Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08VIENNA182
2008-02-06 08:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:  

AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: February 05, 2008

Tags:  OPRC KPAO AU 
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ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 060837Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9450
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITEHOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS VIENNA 000182 

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: February 05, 2008

Opposition Blasts Government over Chad Mission

UNCLAS VIENNA 000182

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: February 05, 2008

Opposition Blasts Government over Chad Mission


1. The opposition parties are having a field day with the coalition
government over its decision to participate in the EU's EUFOR
peacekeeping mission in African Chad and its dispatch of an advance
team of 15 soldiers to the country last week, just before a rebel
attack on the capital N'Djamena over the weekend. Greens' security
spokesperson Peter Pilz has blamed OeVP Foreign Minister Ursula
Plassnik for promoting Austrian participation in the mission and has
called for Austria's immediate withdrawal from it. He also harshly
attacked Defense Minister Norbert Darabos (SPOe),claiming that
"chaos" prevailed in his Ministry and that Austrian soldiers would
play the role of a "football" between French troops stationed in
Chad and the rebels.
Like all Austrian media, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung reports
that the opposition parties have massively attacked the coalition
government over its decision to participate in the EU's peacekeeping
mission in Chad and its dispatch of an advance team of 15 soldiers
there last week, which came just before a rebel attack on capital
N'Djamena over the weekend. Similar to Greens' security spokesperson
Peter Pilz, who harshly criticized both the Foreign and Defense
Ministers, FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache has stressed that
developments over the weekend in Chad fully justified his party's
rejection of Austrian participation in the mission. He called for
both "war ministers" Plassnik and Darabos' resignations. Strache
described Darabos' refusal to order the Austrian troops' immediate
return home an instance of "depressing stubbornness." Meanwhile,
BZOe chief Peter Westenthaler said that there was no reason for
Austrian troops "to spend another hour in Chad. The peacekeeping
mission has already failed," and also suggested that France was no
longer neutral in the fighting in Chad.


Support for Chancellor on the Decline


2. Recent opinion poll results show that SPOe Chancellor Alfred
Gusenbauer is gradually losing voters' support, as a leading
Austrian daily has pointed out. In the latest Gallup poll, 39
percent of Austrians said that they would vote for OeVP
Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer, and only 30

percent would cast their ballots for Gusenbauer, if there were
direct election of the chancellor. In addition, only 32 percent
describe Gusenbauer as "likeable," with fewer than 25 percent of
women, young people and public-opinion leaders calling him that,
says semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung.


EU's Administration Mission to Kosovo


3. The European Union has given the green light to sending a police
and civil administration mission to the Serbian province Kosovo. No
date has yet been set for deployment, and the EU's Council of
Ministers has yet to vote in favor of the move. If passed, the plan
envisages sending 1,400 police and 400 EU officials to the province,
making it the biggest civilian mission in European Union history.
Kosovo is expected to declare independence from Belgrade in the next
few weeks, according to a report on ORF radio early morning news
Morgenjournal.


Austrian Soldiers Remain in Chad


4. All Austrian media continue to report on the situation in Chad,
where the advance team for the EU's EUFOR peacekeeping mission of 15
Austrian soldiers was transferred from a hotel in the capital
N'Djamena to a military camp near the airport yesterday. Despite
massive criticism of the contingent's deployment and calls from the
Austrian opposition parties to withdraw the Austrians from the
crisis region, the Defense Ministry says the soldiers will remain in
Chad for the time being. Speaking on Austrian television yesterday,
General Christian Segur-Cabanac from the Defense Ministry emphasized
that the advance team was safe for the time being. The contingent
would stay in Chad "as long as there is no massive threat to their
security," Segur-Cabanac stressed. Meanwhile, the United Nations
Security Council called on member states to back Chad's government,
following days of clashes with rebels in the capital N'Djamena.
Thousands of people continue to flee the country, and rebels say
they will be launching a fresh assault on the capital.
All Austrian media give extensive coverage to the recent
developments in Chad. Independent provincial daily Salzburger
Nachrichten on its front page reports on a "mass exodus from Chad,"
adding that Austria "is continuing its mission" nonetheless. In an
interview with the daily, Austrian military expert Gerald Karner
dismissed the opposition parties' calls for an immediate pullout of
the advance team: "All by itself, Austria does not have the means
and resources to fly down to the combat zone and evacuating the
soldiers." Furthermore, Defense Minister Norbert Darabos'
announcement that he would withdraw the Austrian soldiers even
without green light from the EU if the situation became critical,
"would be a demonstration of lacking solidarity within the EU,
politically." Nonetheless, Karner criticized the EUFOR mission as
"clearly showing the EU's weakness. It took them months to get the
troops and the equipment ready for deployment. Obviously the rebels
have used that time and have tried to create new conditions."
Meanwhile, in liberal daily Der Standard, Africa expert Antoine
Glaser suggests that an Austrian pullout from Chad would jeopardize
France's efforts in the country. Such a move "would be a serious
blow for Paris. Eric Chevallier, advisor to French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner, has been committed for months to putting the EUFOR
force together, and he had a really tough time of convincing Poland,
Austria and Ireland of deploying small contingents. (...) All his
efforts would be in vain," if Austria withdrew from Chad.


US Voters Set for Super Tuesday


5. All Austrian media give prominent coverage to Super Tuesday,
where US voters will be holding primaries and caucuses in 24 states
for the presidential nomination process. Austrian radio, explaining
the selection process for the US presidential election, says the
"world's eyes are turned to the US," and points out that the
November election "is of key importance not only for America, but
for the entire world." The main candidates for the Democratic and
Republican parties completed marathon campaigns ahead of Super
Tuesday. However, in the Democratic Party, the contest between
Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is very close, which is
why Austrian radio suggests it may yet be a while for a Democratic
frontrunner to emerge. For the Republicans, on the other hand, Super
Tuesday is likely to decide the nomination process in favor of
Senator John McCain against his main challenger Mitt Romney.
On ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal, commentator Joerg
Winter points to the leading candidates' incessant campaigning in
the run up to Super Tuesday. Despite Hillary Clinton's huge campaign
efforts, Winter says, recent polls saw her rival Barack Obama
"constantly gaining ground. In California, (...) Obama has
apparently overtaken Clinton shortly before Super Tuesday. In New
York and Missouri, too, Obama is on Clinton's heels. Polls can be
wrong, but still everything seems to indicate that neither of the
Democratic presidential hopefuls will be able to secure a landslide
victory today. The race for the Democratic presidential nomination
is likely to continue after Super Tuesday. On the Republican side,
however, today could bring about a decision: Senator John McCain is
considered the clear frontrunner - he is way ahead in most states.
But his competitors are not yet ready to admit defeat."
In centrist daily Die Presse, Washington correspondent Norbert Rief
publishes portraits of the two parties' leading candidates. For the
Democrats, the race is one of "heart versus brain," with Clinton
banking on experience, and Obama on his charisma. But whoever wins
the race is "certain to go down in history: Since its foundation in
1776, the United States has had neither a female, nor an African
American presidential candidate," Rief points out. Among the
Republicans, the correspondent writes, "the eternal loser may emerge
as the winner." John McCain is seen as the definite frontrunner on
Super Tuesday, while his main rival Mitt Romney has been losing
votes to Mike Huckabee. Senator McCain "has come a long way since
last summer, when people had thought they could already write off
his candidacy because he lacked sufficient campaign funds."
Independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten publishes an
analysis of the US election process, and writes that the Republicans
and the Democrats are faced with completely contrary choices: One
party will have to agree on the lesser evil, while the other is
spoilt for choice. The daily suggests that for the Democrats, the
selection of a presidential candidate is a "fundamental decision,"
and will determine whether it is "back to the golden age or a
changing of the guards." The Republicans, meanwhile, will likely
choose John McCain, as the "least of all evils," and as "the only
potential candidate who stands a chance of defending the White
House" for the Grand Old Party.
Kilner