliamentary committee looking into the purchase of Eurofighter jets for Austria's armed forces, Peter Pilz, has accused the People's Party of "blocking" the inquiry. Pilz harshly criticized as an "ultimatum to Parliament" the OeVP's demand that the committee's hearings and interviews on the interceptor deal be concluded by June 14. Like ORF online news, mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich quoted the head of the parliamentary inquiry into the Eurofighter deal, Peter Pilz, as complaining that the OeVP is "trying to gag the investigative committee." For Pilz this is an indication of what he describes as "double blackmail," referring to the OeVP's call for the June 14 deadline in addition to Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer's blacking out of parts of the Eurofighter financial files. According to Oesterreich, Pilz concluded that the OeVP wants to obstruct the committee's upcoming probe into allegations of party funding in connection with the interceptor deal. Meanwhile, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung commented on Defense Minister Norbert Darabos' opposition to the Eurofighter purchase: "The minister won't be able to prolong his stalling tactics for much longer. Eventually, every single communications technology release will have been awarded, and all quality control tests concluded. So, when the jets are finally about to touch down in Austria and the Minister is still empty-handed regarding his and his party's election promises, he will definitely be in a tight spot." Gusenbauer in Berlin ¶2. Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer met his German counterpart Angela Merkel in Berlin yesterday to discuss ways to resolve the deadlock over the EU constitution. The meeting was one in a series of talks the German Chancellor has held with EU political leaders on the issue. Gusenbauer underscored that the supporters of the constitution must be heard, too, and that its opponents should not be the only ones calling the shots in the debate. Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung reported that the German Chancellor is pushing for a consensual solution in the controversy over the EU constitution. Chancellor Gusenbauer, meanwhile, emphasized that the majority of EU states have already ratified the 
text. He also urged that "we must not create the impression that those countries, which have not yet ratified the draft, are the ones pulling the strings in Europe today," warning that such a strategy might have serious consequences, mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich quoted. Plassnik on Upcoming "Women Leaders" Conference ¶3. In an interview with a leading Austrian daily, Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik discussed the upcoming international conference in Vienna: "Women leaders - A Network for Peace and Security in the Middle East." She underscored the need for open dialogue, and stressed it will be the first time that a US secretary of state, an Israeli foreign minister, a former Palestinian minister for education, as well as government representatives from countries not recognizing Israel will be meeting to discuss the role of women in the Middle East. In an interview with liberal daily Der Standard, Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik discussed the upcoming international conference on "women leaders" in Vienna. She dismissed the suggestion that women in the Middle East are being excluded from society and politics: "I would not say women are being excluded, because women in the Middle East are making valuable contributions in everyday life. Our perception of that particular aspect of the Arab world as an amorphous mass of women deprived of their rights, for whom we, the West, need to create mechanisms so that they can assert themselves, is quite beside the point. The question is, to what extent do women's contributions register with the public, how much they need to be promoted for society in general to be aware of them, and to what extent do women get the opportunity to participate in everyday decisions. There is quite a deficit there, no doubt. But the EU has no reason for self-righteousness, either. After all, there is not a single woman among the nine special envoys representing European politics under Javier Solana's leadership. I don't like that, either." Similarly, independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten, reporting on Plassnik's efforts to create a "global network of women in politics," quotes the Foreign Minister as stressing her goal for the conference as "establishing a link between the role of women in peace processes and debating the situation in Middle East." It was a deliberate decision to also "invite women from countries and regions that only recently experienced violent conflicts, as for example the Foreign Minister of Burundi, or the Croatian Foreign Minister. They can all bring in their experience and their ideas. What we are doing is providing a setting for that, as well as a topic and the joint conviction that dialogue is vital in our quest for peace. That may sound rather modest, but if you look at the difficult and complex relations some of these countries have with each other, you'll realize that it is not something that can be taken for granted." US and Iran Hold Historic Talks ¶4. The United States and Iran have held formal talks for the first time in 27 years. The security situation in Iraq was the only issue on the agenda at the meeting in Baghdad on Monday of representatives from the two countries. After the meeting, US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker described as "positive" the four-hour discussion with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi-Qomi. All Austrian media give prominent coverage to the first formal talks in 27 years between representatives from the US and Iran. Independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten focused on the "constructive climate" at the meeting of the US and Iranian Ambassadors to Baghdad to discuss ways to boost security and stability in Iraq. The daily notes that given the low expectations on both sides ahead of the talks, the participants seemed to have covered more ground than initially expected. Both the Iranian and the US representatives emphasized the "polite" and "constructive" climate at the meeting. Observers also see as a positive sign the fact that the talks lasted about twice as long as scheduled. Centrist daily Die Presse suggested that "a door has been opened that was closed for almost 30 years." The daily also noted the participants' emphasis on the "positive and constructive talks," and added that according to the US, the Iranians suggested a second round of talks on Iraqi stability. Iran, the Presse argued, considers the US military presence in Iraq to be a direct threat of its national security, while Washington in turn keeps accusing Tehran of exploiting its influence in Iraq to further destabilize the country, for example by supporting the Iraqi Shiite militias. Liberal daily Der Standard noted the "minimal consensus on behalf of Iraq," and quotes US Ambassador Ryan Crocker as stressing the "broad agreement" in the United States and Iran's policies for Iraq. It is the "critical situation in Iraq that has made the meeting possible, or rather vital," foreign editor for the Standard Gudrun Harrer commented. In the American-Iranian talks, the first since 1980, the journey is the reward. The list of mutual accusations is long, but no-one wants to be responsible for the poor security situation in Iraq." McCaw