Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07VIENNA974
2007-04-13 13:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:  

AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: April 13, 2007

Tags:  OPRC KPAO AU 
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VZCZCXYZ0035
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVI #0974/01 1031349
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131349Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7002
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITEHOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS VIENNA 000974 

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: April 13, 2007


Eurofighter: SPOe Could Go It Alone

UNCLAS VIENNA 000974

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: April 13, 2007


Eurofighter: SPOe Could Go It Alone


1. Although he had dismissed such a move earlier, emphasizing he was
"loyal to the coalition," Defense Minister Norbert Darabos now says
he no longer rules out his party, the Social Democrats (SPOe) could
be "going it alone," if a decision is made to withdraw from the
contract to purchase 18 Eurofighter jets from EADS. Darabos added
this would likely mean the end of the two-party coalition of the
Social Democrats and the People's Party (OeVP). The Minister is
awaiting expert legal opinions on whether the government now has
sufficient grounds to pull out of the deal.
Liberal daily Der Standard says that some of the SPOe's heavyweights
-- three provincial governors - are also pushing for a cancellation
of the Eurofighter deal. Vienna mayor Michael Haeupl, Styrian
governor Franz Voves and the governor of Upper Austria Erich Haider
have said they want a quick withdrawal from the purchase, with Voves
adding that "in his opinion the OeVP (which has so far opposed
pulling out of the deal) will have no other choice, when the legal
situation is made clear." Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer has been
holding back on voicing his views, and merely said a SPOe
go-it-alone cancellation was a hypothetic question at this point.
Centrist daily Die Presse notes there is "confusion with regard to
the SPOe's stance" on the issue: Apparently, the Social Democrats
are "having a hard time coming up with a joint position" on the
Eurofighter deal.


EADS Money for FPOe Functionary


2. The network of EADS lobbyist Erhard Steininger was quite
extensive, Austrian media suggests, and report that the former
Freedom Party communications chief Kurt Lukasek, who used to be a
close aide to ex-FPOe floor leader Peter Westenthaler, has confirmed
that he received 28.500 Euros from Steininger. Lukasek has indicated
he is ready to testify before the Austrian parliamentary inquiry,
which is looking into allegations that improper payments could have
influenced the decision in favor of the Eurofighter purchase.
All Austria media continue to report on the numerous payments made
by EADS lobbyist Erhard Steininger to a number of persons involved
in the decision process for the Eurofighter deal. Mass-circulation

tabloid Kronen Zeitung speculates the business transactions that
have so far been disclosed could be the "tip of the iceberg." The
newspaper quotes chairperson of the parliamentary investigative
committee Peter Pilz as saying that "there are no bills in the tax
files for EADS funds in the amount of 1.5 million Euros which
Steiniger received."


Ambassador's Letter to the Editor


3. A letter by US Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw to the editor of
a leading daily newspaper is published as a guest commentary.
Ambassador McCaw emphasizes that the United States, too, would
prefer closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In her letter to the editor of liberal daily Der Standard, US
Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw points to calls on President Bush
to "Close Guantanamo." These statements, the Ambassador underscores,
"are undoubtedly sincere, and Americans share that sentiment. As
the President himself has said many times, the United States would
like to close Guantanamo." Unfortunately, "a viable alternative for
dealing with all of the dangerous men who are detained there" has
not yet been found. But, the United States has a suggestion for
countries that want to work with the US on reducing the number of
Guantanamo detainees: "Accept the transfer of detainees, or work
with us to convince other countries to accept them," suggests
Ambassador McCaw, who adds that many of the prisoners have already
been released or transferred to their home countries. Of the 385
persons that remain at the facility, "many are regarded sufficiently
dangerous to the United States and other countries as to require
continued detention." This is why the US is "offering our NATO
allies and other countries in Europe the opportunity to make a
public demonstration of their often-expressed desire to speed up the
closure of Guantanamo: Help resettle these detainees who are
eligible to leave Guantanamo, either by accepting them, consistent
with your own laws, or by helping us work with countries which might
serve as alternate destinations." Ambassador McCaw also underscores
that Austrian human rights expert Prof. Manfred Nowak, who is the UN
Special Rapporteur on Torture, once suggested that each EU member
country agree to accept a number of Guantanamo detainees to help
speed the closing of the facility. While many details would need to
be agreed upon, I would like to applaud Prof. Novak's creative and
constructive contribution to this very important discussion," the
Ambassador concludes.


Bleak Day for Iraq


4. The Iraqi government is to hold a special session today to
discuss the unprecedented breach in security, which allowed a bomb
attack in the cafeteria of the Iraqi Parliament building yesterday.
Eight people, including three MPs, have been killed in the blast
inside the heavily protected Green Zone. The explosion came only
hours after part of a bridge in Baghdad was blown up by a car bomb
Thursday morning. The US government has denied the bombing shows the
ongoing security sweep in Baghdad is having little impact. Austrian
media, however, comment that it was a "bleak day" for Iraq, adding
that is "an open secret things are not going well for the Americans"
there. They also suggest the suicide bomber in the Parliament
cafeteria must have had help from inside the Green Zone, as he had
apparently passed all checkpoints without the explosives being
detected.
All Austrian media report on the most recent attacks in Baghdad.
Mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich runs the headline "blasts shake
the power center of Iraq," referring on the suicide bombing at the
Parliament building. The US military suspects al Qaeda is behind the
attack, the daily adds. Mass-circulation provincial daily Kleine
Zeitung headlines "Death is lurking everywhere in Baghdad," and
argues the explosions are a "severe setback for the ongoing US
security efforts in the Iraqi capital." The heavily fortified Green
Zone used to be considered as the relatively safest area in Baghdad,
which is seeing insurgent attacks on a daily basis. But now, even
that zone apparently cannot gurantee security any longer, the daily
writes. Foreign affairs writer for centrist daily Die Presse Thomas
Seifert in his commentary also suggests yesterday's suicide bombing
at the Iraqi Parliament cafeteria was an "attack on the heart of the
state." He believes the "US security offensive has failed:
Terrorists are launching ever more spectacular attacks in Baghdad.
(...) Simple whining, however, won't help the Iraqis, who have to
live in this chaos, or the US, which has to find a way out of this
mess in Mesopotamia. There must be a change of course as well as the
recognition that it is not possible to handle the insurgency simply
by military means. At the moment, there is at least a ray of hope:
The regional conference which will take place in Cairo in May with
the goal of bringing Iraq closer to a political solution."


Call for Wolfowitz's Resignation


5. World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is under increasing pressure
to resign, as the bank's board is considering how to respond to his
admission that he helped his girlfriend get better promotion and
pay. World Bank staff representatives have suggested Wolfowitz
should step down. The World Bank chief has meanwhile admitted he
"made a mistake" and said he would "assume full responsibility for
the details of the contract" which provided for his partner's
promotion and pay rise, ORF online news writes.





Compensation Payments for Civilian Victims


6. The American Civil Liberties Union has attained US army files
which show the military has paid around 52 million US dollars in
compensation for Iraqi and Afghan civilians killed by coalition
forces. The payments were for people killed in non-military action.
The Civil Liberties Union says the records obtained so far under the
Freedom of Information Act are a very small proportion of those held
by the Defense Department, reports ORF radio early morning news
Morgenjournal.


North Korea Deadline Approaching


7. The US envoy to North Korea, Christopher Hill, is in Beijing for
talks, as this weekend's deadline for Pyongyang to shut down its
nuclear reactor approaches. North Korea has made no public comment
on whether it is satisfied with the US solution to a financial
dispute that has stalled the disarmament process, however, according
to ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal.
Kilner