US embassy cable - 05VIENNA437

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000437 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/ARN, EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2014 
TAGS: EFIN, ETTC, PTER, IS, LE, AU, EUN 
SUBJECT: DESIGNATION OF HIZBALLAH AS A TERRORIST 
ORGANIZATION: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE 
 
REF: STATE 26062 
 
Classified By: ECONOMIC/POLITICAL COUNSELOR GREGORY E. PHILLIPS 
REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
(C) Embassy Vienna conveyed reftel points on February 14 to 
MFA A/S-equivalent for Counterterrorism Johann Froehlich (who 
is also Austria's representative in the EU Clearinghouse), 
and to our anti-terrorism contact in the Finance Ministry, 
Alfred Lejsek.  Pol Unit Chief discussed the demarche with 
Froehlich's deputy, Wolfgang Spadinger later the same day. 
Spadinger confirmed that Austria would join an EU consensus 
to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization.  Austria 
had received adequate information regarding Hizballah's 
support for terrorism, he added.  However, Spadinger did not 
seem confident that the Clearinghouse would be able take 
action on February 16, since it takes only one member state 
to request a delay.  Spadinger said he would be traveling to 
Brussels in a few days on other EU business.  He would then 
consult with the Austrian Mission on the prospects for the 
Hizballah designation and offered to give us a readout 
afterwards. 
Brown