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TAGS: KPAO AU OPRC
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 24, 2006 
 
 
Coalition Talks Continue 
 
¶1. Amid statements from the negotiation teams on the "positive 
atmosphere" during yesterday's meetings on domestic issues, talks 
today will address education issues. 
After the talks on domestic issues yesterday, both SPOe delegation 
head Norbert Darabos and Interior Minister Liese Prokop praised the 
"positive discussion climate" and agreed that further talks on the 
subject will be carried out by three subcommittees on integration, 
domestic security and the judiciary, semi-official daily Wiener 
Zeitung like all Austrian media. Today, the committees on education 
will meet to discuss hot topics such as the SPOe's proposals to 
introduce comprehensive schools in Austria, and to abolish 
university study fees. 
 
 
 
 
Proell Backs Schuessel 
 
¶2. In the OeVP's leadership debate, which has seen harsh criticism 
of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel by leading party representatives, 
Agriculture Minister Josef Proell has emphasized his support for the 
Chancellor: He stressed Schuessel should continue to lead the party 
and head the OeVP coalition negotiation team. 
Minister for Agriculture Josef Proell has harshly attacked the 
critics of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, namely former EU 
Commissioner Franz Fischler and Economics Chamber President 
Christoph Leitl, ORF online news writes like all major Austrian 
media. Talking to centrist daily Die Presse, Proell dismissed 
Leitl's call for "new personable faces" in the OeVP, stressing that 
such a suggestion was "funny - given that the Economics Chamber 
President has been on board for so long himself." Schuessel should 
stay on, according to Proell, because those who "believe a party's 
success merely depends on re-shuffling representatives and 
introducing new faces is paving the way for the next defeat." The 
Minister also emphasized that he wants a "debate on issues, not on 
personalities," the Presse says. 
 
 
No Clear Concept 
 
¶3. The European Union does not have a clear joint strategy on 
addressing the issue of legal and illegal migration, an Austrian 
expert says. This is partly due to the fact that not Brussels, but 
the individual member states decide on their respective immigration 
policies. 
Mass-circulation daily Kurier publishes a critical analysis of the 
EU's policy on legal and illegal migration, warning that Europe has 
no clear concept on how to address the issue. Austrian expert on 
migration Rainer Muenz said in an interview with the daily that 
there is "no clear EU policy regarding those people who try to come 
to the EU illegally, and who cannot simply be sent back to their 
countries of origin. It is "hardly conceivable that the EU 
Commission regulates immigration criteria, as the US and Canadian 
immigration authorities, for example. A joint European immigration 
office would make the EU even more unpopular with the member states' 
populations." However, a "European solution is not possible at this 
point, because Brussels' authority here only covers a number of 
limited areas. There is no common approach to asylum policy or the 
protection of the EU's borders. While admission to the EU and the 
granting of visas is regulated under the Schengen agreement, the 
migration of workers and admission regulations for students, on the 
other hand, are within the member states' national authority," the 
expert explains. 
 
 
US Government Expert Discusses Mid-Term Elections 
 
¶4. Ahead of the November 7 mid-term elections, American government 
analyst Thomas Neale gave an interview to an Austrian English 
language radio station as part of a PAS-Vienna facilitated lecture 
and press briefing tour. He discussed the Republican Party's chances 
of winning on November 7 and President Bush's popularity in general. 
 
US government expert Thomas Neale told FM4 radio that when you 
"begin to see the Republican candidates not appear with the 
President, it seems to be a sign that he takes away as much or more 
of their campaign as he might give to it." Turning the tide against 
the Republicans, according to Neale is "first of all, the 
administration and the spokespeople have been saying for the past 
three years that success [in Iraq] was just around the corner. (...) 
Simply because of the constant, incessant coverage, people are 
realizing that the situation is not going as well as it might be." 
Dominating the election campaign are also "job losses and a sense 
among the people that they are still not secure," Neale adds. The 
Democrats, Neale elaborates, have "certainly focused on the war in 
Iraq and particularly on asking the American people whether as a 
result of this war they feel safer than they did before. The 
majority is now saying: Well, no we don't."  With respect to the 
economy, the Democrats have a program. They say that if they 
"control both Houses of Congress, they will during the first 100 
days move to enact certain economic elements of their program, such 
as raising the national minimum wage, canceling tax benefits for 
major energy companies and allowing the tax cuts for the most 
wealthy people to expire." The expert believes that chances for the 
Democrats are "probably better in the House, but they could also 
take the Senate. In either case we're talking of fairly small 
majorities." 
 
 
Iraqi Officials Stole Millions 
 
¶5. Quoting Iraqi sources, US television networks are reporting that 
officials in the former Iraqi interim government stole between $750 
and $800 million meant for buying military equipment. High-ranking 
politicians are said to be involved in the corruption scandal. 
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung reports that high-ranking 
representatives in the Iraqi Defense Ministry have apparently been 
pocketing vast amounts of money designated for the modernization of 
the Iraqi army. They are suspected of having skimmed off up to $800 
million out of the $1.2 billion budget set aside for weapons 
purchases. In addition to criticism that the Iraqi government has 
been downplaying the number of civilian casualties in the country, 
the corruption scandal in the Ministry over the alleged embezzlement 
of military funds has put Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki further 
under pressure, the daily adds. 
 
 
Change of Course in Iraq? 
 
¶6. The top US commander in Iraq and the US Ambassador are to hold a 
joint news conference in Baghdad later today, as speculation grows 
of a change of strategy. A senior White House policy advisor has 
meanwhile said the Bush administration is monitoring the Iraqi 
government's progress on security, but that there is no deadline to 
withdraw troops, says ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal. 
 
 
Hungary Protests Continue 
 
¶7. Dozens of people were injured in protests in Budapest last night, 
at the end of commemorations to mark the 50th anniversary of the 
1956 anti-Soviet uprising. Tear gas and rubber bullets were used 
against demonstrators, who were calling for the resignation of Prime 
Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany over his admission he lied to the public 
to win the election, according to ORF radio early morning news 
Morgenjournal. 
Kilner