AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: November 21, 2007

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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: November 21, 2007


New Video Threat against Austria


1. All Austrian media report that a new internet video threatening
Austria and Germany has surfaced, apparently made by militants
associated with the "Global Islamic Media Front" (GIMF),an al Qaeda
propaganda group. The video demands that Austria and Germany
withdraw their military personnel from Afghanistan. It also calls
for the immediate release of two suspected Islamic militants who
were arrested in Austria in September, after a previous video
warning. The Austrian Interior Ministry has said it is "taking the
message seriously," but emphasized at the same time that it sees "no
concrete threat" against Austria at this point.





Children's Rights Not Protected by Law


2. Organizations concerned with children's rights have criticized
Austria for failing to fulfill its obligations to protect the rights
of children. On Tuesday, which was International Children's Rights
Day, the groups said organizations working with children are
under-funded and have too few legal powers to prevent violence. The
Children's Rights Convention was passed in 1989, recognizing that
people under 18 need special protection. Austria signed the
convention in 1992, but has not yet included its provisions into its
constitution, according to a report by ORF TV's prime time news Zeit
im Bild I on Tuesday.


Ambassador in Television Interview


3. In one of a series of PAS-facilitated farewell interviews, US
Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw outlined on Austrian television
the highlights and challenges of her term of office. She underscored
her efforts to reach out and explain US foreign policy to all
Austrian audiences, and pointed to the special emphasis she has put
on promoting and expanding student exchange programs in her effort
to further strengthen US-Austrian relations. The most difficult
issue during her ambassadorship, McCaw said, was the controversy
over Austrian energy provider OMV's planned natural gas deal with
Iran. OMV had certainly not broken any laws in concluding the deal,
but the timing was most unfortunate, given the international
community's ongoing efforts to reach a diplomatic solution in the
conflict with Tehran over its nuclear program. Asked about the
detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Ambassador McCaw
stressed that the United States wants to close the prison -
something President Bush also pointed out during his visit to
Austria in 2006. The Ambassador explained, however, that some of the
inmates "cannot simply be released," and that the US welcomes the
assistance of the international community in addressing the matter.
In a PAS-facilitated television interview, which was aired on ORF
TV's prime time evening news Zeit im Bild II on Tuesday, outgoing US
Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw looks back at the key issues
marking her term of office. Ambassador McCaw is "returning early to
the United States for personal reasons. In Austria, one of her
priorities was to improve the poor image of the Bush
administration," says ORF TV. But although anti-American trends are
something "one sees everywhere" these days, Ambassador McCaw
underscored that she had "never experienced it directed against her
personally." She added that it is "part of my job to talk to the
Austrians, to listen and to answer their questions." Mostly,
Austrians' concerns and misgivings "have to do with the Iraq war,
but I wanted to listen and speak out about American foreign policy,"
McCaw continued. Regarding the controversy over OMV's planned gas
deal with Iran, the Ambassador stressed that "we do not only discuss
(this issue) with Austrian government officials, but with a wide
range of people, and we've also been engaging in a constructive
dialogue with OMV." The Austrian energy provider had "not broken
any laws" in concluding the deal with Tehran, Ambassador McCaw
conceded, but warned that OMV's actions have "undermined the spirit
of what the UN and the international community are trying to
accomplish in Iran." The Ambassador also emphasized that the US
"very much does not want a war with Iran; a military option is the
last thing we want. We want a diplomatic solution," and in order to
achieve that the US needs all available tools, "including economic
sanctions." Thus, companies like the OMV and the Austrian government
are invited to "help the US to make sure a diplomatic solution can
be reached with Iran," she said. On another controversial issue, the
detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Ambassador McCaw said that the
Bush administration "very much wants to close Guantanamo, but for
that we need international support. True, that is not an Austrian
problem, but there are a number of issues not directly connected to
Austria that still require global support." Does the United States
expect Austria to take on 10 to 15 Guantanamo prisoners," senior
journalist for ORF Eugen Freund asked? "We don't expect it, but we
would be very pleased if the Austrians were to offer that,"
Ambassador McCaw replied.


Mideast Conference Scheduled for Next Tuesday


4. US officials have confirmed that President George Bush will host
a conference on Middle East peace next Tuesday. Israel, the
Palestinians, the United Nations and key Arab states including Saudi
Arabia and Syria are among the 50 countries and organizations
invited. It is unclear at this point which of the Arab states will
send delegated, though. The militant group Hamas, which is in
control of Gaza, has not been invited to participate in the upcoming
talks. The meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, will be the first
large-scale gathering in seven years aiming at the creation of an
independent Palestinian state.
McCaw