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TAGS: KPAO AU OPRC
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: January 18, 2007 
 
 
Administrative Court President Attacks Haider 
 
¶1. Speaking on ORF TV yesterday, the President of the Austrian 
Administrative Court Clemens Jabloner, like the new Justice Minister 
Maria Berger earlier this week, suggested the federal government 
could take Carinthian Governor Joerg Haider to court over the issue 
of bi-lingual road signs in Austria's southernmost province. Haider 
has harshly rejected this proposal. 
Speaking on ORF TV's late night news Zeit im Bild II on January 18, 
Administrative Court President Jabloner not only suggested Austria 
could file charges against Carinthian Governor Haider and push for 
his removal from office over his refusal to have all the required 
bi-lingual town signs put up in his province, but also added that 
"personally" he believes that Haider's "days as a politician are 
numbered." Also on ORF television, Haider dismissed Jabloner's 
statements as "biased" and "an anticipated conviction," and 
criticized the Court President as "a judge dabbling in politics." It 
was "my right to voice my opinion on a politicking judge, who should 
decline to comment on this issue out of fairness and for the sake of 
objectivity," Haider added. Jabloner in turn emphasized that the 
issue of bi-lingual town signs was included in the Austrian State 
Treaty. 
 
 
Interview with Molterer 
 
¶2. In an interview with an Austrian daily, Vice-Chancellor and 
Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer says the government will pursue a 
"highly restrictive budget course" for the next two years. He 
expects efforts from the provinces and communities to support the 
economy measures at the federal level, Molterer added. 
In an interview with semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung, 
Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer explained his 
planned "restrictive budget course" a necessary measure, because 
"everything we fail to do now we won't have available for tax reform 
in the end." Molterer also announced a "double budget" for 2007 and 
2008, and outlines as key goals increasing spending power of the 
middle class" and to motivate businesses towards full employment 
through tax reform." Similarly, in an interview with independent 
provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten, Molterer emphasizes that 
"tax reform is doable provided that we can afford it, if we're 
making enough profit. Every budget deficit is potentially 
growth-inhibiting. In addition, we cannot expect the current stable 
economic growth to continue indefinitely." 
 
 
Waiting for Confirmation in Sahroudi Case 
 
¶3. Austria's new Justice Minister Maria Berger says if rumors of 
Mohammed Jafari Sahroudi's arrest are confirmed, she would consider 
requesting his extradition to Austria. Sahroudi is a main suspect in 
the murder of three Iranian Kurdish opposition politicians in Vienna 
in 1989, and may be among five Iranians arrested in Iraq last week. 
Mass-circulation daily Kurier meanwhile reports on "confusion 
regarding the arrested Iranian." While "diplomatic efforts are in 
full swing," it is becoming "increasingly questionable" whether the 
person arrested in Irbil is indeed the alleged murderer of the 
Kurdish politicians in Vienna, the daily says. Observers are even 
hoping the issue will be revealed as a case of mixed-up identities. 
Should the arrested suspect turn out to be Sahroudi after all, 
Austria could be facing some difficulties with Iran, according to 
the Kurier. Should it be officially confirmed the Iranian is 
Sahroudi and should he be extradited to Austria, Tehran has already 
demanded that he be released immediately. 
 
 
Dodu L. to Remain in Austria 
 
¶4. Following his arrest at Vienna's Schwechat airport, Albanian-born 
US citizen and terrorist suspect Dodu L. could be detained in 
Austria for a longer period of time. According to an Austrian 
tabloid, extradition proceedings could take up to one year. 
According to a report in mass-circulation tabloid Kronen Zeitung, 
the US citizen of Albanian origin, who was arrested at the Vienna 
airport is currently being detained in Austria and is waiting for 
his extradition. It is not yet clear when that will happen, or where 
he will be extradited to, the tabloid adds, explaining that not only 
the United States has claimed him, but also Montenegro, where he is 
wanted for having planned to carry out two bomb attacks at the 
parliamentary elections there last September. Public prosecutor 
Stefan Benner from the Austrian Ministry of Justice told the Kronen 
Zeitung that the Austrian authorities "expect Dodu L. will not 
consent to being extradited, and therefore proceedings in the case 
 
 
could take quite some time," perhaps even "up to one year." Although 
Montenegro issued an international arrest warrant for Dodu L., it is 
not clear whether he will be extradited there, as Benner "would not 
be surprised if other countries also begin filing warrants, given 
the suspect's international activities." An extradition to the US, 
however, can be ruled out if there is no pending trial against Dodu 
¶L. there, according to the tabloid. 
 
 
Ambassador at Stepic Event 
 
¶5. US Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw attended the event to 
celebrate the 60th birthday of Herbert Stepic, the Director General 
of Ost Raiffeisen - the stock-exchange-listed subsidiary for Eastern 
Europe of Raiffeisen bank. 
On Wednesday, US Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw was among the 300 
high-ranking guests attending a luncheon hosted by Raiffeisen bank 
Advocate General Christian Konrad and Raiffeisen boss Walter 
Rothensteiner on the occasion of Herbert Stepic's 60th birthday, 
Austrian Press Agency APA and ORF television report. Stepic is the 
Director General of Ost Raiffeisen, APA explains, and ORF teleivison 
quotes Ambassador McCaw as honoring him as "one of the pioneers of 
Eastern European banking." 
 
 
Senators Oppose President's Iraq Plan 
 
¶6. Bipartisan opposition is mounting in Washington to President 
George Bush's plans to boost US troop levels in Iraq. Senators from 
both political parties have unveiled a non-binding resolution 
opposing the increase. In related news, California Governor Arnold 
Schwarzenegger said he supports the deployment of additional forces 
to Iraq, but at the same time urged a timetable for a US pullout by 
the end of this year. 
ORF radio early morning news report Morgenjournal reports that the 
resolution submitted by the Senators both from the Republican and 
the Democrat parties opposing US President George Bush's plan to 
increase US troop levels in Iraq, already has the support of two 
senior Republicans, and will probably be voted on within the next 
two weeks. Democrat Senator Carl Levin, who is backing the 
resolution, is quoted on ORF Radio as saying the resolution "sends a 
powerful message not just to the President and to the American 
people, but also to the leaders and the people of Iraq that Congress 
does not support an escalation of our military presence in Iraq." 
White House spokesperson Tony Snow said that President Bush would 
continue to proceed with his plan to send more than 20,000 
additional troops to Iraq, the Morgenjournal continues. Bush also 
met a group of Republican Senators at the White House in an effort 
to stop them supporting the resolution. 
Meanwhile, ORF online news quotes California Governor Arnold 
Schwarzenegger as calling for a US withdrawal from Iraq by end 2007: 
"We should set up a deadline and a timetable for our pullout," 
Schwarzenegger said, stressing the US needed to make clear to the 
Iraqis that its military could not stay there indefinitely. However, 
the Governor supports President Bush's strategy to boost troop 
levels in Iraq for a limited period of time in order to curb 
violence in the country, ORF online news writes. 
McCaw