AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: January 30, 2008

UNCLAS VIENNA 000145

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: January 30, 2008


Haider Sees No Obstacles to Referendum on New EU Treaty


1. Carinthian Governor Joerg Haider (BZOe) has said that he sees no
legal obstacles to a provincial referendum on the new EU Reform
Treaty in the wake of his party's collection of 15,000 signatures in
support of such a move. Haider claims that ratification of the
Treaty would affect the province in many areas, and proudly pointed
out that Carinthia is the "first and only" province in which the
people will have a chance to vote on the document.
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung in its online edition reports on
Carinthian Governor Haider's claim that there are no legal obstacles
to a provincial referendum on the new EU Reform Treaty after his
party, the BZOe, collected 15,000 signatures in support of a vote on
the issue. The Governor emphasized that the provincial
constitutional service, which is "independent" of the BZOe, has
already approved a referendum, which makes it unlikely, he argues,
that the provincial election authority would oppose it. Carinthian
SPOe leader Gaby Schaunig, who opposes a referendum, says that she
doubts that the BZOe has really collected that many valid
signatures, and calls the proposed referendum "a political
distraction" on Haider's part.


Euro 2008 to Create 11,000 New Jobs


2. A study conducted by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKOe) and
the Labor Market Service (AMS) has suggested that the Euro 2008 will
result in the creation of 11,000 new jobs in Austria, 6,000 of which
will be permanent. Some 4,000 of them are expected to be in the
gastronomy and service sectors. The study also claims that the Euro
2008 will result in an increase of 0.15 percent of Austria's gross
domestic product. WKOe deputy chief Reinhold Mitterlehner has
meanwhile forecast that the Euro 2008 will produce additional
revenue of 380 million Euros in the country, according to ORF TV's
prime time news Zeit im Bild I on Tuesday.


EU Leaders Call for Transparency


3. The leaders of Europe's largest economies have called on
financial institutions to improve transparency. The British, German,
French and Italian Prime Ministers and Chancellor, meeting in London
yesterday, have also urged the International Monetary Fund to
introduce better risk monitoring. If the finance industry did not
address their concerns, they would consider imposing regulatory
measures, the four heads of government warned. Their meeting, called
by British Premier Gordon Brown, comes in response to the current
financial turmoil at international stock markets, says ORF online
news.


First Soldiers Depart for Chad


4. The advance team of twelve Austrian soldiers will leave today to
join the European Union's humanitarian mission in Chad in central
Africa. A total of 160 Austrian troops will serve as part of the
4,000-strong European force, protecting aid workers and refugees
fleeing violence in the neighboring Darfur region of Sudan. The
media point out that the Austrian participation in the mission
remains highly controversial: Rejection of the assistance project is
higher in Austria than in any other EU member state, Austrian
television points out. Speaking on ORF TV on Tuesday, Defense
Minister Norbert Darabos (SPOe) underscored the purely humanitarian
nature of the mission. Critics, however, argue that this deployment
of Austrian soldiers is not compatible with the country's neutral
status.
All Austrian media continue to report on the departure today of the
first Austrian soldiers, who are part of a contingent participating
in the EU's humanitarian assistance efforts in Chad. Semi-official
daily Wiener Zeitung and liberal daily Der Standard in their
articles focus on a "warning from the EU military command that the
soldiers to be deployed do not have enough equipment" for their
mission, particularly with regard to transport helicopters. The EU
troops' Irish command has called the operation a "logistical Mt.
Everest." Austrian defense minister Norbert Darabos meanwhile bid
official farewell to the advance team yesterday. He dismissed
complaints that the mission, which will be under French command in
Chad, was not compatible with Austrian neutrality, as Paris - the
critics argue - has always sided with the government of Chad, which
contradicted the notion of a neutral mission. In an analysis,
foreign affairs writer for the Standard Adelheid Woelfl comments on
what she describes as a "minimalist effort against genocide." She
suggests that the European Chad mission, "as a supportive measure
for the mission in Darfur, is definitely legitimate. Criticism of
the project shows, however, that Europe is not yet sure of itself
when it comes to standing by its values."


McCain Wins Florida Primary


5. In the US state of Florida, John McCain has won the primary
election in the contest to become Republican presidential candidate.
He narrowly beat Mitt Romney, and thus goes into next week's Super
Tuesday with a significant boost. According to McCain, this was just
the beginning: "I promise you again, I will always put America, her
strength, her ideals, her future, before every other consideration,"
Austrian radio quotes McCain. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani,
who campaigned strongly in Florida, but only came in third in the
primary election, is expected to endorse McCain and drop out of the
race. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton won a symbolic victory in the
Democratic vote, according to a report by ORF radio early morning
news Morgenjournal.


Bush's Last State of the Union Address


6. Several Austrian media analyze and comment on US President George
Bush's final State of the Union Address. The majority of Austrian
media focuses on the "valedictory mood" and the "lame duck image,"
and point out that the "speech lacked genuine highlights." As one
daily put it, "Bush is sounding the farewell bell." The US President
presented the political program for his last year in office, but
clearly, his clout has been diminished considerably.
Reporting like several Austrian media on US President Bush's final
State of the Union Address, independent provincial daily writes that
Bush "called on Americans to persevere," particularly regarding the
flagging US economy and US counter-terrorism measures. Observers
have noted that all in all, the speech was a "testimony of missed
chances." The US economy and recovery efforts were clearly the
central focus of the President's address, both the Salzburger
Nachrichten and semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung point out.
Liberal daily Der Standard in its analysis describes the performance
"much ado about a mere extra." The speech was "a lot of ritual, but
little substance. Everyone's attention was focused on Hillary
Clinton and Barack Obama," writes Washington correspondent Frank
Herman in his "account of how Bush muddled through his last State of
the Union Address that had little to show for in the way of a
legacy." In centrist daily Die Presse, Washington correspondent
Norbert Rief points out Bush's efforts at "modesty at the end," and
says that in his final State of the Union Address the US President
"showed pragmatism." It seemed, Rief suggests, that Bush was "very
much aware of the insignificance of his performance throughout the
speech. After all, it was hardly more than a short break in the
battle over his succession. The proposals announced in this State of
the Union Address were marked by pragmatism and modesty -
politically, there isn't much Bush can still hope to achieve in his
last year in office."


"Protocol Affair" Overshadows Slovenian EU Presidency


7. ... headlines a leading Austrian daily, and reports that the
"EU-US-Kosovo issue has now led to the sacrifice of a pawn."
Yesterday, Mitja Drobnic, the political director at the Slovenian
Foreign Ministry handed in his resignation amid allegations that
Slovenia may have accepted instruction regarding its stance on the
status of Kosovo from the United States. The entire affair had come
to a head when records of Drobnic's conversation in Washington in
December with Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Dan
Fried had been published in a Slovenian newspaper.
Reporting on the so-called "Protocol Affair" involving a
high-ranking Slovenian Foreign Ministry representative, centrist
daily Die Presse notes that the allegations Slovenia had accepted
instructions from the United States regarding its Kosovo policy is
"particularly dicey," given that Slovenia as current EU Council
President is playing a key role in the issue over Kosovo's
independence. The incident could seriously weaken Slovenia's
position as "honest and reliable mediator" in the tricky diplomatic
tightrope of the proponents and opponents of Kosovo's independence,
says the Presse. Drobnic's resignation, which was immediately
accepted by Slovenia's Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, is to limit
the political damage. Nonetheless, Rupel is concerned that his
country will now "encounter difficulties with our partners in the
negotiations, particularly with the United States, who in all
likelihood will no longer trust us with their views on the issue."
At the same time, the Minister dismissed allegations Slovenia was
the recipient of orders from the US in the Kosovo question. The
Presse adds, however, that the discussion protocol of Drobnic and
Assistant Secretary Fried, which was recently published by a
Slovenian newspaper, makes for some interesting reading: According
to the document, Fried "encouraged" Slovenia to be the first to
officially recognize Kosovo, after it had declared independence from
Belgrade - preferably on a Sunday, because that would deny Russia
the opportunity to call a session of the UN Security Council
immediately.
Kilner