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TAGS: KPAO AU OPRC
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: December 12, 2006 
 
 
Prokop Defuses Haubner Law 
 
¶1. In the dispute over a Social Affairs Ministry ruling, Interior 
Minister Liese Prokop has now taken the edge off Social Affairs 
Minister Ursula Haubner's controversial decree, which denied family 
benefits to the children of some foreign-born mothers living legally 
in Austria. In the future, the children's birth certificates and the 
mothers' residence permits, but not passports, will be required to 
receive the benefits. 
Interior Minister Liese Prokop told semi-official daily Wiener 
Zeitung that her move to make it possible for the non-Austrian 
mothers concerned to receive family benefits was "an amendment that 
would have been introduced anyway." Clearly, however, the change 
anticipates amendment of the Austrian child benefit and family 
compensation laws as planned by the SPOe and the OeVP, the Wiener 
Zeitung writes. While, the Social Democrats have welcomed the 
Interior Minister's decision, the BZOe has accused Prokop of having 
"left our common path on the alien rights package." The adaptations 
as implemented by Prokop were the "morning gift" of the future grand 
coalition, the BZOe complained. 
 
 
No Breakthrough in Coalition Talks 
 
¶2. Monday's round of coalition talks between the Social Democrats 
and the Conservatives failed to resolve the deadlock in the 
formation of a new Austrian government, although the atmosphere 
appears to have improved somewhat. SPOe floor leader Josef Cap 
stressed that, "of course" his party wants to form a government with 
the OeVP, and his counterpart from the OeVP said the Conservatives 
are willing to hold additional negotiations, if necessary. 
All Austrian media continue to report on the slow progress of 
coalition negotiations between the Social Democrats and the 
Conservatives. Commenting on the ongoing dispute between the two 
parties, SPOe floor leader Josef Cap in an interview with 
independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten stressed it was 
"only natural there would be disagreement on the key issues...The 
important thing is for these conflicts to be solved through debate, 
so that in the end both parties find themselves fairly represented 
in a coalition agreement. (...) Better we argue now than after the 
formation of a government." Meanwhile, mass-circulation tabloid 
Kronen Zeitung quotes OeVP heavyweight and Lower Austrian governor 
Erwin Proell as stating on the deadlocked coalition talks that he is 
fed up with "this farce. The Austrian people have no understanding 
for this." The SPOe, he argues, "should finally put their cards on 
the table." Proell also complains about what he calls the Social 
Democrats' "double strategy" in the negotiations. 
 
 
Partial Suspension of Turkish EU Bid 
 
¶3. At their meeting in Brussels yesterday, the European Union's 
foreign ministers agreed on a "partial freeze" of the Turkish EU 
membership process because of Ankara's failure to open its ports and 
airports to traffic from Cyprus. Negotiations in eight of the 35 
policy areas will be suspended for the time being, as proposed 
earlier by the EU Commission. Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula 
Plassnik said EU ministers also agreed on more rigorous annual 
reviews of Turkey's membership efforts. 
Despite the EU's suspension of membership talks with Turkey in eight 
areas, negotiations on the other policy topics will continue. ORF 
radio quotes a Turkish international relations specialist as saying 
Ankara's move to open one port and airport to Cyprus was 
significant, because it had "immense symbolic significance for both 
sides." Mass-circulation provincial daily Kleine Zeitung quotes 
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik as telling journalists 
that the "membership negotiation process has passed its first test: 
There are no guarantees and nothing is automatic." Centrist daily 
Die Presse writes that despite their call for "sanctions," the 
"Turkey hardliners, including Austria have failed to assert 
themselves," as there will be "no de-facto deadline" for Ankara to 
open all its ports to Cyprus. Nevertheless, Plassnik stressed she 
was pleased with the outcome, calling it a "strong signal for 
Turkey," the daily quotes. 
 
 
Ambassador's Letter to the Editor 
 
¶4. An Austrian daily publishes a letter to the editor by US 
Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw regarding rendition of terrorism 
suspects. 
Liberal daily Der Standard publishes a letter to the editor by US 
Ambassador Susan McCaw, who argues that some "recent media reports 
may have led to a misunderstanding among some readers about the 
policy of the United States in our discussions with the European 
Union concerning the rendition of suspected terrorists." The United 
States, Ambassador McCaw continues, has been in a "useful dialogue 
with the EU, both in a multilateral context and with individual EU 
member states, about the appropriate legal framework for the fight 
against terrorism.  However, contrary to recent press reports, the 
United States has not tried to develop a 'framework agreement' on 
renditions with either Austria or the EU."  Rather, as part of 
America's ongoing "constructive dialogue with the EU on legal 
issues," the United States has "explained the limited circumstances 
under which the United States has used renditions and the legal 
basis for those renditions.  The United States has also pointed out 
that European countries have used renditions, and that European 
courts have upheld renditions," the Ambassador stressed, adding that 
productive discussions with the EU and member states "about issues 
critical to all of us may be undermined by incomplete public 
understanding." 
 
 
Journalist Exchange Program with the USA 
 
¶5. Two Austrian journalists have been chosen to participate in the 
newly-created "US-Austrian Journalism Exchange Fellowship," and will 
swap workplaces with two American colleagues for six weeks next 
year. The program is being financed by the Austrian Chancellery, the 
Austrian Newspapers Association and the US Embassy in Vienna. US 
Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw stressed that exchange programs 
are "the best way to overcome stereotypes and to really get to know 
a country." 
According to liberal daily Der Standard online, the recipients of 
the journalism exchange fellowship, Christoph Prantner from the 
Standard and Michaela Roithmayr from Life Radio will serve as 
foreign correspondents and spend six weeks reporting from Washington 
DC early next year.  Two American reporters will replace the 
Austrians in Vienna during that time. About 60 journalists from 
Austria and the US applied for the program, which was organized by 
the Austrian Journalists Training Committee and the US International 
Center for Journalists. 
 
 
Dozens die in Baghdad Suicide Bombing 
 
¶6. Two car bombs have exploded in central Baghdad, killing more than 
50 people and injuring over 140. The blasts went off simultaneously 
in a central square -- one in a parked car; the other in a vehicle 
driven by a suicide bomber. Police say the bombs were aimed at a 
police patrol and a crowd of Iraqis applying for jobs. 
The blast is the latest in a series of disastrous suicide bombings 
in Baghdad, mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich online writes. 
Meanwhile, Kofi Annan delivered his final speech as UN Secretary 
General, painting a dramatic picture of the situation in Iraq and 
calling on the US not to lose sight of its core principles in its 
fight against terrorism. In what has been widely interpreted as 
criticism of the policies of US President Bush, Annan stressed that 
"no nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over others," 
Oesterrreich says. The outgoing UN Secretary General reiterated his 
call for a broad dialogue to solve the crisis, which should include 
not only all factions in Iraq, but also its neighboring states and 
the United Nation Security Council's five veto powers. 
McCaw