US embassy cable - 05VIENNA764

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENNA 000764 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/AGS, INR/EU, AND EUR/PPD FOR LISBETH KEEFE 
 
OSD FOR COMMANDER CHAFFEE 
 
WHITEHOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, AU, OPRC 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: MARCH 09, 2005 
 
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FPOe: Re-Launch or Re-Orientation? 
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1. The current struggles within the government coalition 
party FPOe continue, all Austrian media report. Carinthian 
Governor Joerg Haider insists the Freedom Party is to be "re- 
launched" in the wake of a continuing decline in voter 
support. It is not clear what changes are being planned, but 
Haider told ORF television's late night news "ZiBII" 
yesterday that unless there was a "new start, something 
would happen." Haider's comments followed the party's 
announcement yesterday that several hardliners were being 
removed from the party's executive committee. According to 
semi-official daily "Wiener Zeitung," the Carinthian 
Governor's move has merely aggravated the crisis, as party 
chairperson Ursula Haubner still claims a "re-orientation" 
of the party will suffice. Meanwhile, Austrian radio reports 
that Haider and Haubner are to hold a joint press conference 
later today, where it is expected they will outline details 
regarding the FPOe's future course. 
 
 
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Reactions to FPOe Upheaval 
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2. All Austrian media report on the reactions of the 
country's main political parties to the ongoing FPOe 
struggle. Liberal daily "Der Standard" quotes Chancellor 
Wolfgang Schuessel as saying that, for him, "nothing has 
changed at this point. I am working together with the people 
I've been working with in the past." Right now, he would 
"wait and see how the discussion within the FPOe plays out." 
Meanwhile, semi-official daily "Wiener Zeitung" quotes SPOe 
Party Manager Norbert Darabos as stating that the FPOe's 
"real problem within the government is the fact that it is 
merely the uncritical and compliant tool for Schuessel's 
policies." Greens security spokesperson Peter 
Pilz urged containing "as much as possible the damage to 
Austria and Carinthia from the FPOe's 'bankruptcy case.'" 
 
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Minister Pushes Headscarf Ban 
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3. Austria's Muslim community has sharply criticized a 
suggestion by Interior Minister Liese Prokop that Muslim 
women teachers in the country could be banned from wearing 
headscarves in Austrian schools. In an interview with 
today's Vienna weekly magazine "Falter," Prokop stressed 
that she has "a problem with teachers wearing headscarves in 
public schools. I find it offensive, because it is not 
compatible with the values of our society." Although she has 
not yet looked into "whether a ban on headscarves is legally 
possible," she is "in favor of a ban," Prokop stressed. 
According to Austrian radio, Omar al-Rawi, the integration 
envoy for the Austrian Islamic community said Prokop's 
statements are a "slap in the face" for Muslim women. All 
Austrian media report on the Interior Minister's suggestion. 
Liberal daily "Der Standard" writes that Chancellor Wolfgang 
Schuessel has stressed the issue was within the Education 
Ministry's responsibility. Education Minister Elisabeth 
Gehrer underscored that there is "no headscarf ban in 
Austria, and there are no problems" in connection with this 
matter. 
 
 
 
 
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Fischer Visits Schroeder 
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4. Austrian President Heinz Fischer met German Chancellor 
Gerhard Schroeder and his German counterpart Horst Koehler 
during a one-day working visit in Germany yesterday. 
According to semi-official daily "Wiener Zeitung," Fischer 
and Schroeder discussed the visit of US President George W. 
Bush to Europe, the visit to Austria of Croatian President 
Stipe Mesic, as well as the situation in the Middle East, in 
Iran and the Ukraine. Centrist daily "Die Presse" writes 
that the two presidents agreed the Ukraine "needs a European 
perspective." While this "should not suggest the equivalent 
of EU membership for the Ukraine," both the EU and the 
Ukraine would "benefit" from such a course. For Kiev, EU 
membership is "not on the agenda for the foreseeable 
future," both leaders stressed.  Liberal daily "Der 
Standard" notes the German Chancellor is to visit Vienna 
next week. 
 
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Iran's Nuclear Program: Too Secret for US Intelligence 
Services 
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5. headlines ORF online news and says that, according to 
newspaper reports, a commission appointed by US President 
George W. Bush has described as "insufficient" the 
information provided by US intelligence services on Iran's 
nuclear program. According to the commission's study, the 
information available is not good enough to allow for clear 
statements on Tehran's weapons program, ORF online explains, 
sourcing the "New York Times." 
 
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Suicide Blast in Baghdad Kills Three 
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6. An explosion occurred this morning in the Iraqi capital 
Baghdad. Police say a suicide bomber blew up a garbage truck 
close to Iraq's Ministry of Agriculture, killing himself and 
at least three others, Austrian radio early morning news 
"Morgenjournal" reports. According to reports, insurgents 
wearing police uniforms first shot dead a guard at the 
ministry's gate, allowing the truck to enter the compound. 
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Chechen Rebel Leader Killed 
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7. Russian special forces have killed Chechen rebel leader 
Aslan Maskhadov near the country's capital Grosny. Maskhadov 
was president of Chechnya in the 1990s and was seen as the 
most moderate of the rebel commanders. Moscow alleges he was 
involved in Chechen rebel operations, including the Moscow 
theater siege and the Beslan school massacre, writes mass- 
circulation daily "Kurier." The daily quotes Russian 
President Vladimir Putin as underscoring that a "lot of work 
still needs to be done in Chechnya."  An expert on Chechnya, 
however, stressed on Austrian radio that Maskhadov was "one 
of the moderates, with whom Moscow could have negotiated." 
The expert says he is concerned that one outcome of the 
operation may be that it "plays into the hands of 
extremists." 
 
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Pro-Syrian Demonstration in Beirut 
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8. Syrian troops have begun a partial withdrawal from 
southern and northern Lebanon, Austrian media report. 
Lebanon's Defense Minister Mrad said Syrian forces were to 
move to the eastern Bekka Valley beginning last night, 
according to Austrian radio. The move came just hours after 
hundreds of thousands gathered in Beirut to support Syria's 
role in the country. The demonstration was organized by 
Hezbollah, and was much larger than earlier opposition 
protests, which urged Syrian troops to leave. Mass- 
circulation daily "Kurier" also repots on the demonstrations 
in Beirut, and adds that US President Bush in a speech on 
the Middle East warned that autocratic regimes did not have 
a future in the region. Both Syria and Iran would have to 
immediately stop supporting terrorism, Bush emphasized. 
 
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Former Kosovo PM to Face War Crime Charges 
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9. The former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, is 
due to fly to the United Nations tribunal in The Hague, 
after being charged with war crimes. His indictment is 
related to his role in the Kosovo conflict. Haradinaj, a 
former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, says he is 
innocent, and that the charges brought against him are 
"politically motivated," writes mass-circulation daily 
"Kurier."  Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for 
South Eastern Europe Erhard Busek said in an interview with 
the "Kurier" that the effect of Haradinaj's indictment in 
the region "depends on how stable the Kosovo government is." 
Dealing with the ghosts of the past is an integral part of 
everyday politics in the region, Busek underscored. On the 
part of the EU, there was often no comprehensive strategy 
for the entire southeastern European area. While it was 
necessary to bring war criminals to justice, the issue was 
also how this was done, the Coordinator underscored. This 
included explaining to the countries in question the 
necessity of such a strategy. 
Brown