US embassy cable - 05VIENNA1969

UNCLAS VIENNA 001969 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/AGS, EUR/ERA, EUR/SE AND INR/EU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ECIN, AU, TU, EUN 
SUBJECT:  AUSTRIA: LEADERS EXPRESS SKEPTICISM ABOUT 
TURKISH EU MEMBERSHIP - BUT NO PLANS TO BLOCK TALKS 
 
 
This message is sensitive but unclassified. 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Austria's political establishment is 
underlining its deep skepticism of Turkish EU membership. 
First, Chancellor Schuessel (conservative People's Party 
- OVP) reiterated the position he took at the December 
2004 EU summit: that the EU should conduct "open-ended" 
negotiations with Turkey.  Social Democratic leader 
Gusenbauer struck a similar chord.  Parliamentary 
President Khol and Finance Minister Grasser recently 
expressed reservations about Turkish membership. 
However, Foreign Minister Plassnik confirmed on June 13 
that Austria continued to support opening negotiations 
with Turkey on October 3.  End summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) In the wake of the French and Dutch votes 
against the EU constitutional treaty, Austrian leaders 
appear to have achieved an unusual degree of consensus 
regarding Turkey's EU aspirations.  Views run a narrow 
gamut from frank skepticism to outright rejection of 
Turkish EU membership.  SPO leader Alfred Gusenbauer said 
on June 4 that the EU should not expand further until it 
has a constitution.  The right-wing Freedom Party has 
been stridently against Turkish EU membership, and is 
expected to make this a campaign issue in state elections 
this fall.  Among Austria's parties, only the Greens have 
been consistently favorable to Turkey joining the EU. 
 
3.  (SBU) In a June 4 interview, Chancellor Schuessel 
reiterated Austria's position at the December 2004 
summit: that the EU should conduct "open-ended" 
negotiations with Turkey.  Schuessel noted that at the 
time he had been rather isolated in this stance -- but no 
longer.  Schuessel also recalled his suggestion that in 
the event of a concrete accession offer to Turkey, 
Austria should hold a referendum on Turkish entry. 
 
4.  (SBU) The Austrian press prominently reported a 
recent statement by EU External Relations Commissioner 
Ferrero-Waldner (who is from Schuessel's OVP) to the 
effect that EU expansion should slow down to allow EU 
citizens time to digest the most recent enlargement 
round.  However, on June 13 Ferrero-Waldner issued a 
partial retraction, saying she had not intended to call 
into question the October 3 start date for negotiations. 
 
5.  (SBU) Parliamentary President Andreas Khol (OVP) 
expressed similar reservations in an interview with the 
news weekly "PROFIL" that appeared on June 11.  Khol said 
Turkish membership was not realistic within the next 15 
or 20 years.  Khol said the EU Commission bore 
responsibility for pronouncing Turkey "fit for Europe," 
although the general population in Europe did not share 
this view. 
 
6.  (SBU) In a June 12 meet-the-press TV appearance, 
Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser (independent) made no 
secret of his opposition to Turkish entry: "I am against 
 
SIPDIS 
accession negotiations with Turkey," Grasser said, adding 
that Turkey was "not qualified for membership."  Turkish 
accession would "overstrain" the EU, he added. 
 
7.  (SBU) Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, speaking on 
the margins of the June 13 meeting of foreign ministers 
in Luxembourg, quickly distanced herself from her 
colleague's comments.  She said Grasser had made his 
views known when the cabinet discussed Turkish accession, 
but that the GoA had decided to back the opening of 
talks.  She saw no reason for Austria to change its 
position.  Plassnik stressed that October 3 was the 
beginning of "open-ended" negotiations with Turkey with 
"a multitude of reactive options on the part of the EU." 
 
8.  (SBU) COMMENT: With skepticism about the pace of EU 
expansion spreading in European capitals following the 
French and Dutch "no" votes on the constitution, 
Austrians feel vindicated about the critical stance they 
have taken all along regarding Turkish EU membership. 
Leaders of nearly all stripes are now making an explicit 
connection between the difficulties encountered in 
ratifying the constitutional treaty and enlargement, 
especially Turkey's accession.  Austrian statements for 
domestic consumption will likely continue to diverge 
somewhat from GoA positions taken within EU fora.  This 
does not mean, however, that Austria will try to derail 
the October start for accession negotiations. 
 
BROWN