VZCZCXYZ0010
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVI #1260/01 1341250
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141250Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7301
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITEHOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS VIENNA 001260 
 
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: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: May 14, 2007 
 
 
Inquiry Looking At Redacted Files 
 
¶1. Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer (OeVP) will 
appear before the parliamentary investigative committee looking into 
the Austrian Eurofighter purchase today. Topping the agenda are once 
again the interceptor deal's tax files, large parts of which were 
redacted by the Finance Ministry before they were handed over to the 
Eurofighter committee. 
Like all Austrian media, liberal daily Der Standard continues to 
report on the controversial Eurofighter purchase and comments on the 
"war of nerves between the governing parties SPOe and OeVP" over the 
issue. Shortly before the planned delivery on May 23 of the first 
interceptors to Austria, accusations continue to fly regarding the 
alleged payment of bribes, the quarrel over the tax files and other 
documents, and the dispute over a quality control test Defense 
Minister Norbert Darabos (SPOe) believes the planes will fail. The 
parliamentary investigative committee is meanwhile going to question 
Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer (OeVP) on the redacted sections of 
the Eurofighter tax files, and will also hear the statements of 
constitutional law experts Bernd-Christian Funk and Theo Oehlinger 
on the matter. 
 
 
Fischer Calls For Decision on Kosovo 
 
¶2. As Austria is preparing to provide another 200 troops to Kosovo 
for the planned EU rapid reaction force, President Heinz Fischer, on 
an official visit to Cyprus, called for a common solution to the 
situation. Fischer, along with Tassos Papadopoulos, his Cypriote 
counterpart, met to discuss the Kosovo question and other topics 
last week. The Austrian President will arrive in Greece today for a 
two-day official visit. 
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung reported on President Heinz 
Fischer's "visit to the divided country Cyprus." Opinions on the 
future status of Kosovo differ, as Cyprus is far more skeptical than 
Austria with regard to the UN plan, which envisages a form of 
controlled independence for the Serbian province. Cyprus is 
concerned that the Kosovo could "serve as an example for the 
Turkish-Cypriote northern part of the island," President 
Papadopoulos indicated in a meeting with his Austrian counterpart. 
Fischer, meanwhile, described the Kosovo question as an "unsolved 
problem" and that the EU is pushing for a joint position on the 
issue. 
 
 
Rice in Moscow for Talks 
 
¶3. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is traveling to Russia for 
talks with President Vladimir Putin amid growing tensions between 
Moscow and Washington. The Kremlin has expressed its strong 
opposition to US efforts to extend its missile defense shield in 
Europe, and has also attacked Washington's backing for Kosovo's 
independence. For her part, Condoleezza Rice has criticized 
democratic setbacks in Russia. 
According to mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich, the US Secretary 
of State is hoping to improve the strained relations between 
Washington and Moscow with her visit to Russia. Her meeting with 
Russian President Vladimir Putin "won't be an easy task," however, 
the daily believes. 
 
 
NATO Confirms Taliban Leader's Death 
 
¶4. NATO officials have confirmed that Mullah Dadullah, the Taliban's 
top operational commander in Southern Afghanistan, was killed during 
a clash between Western and Afghan forces. His body was shown to 
reporters in Kandahar, and Taliban sources confirmed the death after 
initial denials.  Dadullah's death is the heaviest blow so far to 
the Taliban insurgents, Austrian media say. 
Like all Austrian media, independent provincial daily Salzburger 
Nachrichten reported on Mullah Dadullah's death, which "may have 
brought the NATO forces in Afghanistan considerably closer to their 
goal to take out or capture as many radical Taliban leaders as 
possible this year." The NATO generals are "hoping that without its 
radical top leadership, the Taliban militias might be more willing 
to come to the conference table and participate in a serious debate 
on how to end the ongoing conflict," the Salzburger Nachrichten 
explained. In contrast, terrorism expert Rolf Tophoven told 
mass-circulation tabloid Oesterreich: "We know from experience that 
both with al Qaeda and with the Taliban the top functionaries will 
be replaced quickly." Nevertheless, the expert argued, Mullah 
Dadullah's death is "a heavy blow to the Taliban, and a 
psychological success for NATO." 
 
 
Suicide Bombings in Iraq 
 
¶5. At least 45 people have been killed and dozens wounded by a 
suicide truck bombing in Makhmur in northern Iraq. It was the second 
suicide attack in the mainly Kurdish area in the past week. In 
Baghdad, at least ten people died and more than 40 were wounded when 
a car bomb exploded near a market in a predominantly Shiite 
district. Meanwhile, thousands of American troops have been 
searching for three US soldiers missing in Iraq after an attack on 
their convoy on Sunday. 
Meanwhile, ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal reported that 
the United States and Iran intend to hold direct talks on the 
security situation in Iraq. Commentator Elisa Vass explained that 
both the US and Iran "want a stable Iraq and a strong government in 
Baghdad. Their influence could be decisive for improving the 
situation" in Iraq. Tehran and Washington have not had direct 
diplomatic relations for about 25 years, so the announcement of 
direct talks "must be considered a positive sign." Vass also argued 
that although "both sides have emphasized they are not going to 
discuss any topics beyond Iraq, and that the Iranian nuclear 
ambitions or the US-Iranian relations are not going to be on the 
agenda, we can expect the talks to be difficult." But whatever the 
results of these talks, the primary representatives for the daily 
and disastrous attacks in Iraq these days must be sought among the 
Sunnis, and neither the US nor Iran have any influence to speak of 
on that particular group," the commentator concluded. 
Kilner