AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: April 16, 2008

UNCLAS VIENNA 000527 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 16, 2008 Platter To Testify Before Investigative Committee ¶1. The parliamentary committee, which investigates charges of corruption against the Ministry of the Interior, has now issued a summons against Minister G|nther Platter to account for holding back files and documents that are needed to assess the charges. The minister had done so with reference to data protection - a view which is not shared by the head of the committee Peter Fichtenbauer. The case has led to a controversy among experts Theo Vhlinger, expert for constitutional law, backs Fichtenbauer's claim that the documents be released. Former President of the Court of Audit Franz Fiedler contradicts this opinion. [Der Standard, p. 1 and 7; other Austrian media] Greens Demand Manager Tax ¶2. The Austrian Greens are currently working on their tax reform proposal and party boss Alexander Van der Bellen has now suggested that top earners - people with incomes above 126,000 euros per year - should pay the full tax rate for their 13th and 14th salary. According to Van der Bellen, the average employee does not make that much money - therefore, the Greens' proposal would affect mainly top managers. He calculates that this measure alone would bring in 600 million for the budget. The Greens' party boss also calls for raising the amount for the highest tax rate from 51,000 to 71,000 euros. Also, Van der Bellen demands a new inheritance tax with a tax-free amount of 200,000 euros and a tax on valuable goods in addition to the new capital gains tax already in planning. [Kurier, p. 2] Chad Mission Disguised As Development Aid? ¶3. The Austrian Foreign Ministry has come under massive criticism since it transpired that it is planning to write off most of the costs for the Chad mission as development aid. Greens and the Red Cross have already issued vehement protests - the latter's Secretary General Wolfgang Kopetzky calls this procedure "unacceptable" and stresses his view that a military mission, even if it is intended to provide protection for refugees and assistance organizations, must never be conducted at the cost of the long-term fight against poverty. [ORF online, Salzburger Nachrichten, p. 4] Similarly, the Greens criticize the approach of the Austrian government to the issue. ORF online quotes the Greens' foreign policy spokeswoman Ulrike Lunacek as saying that "military missions, even if they serve humanitarian goals, cannot be the future of Austrian development aid." She is planning to raise the issue in the Federal Assembly. Criticism also came from the aid organization "Care" and the UNHCR. The latter organization's spokesman Roland Schnbauer points out that the military component of the Chad mission is too dominant with "too little actual development work being done." The Foreign Ministry has rejected the criticism and expressed its view that the humanitarian motivation behind the Chad mission justifies its being declared development aid. The government parties SPOe and OeVP are principally agreed in their approval of the Ministry's declaration of the Chad mission as development aid, writes ORF online. They regard the procedure as common "international practice." However, Petra Bayr from the SPOe also stressed the fact that Austria still has a lot to do in terms of development cooperation. In a commentary in independent daily "Der Standard," Andras Szigetvari expresses his view that the current debate fails to address the core of the problem, which, in his view, is the quality of the aid provided by Austria. Too little is invested in the long-term fight against poverty and too much money goes into too many micro-projects in too many countries, he writes. Hostage Drama Continued ¶4. According to mass circulation tabloid "Vsterreich," Arab television network al-Jazheera, which has become notorious for broadcasting the messages of terror boss Usama bin Laden, has now offered to mediate in the hostage drama involving the Salzburg couple Andrea Kloiber and Wolfgang Ebner. "Vsterreich" reports that the TV station's German correspondent Aktham Suliman has come to Austria and conducted interviews with the father of the convicted Mohamed M., who is currently serving a prison sentence in Vienna and whose release the kidnappers have demanded, and the son of Wolfgang Ebner. Sami M., the father of Mohamed M., has used his TV appearance for issuing an appeal to the kidnappers to release the hostages, claiming that his son and daughter-in-law do not want to be exchanged and that "kidnapping is not Islamic." [Vsterreich, p. 10] Middle East Agreement Possible ¶5. Former Israeli Minister of Justice Yossi Beilin, one of the chief peace negotiators of the Oslo peace agreement and co-negotiator of the Geneva initiative, the basis for a peace agreement, gave interviews in two major Austrian dailies in which he stressed his conviction that a peace agreement is possible "if all parties want it." He also referred to the necessity to talk with the Hamas since peace is not possible without them. However, he also pointed out that Hamas does not want to negotiate with Israel and that therefore, negotiations that include Hamas could only take place via a third party. [Kurier, p. 6, Die Presse, p. 6] In his assessment of the current situation in the Middle East in centrist daily "Die Presse," Yossi Beilin draws up a list of negative components, including the fact that Hamas is strong while Palestinian President Abbas is weak, Bush is nearing the end of his term and Israel's Prime Minister Olmert has very low approval ratings. However, he also points out that the Israeli and the Palestinian leaderships have a basically good understanding and are making progress. Beilin recommends that the American send a special envoy that will then remain in the region for the next eight months. "It is not enough for the Secretary of State to stop by every now and then. What would be necessary is a conclave that negotiates until there is white smoke to be seen." According to Beilin, US President Bush is actually anti-Israel in that his policies are proving a disservice to the country: "With your friends, you have to call their attention to their mistakes, too." The former peace negotiator claims that it is "crazy to expand settlements while a peace process is under way." After being admitted to the elections in 2006, the Hamas has become a political actor which cannot be ignored, says Beilin and calls for a third party - in his view, this should be Egypt - to mediate between Israel and the Hamas. Beilin identifies territory, Jerusalem and refugees as the three core problems in the Middle East where a compromise has to be reached. In an interview with mass circulation daily "Kurier" Yossi Beilin stresses his conviction that "there is a window of opportunity now" for peace in the Middle East, stating expressly that "we cannot wait for the new US administration." He argues that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will leave office next January and there is no knowing who will replace him. "Perhaps he is weak, but he believes in peace," Beilin points out. Touching upon the issue of the Iranian nuclear program, the peace negotiator recommends a continuation of the sanctions already in place, claiming that "Tehran is impressed by the sanctions, even if it denies that. Sanctions are the best way." An Iranian nuclear bomb would not just hurt Israel, warns Beilin, but "extremists all over the region would celebrate it." Carter Not Admitted To Gaza ¶6. Former US President Jimmy Carter, who has embarked on a Middle East trip in the course of which he will also meet with some political leaders of Hamas, was denied entry to the Gaza Strip. He had already met with a local Hamas leader in Ramallah on Tuesday. His reception in Israel on Sunday had already been frosty - the White House also criticized Carter's planned meetings with representatives of Hamas as "not very helpful" in the attempt to isolate Hamas. [ORF online; other Austrian media] Putin Secures His Power Base ¶7. Russia's President Vladimir Putin has paved the way for his transfer to the office of Prime Minister. He has accepted the offer of the Kremlin party "Unified Russia" to take over its chairmanship with "extended responsibilities" - a move which will give Putin a broad power base at the expense of his successor. The future President Medvedev is not in a position to make any decisions without Putin's consent. [Der Standard, p. 5] Kilner