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TAGS: KPAO AU OPRC
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: November 17, 2006 
 
 
OeVP Ready to Return to Talks 
 
¶1. The People's Party is ready to return to coalition talks with the 
Social Democrats, provided the SPOe agrees to a series of OeVP 
conditions. OeVP leader Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel announced his 
party's decision following a party leadership meeting Thursday. 
Like all Austrian media, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung reports 
on Chancellor Wolfgang Sch|ssel's announcement that the OeVP would 
resume talks with the SPOe after gauging public opinion. However, 
the OeVP has also issued the SPOe a series of conditions: The 
Conservatives' primary demand is that the SPOe refrain from 
outvoting the OeVP in parliament during coalition negotiations. It 
is unclear if the demand also applies to the current parliamentary 
investigative committees into the Austrian banking sector and the 
deal to buy 18 Eurofighter jets. It would, however, apply to a 
special session of parliament scheduled for Friday which will 
address efforts to raise state pensions. The OeVP wants an increase 
of 1.6 percent, while the SPOe wants an increase of 1.9 percent, 
writes the Wiener Zeitung. The Conservatives also want the Social 
Democrats to issue a joint statement recognizing Austria's right to 
defend its airspace. Additionally, they want a guarantee for the 
current system of bank secrecy and a clearer definition of the 
state's role in overlooking the banking sector. The two party 
leaders, Gusenbauer and Schuessel, will meet for talks later today. 
 
 
 
Reactions to the OeVP's Decision 
 
¶2. In a first reaction, SPOe leader Alfred Gusenbauer welcomed the 
OeVP's move, saying he was "pleased" the Conservatives were ready to 
talk again. However, Party manager Norbert Darabos said the OeVP 
conditions were "unacceptable." Meanwhile, the Greens, the Freedom 
Party and the BZOe are skeptical and suspicious about the OeVP's 
return to the negotiation table. 
SPOe leader Alfred Gusenbauer and floor leader Josef Cap welcomed 
the OeVP's decision to resume negotiations "on formation of a 
federal government based on a stable majority." Gusenbauer said he 
hopes the coalition talks can resume early next week, 
mass-circulation tabloid Kronen Zeitung writes. According to liberal 
daily Der Standard, however, party manager Norbert Darabos was less 
enthusiastic, warning that a "sort of veto right for the OeVP in the 
investigative committees is unthinkable for the SPOe." Greens leader 
Alexander Van der Bellen said: "In view of the OeVP's behavior up to 
now, we can only suspect that their latest decision, too, is just 
another tactical move aimed at squandering even more time," the 
Standard quotes. Similarly, FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache is 
skeptical of the "OeVP's tactical games," and said it is "high time 
to talk about the real issues instead of personal views." BZOE boss 
Peter Westenthaler believes the OeVP's return to the negotiating 
table is just political logrolling. In his view, a grand coalition 
would be "bad for Austria." 
 
 
Austrian Kidnapped in Iraq? 
 
¶3. The Foreign Ministry in Vienna is looking into reports that an 
Austrian national has been kidnapped in Iraq. Following a Ministry 
crisis meeting last night, officials are trying to obtain more 
information from military authorities in Iraq. 
Mass-circulation tabloid Kronen Zeitung writes that the Austrian 
Foreign Ministry has learned that a convoy with an Austrian among 
the guards was allegedly attacked by extremists near Basra yesterda 
and the Austrian kidnapped. The Foreign Ministry has contacted the 
British troops stationed in southern Iraq in particular, as well as 
American and German forces, to obtain detailed information on the 
issue. 
ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal comments: "At this point, 
the Foreign Ministry is being cautious - so far, officials have only 
confirmed there are rumors of a kidnapping of an Austrian national 
in Iraq. (...) The Ministry has received information about the 
attack on a convoy near Basra from two parties in Iraq, a Ministry 
spokesperson said. At this point, however, the assumption is the 
information actually came from a single source in the Basra area. 
Currently, the Foreign Ministry is looking to ascertain whether the 
alleged kidnapping took place at all, and whether there really is an 
Austrian national among the victims." 
 
 
Sudan Agrees to Joint Force 
 
¶4. Sudan has agreed in principle to accept a joint UN-African Union 
force to defuse the crisis in its war-ridden Darfur region. UN 
Secretary General Kofi Annan says an agreement has yet to be reached 
 
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on the number of troops to be deployed, but he was confident a deal 
could be achieved. 
ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal reports that after Sudan 
agreed to a joint UN-AU force for Darfur, UN Secretary General Kofi 
Annan stressed that most of the objectives at the conference on the 
crisis in the Sudanese region had been met. "The Security Council 
must have the confidence that what is being proposed is effective, 
and is workable. I think all of us at the meeting tried to achieve 
this objective and we have come a long way," ORF radio quotes Annan. 
Sudan had previously resisted the deployment of UN forces. 
 
 
Iraq Kidnappings Continue 
 
¶5. Iraq's Shiite-led government has ordered the arrest of the 
country's most prominent Sunni cleric on suspicion of terrorism. 
There are fears the move could further increase sectarian tensions, 
amid a series of kidnappings and killings this week. Two days after 
about 150 people were abducted from a Baghdad higher education 
facility, about 60 Iraqis traveling in six minibuses were kidnapped 
and killed in the Iraqi capital yesterday. 
After the kidnapping by gunmen of about 150 Iraqis from a Baghdad 
higher education facility earlier last week, Iraq's Higher Education 
Minister said he fears the remaining hostages may have been tortured 
and killed. There have been conflicting reports as to how many 
people have been freed and how many still remain in the hands of 
their captors, ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal says. 
Meanwhile, many Iraqis are leaving the capital in the face of the 
current series of kidnappings and killings, according to independent 
provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten. The daily describes as 
"anarchy" the most recent developments, with armed militiamen 
dragging civil servants out of their offices or randomly hijacking 
buses in broad daylight. Three-and-a-half years after the US-led 
invasion of Iraq, the extent of the violence in the country is 
apparent not only because of the "spectacular mass kidnappings and 
beheadings, but also through the both gruesome and absurd stories of 
criminal gangs and terrorism by militia groups, which do not even 
make the news," the Salzburger Nachrichten argues. 
 
 
Landmark Deal with India 
 
¶6. The US Senate has approved a controversial landmark deal with 
India to provide civilian nuclear technology and fuel. In return, 
India has to open up some, but not all, of its nuclear facilities to 
international inspections. 
President George Bush has been fighting for a long time to get the 
legislation on US support for India's nuclear technology passed. The 
agreement is part of a deal he negotiated with the Indian Prime 
Minister during his visit to New Delhi in March 2006.  In a White 
House statement, Bush described the US-Indian relationship as a 
"strategic partnership, based on shared values." The Senate's 
approval would provide the citizens of two great democracies with 
energy, assistance in nuclear non-proliferation, and trade benefits, 
the statement continues. However, the bill still has to clear a 
number of hurdles before it becomes law and can be implemented. ORF 
online news explains that although India has not signed the Nuclear 
Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Senate vote will facilitate US 
cooperation with the Asian nuclear power on the civilian use of 
atomic energy. 
McCaw