AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: April 12, 2007

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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: April 12, 2007


Eurofighter Delivery Postponed


1. Defense Minister Norbert Darabos of the Social Democrats says the
planned mid-year delivery of the first Eurofighter jets for the
Austrian armed forces will be delayed "until November at best." He
said the required software for the navigation system from the United
States should arrive by then. Earlier Darabos asked legal experts to
examine whether the most recent developments regarding the
Eurofighters would provide grounds for withdrawing from the
two-billion-Euro contract to buy the planes. He added he will
consider their assessment "highly binding"; it is expected to be
presented later this month. However, the Defense Minister stressed
there will be no "go-it-alone" cancellation of the deal; such a step
would only be taken in cooperation with the SPOe's coalition partner
OeVP.
Like all Austrian media, ORF radio reports on the postponed
Eurofighter delivery, resulting from the formal applications for the
necessary software licenses being filed too late. ORF radio reports
the Pentagon confirmed it received the official requests only last
month, but "will try to issue the licenses as quickly as possible.
Estimated date for the delivery is, indeed, November 2007, the
Pentagon's statements shows: The delay was caused by Austria's
waiting too long with its (...) formal application, which only
arrived in Washington in March and usually needs about four months
to be processed. Provided the Pentagon approves the application, the
US government then needs to conclude a bilateral agreement on how
Austria guarantees it will not pass on any of the software system's
secret military information to third parties or the general

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public."
Meanwhile, independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachichten runs
the front-page headline "Russians and Americans offering Austria
less expensive jets," and writes that the producers of interceptor
jets are currently lining up in Vienna: Ever since it emerged that a
withdrawal from the Eurofighter contract could be an option,
international companies have jumped at the potential chance of a new
deal. Russia and the US in particular have presented alternative
offers, Defense Minister Darabos has confirmed.


Criticism of Job Market Plan


2. There has been sharp criticism of Social Affairs Minister Erwin
Buchinger's idea to partially open up Austria's job market to
foreign workers to fill vacant positions. The Social Democrat
Minister said that, in cases where there is a lack of qualified
Austrians for a job, the market could be opened in certain sectors.
The Austrian unions, the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZOe)
and the FPOe have all come out against the idea.
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung, reporting on criticism of
Minister Buchinger's plan to partially open up Austria's job market
to foreign workers, writes that Richard Leutner, secretary general
of the unions, said there was no question of launching the opening
of the job market earlier than planned. The unemployment rate must
first be lowered, he added. Peter Westenthaler, head of the BZOe,
said it would be an attack on Austrian employees, and
Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the FPOe, complained he couldn't
interpret the reasoning behind the Social Affairs Minister's idea of
opening the labor market to people from the new European Union
countries. Currently, workers from the new member countries have
only limited access to the Austrian job market until 2009, the daily
explains. Originally, plans called for an extension of the
restrictions until 2011, but Austria faces resistance from other EU
countries.


Dramatic Financial Problems


3. In a meeting with EU Foreign Relations Commissioner Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad alerted
the European Union representative to the Palestinians' dramatic
financial crisis.
Finance Minister Salam Fayyad warned that the "Palestinians are in
the midst of a severe financial crisis" and "short of one billion
Euros," when he met with the EU's Foreign Relations Commissioner on
Wednesday. The EU and the Palestinian authority are currently
working toward gradual normalization of their relations, the daily
notes, adding that Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner confirmed she would
push for assistance in getting the Palestinians on a par with
international financial procedures and standards. Still, there will
be no direct payments for the time being, as the Palestinians first
need to meet a number of requirements: Renouncing violence,
recognizing Israel's right to exit, a commitment to existing peace
accords and "transparent and comprehensible" financial performance.



Car Bombs Explode in Algiers


4. In Algeria, officials now put the death toll from yesterday's two
car bomb attacks in Algiers at 23. About 160 others were injured in
the explosions, one near the Prime Minister's office and another
near a police station close to the international airport. A person
claiming to represent a regional branch of Al Qaeda told an Arabic
TV channel his group carried out the attacks, but there has been no
independent verification of the claim.
On ORF television's prime time news Zeit im Bild I, head of the
international desk Peter Fritz suggests the alleged al-Qaeda
connection of the group claiming responsibility for the Algiers
blasts "may in part be propaganda only." Nonetheless, Fritz argues
the "consecutive attacks in Morocco and Algeria suggest cooperation
of terrorist groups across the borders of Northern African states is
a fact." In addition, "both blasts occurred in countries that
traditionally have entertained close ties with Europe," which
according to Fritz could be a "deliberate signal."
In centrist daily Die Presse, security affairs writer Burkhard
Bischof in an analysis describes the Northern African Maghreb as a
"breeding ground for the new generation of terrorists." Sufficient
numbers of "volunteers for the 'fight' against their hated
governments and against the 'ungodly Western devils' can easily be
recruited in the slums of Algerian and Moroccan cities. The first
wave of Maghreb Islamists were those who fought the Soviets in
Afghanistan in the 1980s, but these days fanatic youths from
Northern Africa are looking for combat experience in Iraq. According
to US sources, about 20 percent of the 800 to 2,000 foreign
insurgents in Iraq are of Algerian origin, but they are also
fighting alongside Moroccans, Libyans and Tunisians now." When they
return to their home countries one day, "these Iraq veterans pose a
considerable threat also for Europe," Bishop quotes from a study.


US Extends Troops' Tour of Duty


5. US troops will now serve up to 15 months in Iraq and Afghanistan
instead of the present 12-month tours under new Defense Department
rules. The move is designed to help the US military supply enough
troops for ongoing operations. The extended tours apply to troops
currently in Iraq and those about to be deployed, Defense Secretary
Robert Gates said, announcing the decision. "US forces are
stretched," Gates conceded, "there is no question about that."
ORF online news notes the Defense Department's decision to extend US
soldiers' tours of duty is aimed at guaranteeing necessary troop
levels can be maintained. President George Bush's new strategy for
Iraq includes increasing troop levels by about 30,000 - a move with
which the US President hopes to curb violence particularly in
Baghdad, according to ORF online news.
Kilner