AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: September 26, 2007

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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: September 26, 2007


Asylum Court Will Come in 2008


1. Contrary to the recommendations of a SPOe/OeVP expert group,
there will be a separate asylum court - Vice Chancellor Wilhelm
Molterer has announced that a respective decision will be made this
year and that the new institution will begin its work in the first
half of 2008. The intention is to reduce the number of cases that
are currently pending.
It was Minister of the Interior G|nther Platter who had originally
pressed for the establishment of a separate court to deal with
asylum cases, while the expert commission wanted to delegate the
asylum cases to the Federal Administrative Court. The solution which
is now favored by the government takes into consideration the
possibility that it will be some time before comprehensive reforms
in the judicial sector, which will include the Administrative Court,
will be completed. Centrist daily "Die Presse" quotes the
Vice-Chancellor as saying that he did not want to wait that long. At
the moment, it often takes years until asylum cases can be resolved
and the Administrative Court is often bogged down with cases. There
is still the possibility that the newly-created court for asylum
cases will become part of the Administrative Court once the reform
of federal institutions has come into effect, writes the daily.

Salsa Instead of Ketchup


2. Following an invitation of the US and Australian Embassies,
Rachel Friedberg, researcher at the University of Providence/Rhode
Island [sic; actually, Brown University] in the areas of job markets
and immigration, spoke at a symposium about "Migration in the 21st
Century" in Vienna. Friedberg explained how immigration of various
ethic groups has changed the "face" of the US, but stressed that the
cultural changes did not irritate Americans as much as they did
Europeans, since the US is a classic immigration country. Friedberg
also made a case for a joint European immigration policy. [Der
Standard, p. 5]
According to Friedberg, any comparison of the "Blue Card," the
planned EU immigration card, with the US Green Card is difficult
because of the important issue of who gets access: "Will selection
take place on the grounds of education, family, abilities or asylum
applications?" Friedberg explained in independent daily "Der
Standard" that most immigration in the US takes place through family
reunion, but it is controversial whether this is a sensible
approach. In this connection, she referred to Canada, which tends to
select more according to educational status. It is particularly the
illegal immigration from Latin AMERICA that has had a strong impact
on the development of US society, Friedberg states, citing as
examples the strengthening of Catholicism and the strong
conservative tendencies with regard to social issues. All in all,
Friedberg holds that, economically speaking, immigration is valuable
for society. The immigrants do not take away anybody's jobs, but in
the end set up businesses of their own and thus create new jobs,
argues the scientist, adding that there is also the pension factor
to be considered: In a society with a low birth rate, such as
Austria, someone will have to pay the pensions for the citizens in
the long run."

OMV Pushes for MOL Takeover


3. The Austrian energy supplier OMV has made a generous bid for
taking over the Hungarian MOL. Since the management of MOL has so
far refused to engage in negotiations and sees the Austrian bid as
an attempt at a "hostile takeover," the OMV is now trying to tempt
the shareholders with a good offer - it is prepared to pay about 128
euros per share, which is 20 percent more than the current stock
price, to bring about the alliance with MOL. The overall costs would
be about 11 billion euros. [Neue Kronenzeitung, p. 5; other Austrian
media]
The OMV is hoping that the MOL shareholders will exert pressure on
the management, writes mass circulation tabloid "Neue
Kronenzeitung." To make it possible for the OMV to present an
official offer, the current limitation of the voting right for each
shareholder, which is currently at 10 percent, would have to be
abolished. The EU Commission is already investigating whether this
is compatible with the laws. Also, the Hungarian government would
have to give up its attempts to block the takeover of the MOL by the
OM using new judicial means. According to the tabloid, the
Hungarians fear that a fusion would kill jobs. Economic daily
"Wirtschaftsblatt" points out that the small investors in Hungary
favor the OMV takeover and are angry with MOL for rejecting it.
Analysts see little chances for the OMV offer as long as the
Hungarian government does not change its mind, writes the daily.

Bush Wants Mission of Freedom for UN


4. At his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Bush
reminded the UN of its fundamental duty, which is to bring freedom
and democracy to the world. He urged the UN to begin a "mission of
freedom" - "freedom from tyranny, disease, analphabetism and
poverty." Bush used the current situation in Burma to push for
measures against repressive regimes. [Die Presse, p. 7; other
Austrian media]
With regard to the reform of the UN Security Council, Bush argued in
favor of enlargement, pointing out that Japan is very well
positioned to become a permanent member state. The US President only
had one sentence to spare for Iran - that might have been different
had there not been the American disaster in Iraq, speculates
centrist daily "Die Presse." The daily also refers to the role
assumed by one of the formerly sharpest critics of the US
administration, France, which has taken it upon itself to act as
"warning voice" with regard to Iran. President Nicolas Sarkozy has
warned the other nations: "If we allow Iran to get its hands on
nuclear weapons, we would incur an unacceptable risk for the
stability of the region and the world." Sarkozy reiterated once
again the French position which includes a ban on nuclear weapons
for Iran, an arsenal of sanctions, and negotiations. France is even
considering imposing bilateral economic sanctions if there will be
no third Security Council resolution. Sarkozy also pointed out that
Iran had the right to peaceful use of nuclear weapons, reports the
daily.

Ahmadinejad Declares End of Nuclear Conflict


5. In his speech before the UN General Assembly, the Iranian
President announced his intention to place his country's
controversial nuclear program under IAEA surveillance while at the
same time refusing to yield in the conflict about the sanctions that
the UN Security Council has imposed on Iran. Ahmadinejad stressed
that it is the IAEA's task to "monitor the nuclear activities of its
member states" without pressure from the US or other countries. He
likewise pointed out that Iran was prepared to conduct constructive
talks with all parties, as it had done in the past. [ORF online]

Military Threatens to Use Violence


6. In Burma, the political situation is heating up ever more as the
military junta has stepped up its efforts to stifle the protest
movement. Aside from threats and warnings, it has now taken its
first concrete steps to reassert its power: It has imposed a
curfew on the cities of Rangoon and Mandelay and has banned
gatherings of more than five people. In the meantime, Western heads
of government have called for further sanctions against the regime.
US President Bush has already announced sanctions, among others
banning members of the junta from entry to the US. [Salzburger
Nachrichten, p. 9; other Austrian media]
With regard to the international efforts to punish the repressive
regime in Burma, China's role is problematic. Independent daily
"Salzburger Nachrichten" points out that the country has been
blocking all attempts to put one of the last remaining totalitarian
states on the UN agenda. This makes any action on the part of the
Security Council difficult. Centrist daily "Die Presse" lists some
of the reasons why the Chinese are interested in not letting the
situation in the neighboring country get out of hand: Burma has
what China urgently needs: natural resources, wood, oil and gas as
well as strategically important access to the Gulf of Bengal. Also,
at least a million Chinese live in Burma, having illegally migrated
to the country since the nineties. Especially in the north of the
multi-ethnic state, trade is in the meantime in Chinese hands and
the ensuing competition leads to tensions with the local population
- a further reason for Beijing to fear unrest in Burma. At the same
time, China remains the most important weapons supplier for the
junta.
McCaw