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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO AU OPRC
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: February 28, 2007 
 
 
Company Chief Complains about Eurofighter Inquiry 
 
¶1. Eurofighter company boss Aloysius Rauen complained that his firm 
has been disadvantaged by details leaked to the public from an 
Austrian parliamentary inquiry into the purchase of 18 Eurofighter 
jets for use by the Austrian armed forces. Rauen said that concerns 
about corporate security and damage to the company's competitiveness 
were the only reason some witnesses had declined to answer questions 
at the inquiry. Committee chairman Peter Pilz, dismissed Rauen's 
comments. 
Responding to Eurofighter company boss Aloysius Rauen's claims that 
concerns about damage to the Eurofighter company's competitiveness 
were the reason some witnesses had declined to answer questions at 
the parliamentary inquiry, committee chairman Peter Pilz emphasized 
the public had a right to know about the contract, including the 
whereabouts of some two-thirds of the 6.6 million Euros given to an 
Austrian PR firm to promote purchase of the jets. A lobbyist for 
Eurofighter manufacturer EADS, Erhard Steininger, who was supposed 
to answer questions Tuesday morning, is reportedly abroad. The 
Social Democrats, who now head the Austrian coalition government, 
have proposed that the contract be cancelled, but EADS says it's too 
late. The jets have been ordered but not delivered, semi-official 
daily Wiener Zeitung writes. Meanwhile, mass-circulation daily 
Kurier reports the delivery date of the jets is approaching. The 
jets' manufacturer has scheduled the first test flights for March. 
Cancellation of the purchase deal with EADS, as proposed by the 
Social Democrats in their election campaign last year, is becoming 
increasingly unlikely, the Kurier notes. 
 
 
Austrian Army to Cut Bosnia Contingent 
 
¶2. The reduction by more than half to 2,500 soldiers of the European 
Union's stabilization force in Bosnia-Herzegovina will also impact 
the Austrian military deployed there. It is expected that before 
fall the Austrian contingent will be "drastically reduced," Austrian 
media report, sourcing Defense Ministry circles. 
Defense Minister Norbert Darabos has announced that 150 to 160 of 
the 274 Austrian soldiers currently stationed in Bosnia-Herzegovina 
could be pulled out later this year. Nevertheless, the Western 
Balkans remains the key location for Austrian peacekeepers, a 
spokesperson for Darabos said. He added that the European Union is 
planning an "operative reserve force," which could be deployed 
quickly in case of a deterioration of the security situation in 
Bosnia-Herzegovina or in Kosovo. Austria would participate in the 
600-strong EU force, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung says. 
 
 
Gusenbauer in Prague 
 
¶3. Austria's Social Democratic Chancellor, Alfred Gusenbauer, was in 
the Czech Republic Tuesday for talks with the country's Conservative 
Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and with President Vaclav Klaus. 
Gusenbauer was continuing a series of visits to neighboring 
countries since being sworn in as Chancellor in January. Main topic 
of discussion was Austria's concern about the safety of the Czech 
nuclear power plant at Temelin, near the border between the two 
countries. 
Austria considers the Czech nuclear power plant at Temelin unsafe to 
operate, while Prague says it poses no danger. Last week Austrian 
environmentalists blockaded the border to show their concern about 
Temelin which has always been a bone of contention between the two 
countries. The relationship was not helped when, in December, all 
five parties in the Austrian parliament voted to take legal action 
against the Czech Republic over Temelin. The government in Prague 
said it regretted the action, writes semi-official daily Wiener 
Zeitung. Meanwhile, mass-circulation tabloid Kronen Zeitung suggests 
there was some success for Gusenbuer on his "tricky Temelin 
mission." Both countries have agreed to set up a parliamentary 
committee with Austrian and Czech MPs to address the unresolved 
security issues. Despite this development, the government in Vienna 
is looking at options to take legal action under international law 
against the Czech Republic. Overall, however, Austrian media 
emphasize that Austrian-Czech relations remain good. 
 
 
Pentagon Dismisses Iran War Allegations 
 
¶4. The Pentagon has dismissed allegations the US is preparing for 
military operations against Iran. Chairman of the Joint Chief of 
Staff Gen. Peter Pace stressed during a Senate hearing in Washington 
yesterday that such reports are not true. Asked whether he could 
rule out war, Pace answered that this was "definitely" the case. 
Iran, meanwhile, remains unimpressed by the growing international 
pressure in the dispute over its nuclear program. Iranian Foreign 
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday his country would never 
suspend uranium enrichment. 
Meanwhile, writes semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung, Chairman of 
the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace in a report to Congress 
says the United States' military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan 
are increasingly hampering the US armed forces' ability to react 
adequately to other potential conflicts. Although the Pentagon wants 
to improve US military capacities, it could take years for the risk 
of an inadequate US military response to be reduced to an acceptable 
degree again, an additional Pentagon report.  Pace's report was 
presented to Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the beginning of this 
year, and did not take into account President Bush's decision to 
deploy an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, the Wiener Zeitung 
writes, adding that the wars in Iran and Afghanistan are weakening 
the US military. 
 
 
US To Attend Key Iraq Conference 
 
¶5. The United States has said it is willing to attend a conference 
on security in Iraq next month that will include representatives 
from Iran and Syria. The Bush administration has so far resisted 
calls by Members of Congress and experts to directly engage with 
Iran and Syria, and accused both countries of supporting Iraqi 
militants. At a Senate hearing Tuesday, US Secretary of State Rice 
said the Bush administration supports the Iraqi government's new 
diplomatic offensive. 
ORF online news reports on the upcoming Iraq security conferences 
that mid-level representatives from the US and Iraq's neighbors are 
to meet in Baghdad for a first conference next month. State 
Department spokesperson Sean McCormick explained that participants 
will discuss ways to reduce violence in Iraq. He did not rule out 
bilateral talks between the US and Iranian representatives on the 
margins of the conference. In April, the Iraqi government wants to 
host a second, top-level conference with its neighboring states and 
representatives from the most important industrial nations. Like the 
first meeting, the second conference is to address the question of 
how to stabilize Iraq, Secretary of State Rice said. She also 
stressed she hopes Iran and Syria will accept the Iraqi invitation 
to the March conference, ORF online news quotes. 
 
 
Commissioner on EU and Palestinians 
 
¶6. EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, 
speaking in Jerusalem, said the European Union will consider 
gradually engaging with the incoming Palestinian unity government, 
if it recognizes Israel and renounces violence. 
ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal quotes EU External 
Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner as stressing that the 
EU has to "see what a new national unity government would be like, 
what would be its program, and what would be its actions." 
Palestinian officials have said their unity government should be 
unveiled by Friday. 
McCaw