VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVI #0266/01 0371106
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061106Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6169
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITEHOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS VIENNA 000266 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/AGS, INR/EU, AND EUR/PPD FOR YVETTE SAINT-ANDRE 
 
OSD FOR COMMANDER CHAFFEE 
 
WHITEHOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO AU OPRC
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: February 05, 2007 
 
 
Molterer Defends Platter 
 
¶1. The Eurofighter controversy continues to occupy Austrian 
politicians and media.  Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer (OeVP) has 
once again defended the purchase of the planes and emphasized that 
former Minister of Defense and now Interior Minister G|nther Platter 
had acted correctly. In this assessment, he was contradicted by his 
coalition partner:  A spokesman for the SPOe pointed out the 
investigative committee had brought new insights that could not so 
easily be pushed aside. 
Mass circulation tabloid "Neue Kronenzeitung" quotes Josef Kalina, 
the SPOe spokesman, as saying that Minister of Finance Wilhelm 
Molterer showed a "relatively low problem awareness" in the 
Eurofighter case - pointing out that, in Molterer's function, "he 
ought to welcome any opportunity to save the taxpayer money." This 
was triggered by an appearance of Vice Chancellor Molterer in the 
Austrian TV broadcast "Pressestunde," where he outlined future 
perspectives for his party and the grand coalition. According to 
independent daily "Der Standard," Molterer sees no imminent change 
with regard to tuition fees. Concerning the public controversy about 
FPOe boss Heinz Christian Strache's past, Molterer emphasized that 
"anyone who has been elected a representative in the Federal 
Assembly, is part of the political process," but stated that, while 
isolation of Strache was not an option, he nevertheless wanted to 
establish a distance from the FPOe party boss. Molterer's TV 
appearance was criticized by other parties besides the Social 
Democrats. Green spokeswoman Madeleine Petrovic pointed out the lack 
of a government strategy with regard to the fight against the 
greenhouse effect. The FPOe deplored the "lack of perspective" of 
the grand coalition and BZOe Secretary General Gerald Grosz sees 
Molterer's statements as indicative of the present standstill in 
Austria. 
 
Majority of Austrians Against Turkish EU Membership 
 
¶2. A recent internet poll initiated by the Turkish Embassy in Vienna 
confirms that Austrians are clearly opposed to Turkish EU 
membership. 2,670 persons filled in questionnaires between September 
19, 2006 and January 11, 2007. The result is that 74 percent do not 
regard Turkey as a European country. 40 percent said they would 
reject Turkish EU membership even if the country fulfilled all the 
conditions specified in the agreement with the EU and no job 
immigration would take place. 
Mass circulation daily "Kurier" reports extensively on the recent 
poll findings and cites, among others, historic reasons - the second 
Turkish siege - as a decisive facto in the Austrians' negative 
assessment of the Turkish EU ambitions. Turkish Ambassador Selim 
Yenel is nevertheless optimistic - he points out that 40 percent of 
Austrians are pro-Turkey, which would mean that only 10 percent 
would have to be won over for Turkish EU membership when the time 
comes for a decision. Yenel wants to push for more positive view of 
integration - by his assessment, integration has been more 
successful than the public perceives it to be. The Ambassador wants 
to "correct the sometimes faulty image of Turkey" in Austria and 
argues for giving the EU ascension process a "fair chance." 
 
Large Military Offensive in Iraq Imminent 
 
¶3. A large military offensive is apparently under way in Baghdad in 
which parts of the city are to be cordoned off and purged of 
insurgents. This campaign is aimed at securing the capital, where 
violence has increased massively in recent weeks. On Saturday, the 
most severe attack since the US invasion in 2003 was launched - a 
car bomb killed at least 135 people. The campaign is seen as a 
last-ditch effort to prevent the country from sliding into civil 
war. About 17,000 of the additional soldiers President Bush recently 
sent to Iraq are to participate in the offensive. 
According to ORF online, the US plan is for Iraqi and US soldiers to 
search residential areas of the capital for extremists and weapons 
and then seal off the areas so that insurgents will remain outside. 
The military mission will be among the biggest launched so far in 
Iraq. Colonel Doug Heckman, advisor of the 9th Iraq Army Division, 
predicted Sunday that this campaign will be "a larger offensive than 
the city has yet seen." Compared to earlier, unsuccessful military 
missions, this one could really make a difference, Heckman said. 
 
Record Budget for US Army 
 
¶4. Meanwhile, the US army will need a record 622 billion dollars to 
maintain its military and conduct the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 
President Bush will convey a budget proposal to the Congress Monday 
with the highest expenditures for defense since the Korean war in 
¶1952. 
Particularly expensive for the US army are the wars in Afghanistan 
and Iraq. Centrist daily "Die Presse" reports that 141 billion 
dollars are earmarked for covering the costs of these wars from 
October 2007 to October 2008. Budget cuts in other areas are 
inevitable, especially Medicare and Medicaid.  The new debt will 
amount to 200 billion dollars - nevertheless, the White House 
foresees a budget surplus for the year 2012. This latter goal 
especially was received with criticism on the part of the 
Democrats:. Senator Kent Conrad pointed out the administration has 
simply excluded some areas of public spending when it set the goal 
of achieving a surplus within the next five years. Conrad also said 
the government was setting the wrong priorities. 
 
US General Takes Over ISAF Troop 
 
¶5. The outgoing Commander of the international ISAF troop, British 
General David Richards, has announced a NATO spring campaign in 
Afghanistan and predicted a victory over the radical-Islamic 
Taliban. Turning over the military command to US General Dan K. 
McNeill, Richards showed himself convinced the rebels could be 
vanquished through a new NATO offensive. However, the Taliban 
themselves predicted a "violent spring" with further suicide 
attacks. 
 
Britain Sent Underage Soldiers to Iraq 
 
¶6. Britain's Prime Minster Tony Blair, already under heavy domestic 
pressure, is now facing criticism for London's having sent underage 
soldiers as part of the British contingent to Iraq. The government 
conceded this fact during a parliamentary inquiry. According to 
Ministry of Defense information, 15 soldiers aged 17 were 
"accidentally" sent to Iraq, four of them girls, but "fewer than 
five" stayed for more than three weeks. 
On June 24, 2006, the month when Britain began sending underage 
soldiers to Iraq, it also signed the UN convention about the rights 
of children, whose signatories pledge they will not send soldiers 
under the age of 18 into battle areas. Independent daily "Der 
Standard" quotes Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather as saying that 
the government had displayed a "shocking degree of incompetence." 
She demanded an apology from Prime Minister Tony Blair, pointing to 
the violation of British standards for sending soldiers into battle 
areas. Young people were neither mentally nor emotionally prepared 
for seeing bloodshed of the kind that is taking place in Iraq, the 
parliamentarian argued. These charges add to the woes of Tony Blair, 
who is already under fire for a corruption scandal in his 
government. According to a recent poll, 56 percent of the British 
think he should resign immediately. 
McCaw