AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: July 02, 2007

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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: July 02, 2007


Fischer on Eurofighter Deal


1. Speaking on Austrian television on Sunday, President Heinz
Fischer described the reduction achieved by Defense Minister Norbert
Darabos from 18 to 15 Eurofighter jets for Austria's armed forces as
a "positive result." The President also argued that a complete
cancellation of the contract with EADS and the process of purchasing
different jets would not have been a good solution. In addition,
Fischer urged the coalition partners SPOe and OeVP to stop their
"war of words" and improve cooperation.
Speaking on ORF TV's Sunday morning program Meet the Press on July
1, Austrian President Heinz Fischer criticized the coalition
partners SPOe and OeVP, stressing he is hoping for a "better
performance" from the two major parties in the future. While the
government's accomplishments up to now are "quite notable," he
expects "a more future-oriented synthesis with less verbal
jostling," Fischer stressed. The formation of a grand coalition was
the "logical and sensible consequence of the general election," the
President added, and harshly criticized the "tone" and at times
"extreme choice of words" between the government partners. Fischer
dismissed the idea of early general elections, and underscored that
all members of a coalition government are "required to focus on what
unites and not what divides them," which is why he is urging the
SPOe and the OeVP to "commit themselves to finding a more
constructive way of cooperating and solving key problems."


SPOe and OeVP Pledge Cooperation


2. Speaking on Austrian television on Sunday night, the floor
leaders of the SPOe, Josef Cap, and of the OeVP, Wolfgang Schuessel,
conceded that the "style" of the government coalition's work was not
good. There was "definitely room for improvement" regarding the two
parties' cooperation, Schuessel agreed, and Cap added that conflicts
of interests should be addressed in a "more cultivated" manner.
Appearing on ORF television's Sunday night discussion panel Im
Zentrum, the floor leaders of Austria's coalition government
partners, Josef Cap of the Social Democrats and Wolfgang Schuessel
of the People's Party pledged to improve their parties' cooperation.
The coalition government's style definitely had to improve,
Schuessel admitted, and tried to dispel allegations he was trying to
break up the government. Quite the contrary: Had he really been
opposed to the Conservatives' government cooperation with the Social
Democrats, he would have found dozens of arguments against the
formation of the coalition, Schuessel underscored, adding that in
truth he was not the government's "demolition man," but its "master
builder." Cap, in turn, proposed to try solving conflicts of
interests between the two parties in a more cultivated way in the
future. Despite their show of goodwill, the two floor leaders
"failed to set a good example" in the discussion, and kept
criticizing their respective coalition partners, ORF online news
noted.


Portugal Takes Over EU Presidency


3. Portugal has taken over the rotating European Union presidency
from Germany, which held the presidency since the beginning of the
year. Incoming EU Council President, Portugal's Prime Minister Jos
Socrates, presented what Austrian media have described as an
"ambitious program:" He said he the focus of his presidency will be
on economic reform; progress and details regarding the reform of the
EU treaty; Europe's role in the world, particularly with regard to
Africa and Brazil; as well as on keeping talks on Turkey's possible
accession on track.


Britain Remains on Maximum Alert


4. Britain remains on maximum security alert as police are
continuing their hunt for people suspected of involvement in the
attempted car bombings in London's West End on Friday and an attack
at Glasgow Airport's main terminal on Saturday. Five people have
been arrested over the weekend, but police have indicated that at
least one other suspect remains at large. The bombings in London and
Glasgow appear to be linked, British terrorism experts say. Prime
Minister Gordon Brown has suggested that apparently Britain is
dealing with people associated with the terrorist group al Qaeda.
All Austrian media continue to report on developments following the
attempted car bombings in London's West End on Friday and an attack
at Glasgow Airport's main terminal on Saturday. Independent
provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten quotes British Premier
Gordon Brown's terrorism advisor Lord Stevens as saying the attacks
were "a new form of terrorism. For the first time, al Qaeda had
exported to the West the terrorism tactics they employed in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and had used techniques to build their bombs similar to
those common among al Qaeda in Baghdad or Bali, Lord Stevens said.
Circumstances indicate that British-born al Qaeda terrorists had
returned from Iraq and Afghanistan in order to instruct and train
British terrorist groups, the advisor warned. Liberal daily Der
Standard meanwhile quotes Premier Brown as trying to prepare Britons
for potential future attacks: "We are facing a long-term threat that
will not go away in the next weeks or months," Brown said. The daily
also quotes Austrian President Heinz Fischer, who underscored that
"observant publics and police as well as stable societies might
provide an effective tool against terrorism." The terrorists "must
not be allowed the triumph of forcing a country away with threats
from observing its fundamental rights and freedoms," Fischer added.



Bush and Putin Meet in Maine


5. US President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are
meeting informally at the Bush family holiday home in Kennebunkport,
Maine. Ties have been strained between the two countries,
particularly over US plans to set up parts of a missile defense
system in eastern European countries, and over Russia's opposition
to independence for the Kosovo province. The talks are aimed at
easing tensions, and are also expected to focus on international
security in the wake of recent developments in London and Glasgow,
and on concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Russia's Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists yesterday that the two
leaders "reached a number of agreements."
Independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten, reporting like
all major Austrian media on the visit to the Bush family holiday
home in Maine of Russian President Vladimir Putin, says that
observers do not believe the meeting of the two leaders will yield
any substantial results, as Russia and the US are divided on too
many key issues. The "lobster summit," as the daily has termed the
meeting, is to improve the tone between the tow major world powers,
however. Likewise, in an analysis, liberal daily Der Standard
suggests that it would be "wrong to expect more than damage control"
from the meeting in Kennebunkport. The fact that the two presidents
get along reasonably well cannot gloss over the problem that the
relations between their countries have suffered and their peoples
have not warmed to each other, the Standard argues. Quite revealing
in this context is the fact that the Russian-US economic ties have
not expanded, the daily says and adds that it will be up to the next
American President to really tackle the United States' relations
with Russia.
Kilner