VZCZCXYZ0032
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVI #1480/01 1551352
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041352Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7544
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITEHOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS VIENNA 001480 
 
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: June 04, 2007 
 
 
Fischer: Conclude Eurofigher Case by Summer 
 
¶1. Austrian President Heinz Fischer is urging that by summer, the 
entire complex matter surrounding the Eurofighter purchase for 
Austria's military, including the parliamentary investigative 
committee looking into the circumstances of the deal, be concluded. 
In an interview with an Austrian daily, Fischer, who is also 
commander-in-chief of the Austrian armed forces, emphasized that he 
would "very much prefer for the matter to yield concrete results by 
summer." Discussing the controversy over the Eurofighter purchase, 
Austrian President Heinz Fischer stressed in an interview with 
mass-circulation daily Kurier on June 3: "I swore in the cabinet, to 
support its members and work well with them. This is also entirely 
the case when it comes to the Defense Minister, who is certainly 
dealing with an extremely difficult task at the moment. I do not 
doubt his full commitment to the Austrian army and to the country, 
and I have complete faith in him." The dispute over the Eurofighter 
deal is "indeed, a complex and controversial issue, and I truly hope 
we will get some clear results in the entire matter by summer." 
 
 
Interview with Ambassador McCaw 
 
¶2. An Austrian tabloid published an interview in its weekend issue 
with US Ambassador to Austria Susan McCaw. The Ambassador talked 
about the Marshall Plan, its 60th anniversary on June 5, about what 
the Marshall Plan has accomplished and about her view of why it is 
significant for the United States: "For us, it was an investment in 
security and stability." Mass-circulation tabloid Kronen Zeitung on 
June 3 published an interview with US Ambassador to Austria Susan 
McCaw, who said she was "impressed about how many areas and aspects 
of the Austrian economy are the results of the European Recovery 
Program." Austria, the Ambassador underscored, "is the only country 
that still has funds from the Marshall Plan." When the Marshall plan 
was set up in 1947, "the United States primarily wanted to offer 
Europe a helping hand; also in order to keep it together. For us, it 
was an investment in our common stability and security. The [ERP] 
money was one of the foundation stones of the EU, and it is great to 
see the results." The Ambassador is not convinced some kind of 
"Marshall Plan for Africa, or for Iraq," would necessarily work: 
"The key word in post-WWII Europe was 'reconstruction.' The 
knowledge and expertise was still there, and things just needed to 
be fixed. In Africa, on the other hand, we are looking at 
construction, not reconstruction." Meanwhile, "Iraq needs to be 
given economic assistance. I was in northern Iraq in January with an 
Austrian business delegation, and I saw what economic support can 
accomplish. The entire region was quiet and stable, and all of Iraq 
could eventually become as stable." She believes that "Americans and 
Europeans could invest more capital and expertise in both Iraq and 
Afghanistan. It is our responsibility." Today, Ambassador McCaw 
suggested, "Europeans and Americans should cooperate to try and 
support other, less fortunate countries." She argued that "if 
there's stability and hope in as many countries as possible, we will 
all benefit from more security in the long run." 
 
 
 
 
60 Years: Marshall Plan Anniversary 
 
¶3. A mass-circulation daily reported on the 60th anniversary of the 
Marshall Plan, the "biggest reconstruction project in history." 
Austria received about one billion US dollars from the American 
assistance program, which was set up to help rebuild Europe after 
WWII According to mass-circulation daily Kurier, the Marshall plan's 
economic success was enormous: By the official end of the Marshall 
Plan program in 1953, the 16 ERP countries' economic performances 
were better than before WWII. The speech suggesting the launch of an 
assistance program for Europe held by Secretary of State George 
Marshall in 1947 was "short and to the point," and it was "a 
12-minute speech that changed the world," the Kurier says. The 
European Recovery Program (ERP) was based on a "simple but 
enormously effective concept: The United States sent financial and 
economic assistance and goods to Europe, which in return deposited 
the equivalent of the assistance received in a counterpart account, 
with which new projects were financed."  The ERP partners also 
needed to commit themselves to stabilizing their currencies and to 
balance their budgets. The Marshall Plan's success was 
unprecedented, and indirectly, it is effective in Austria to this 
day. 
 
 
Austria Releases the Former Kazakh Envoy 
 
¶4. Austrian police have released on bail Rakhat Aliyev, the former 
Kazakh envoy to Austria. Aliyev, the son-in-law of Kazakhstan's 
President Nursultan Nazarbayev, is wanted on kidnapping charges in 
his country.  He must stay in Austria while the authorities consider 
Kazakhstan's extradition request. The controversial businessman is 
married to the eldest daughter of Kazakh President Nazarbayev, and 
was sacked as Kazakh Ambassador to Austria last week amid a family 
feud. In an interview with an Austrian magazine, Aliyev said his 
life would be in danger if he were sent back to Kazakhstan. ORF TV's 
prime time news Zeit im Bild I reported on Sunday. 
 
 
 
 
 
Kissinger in Vienna 
 
¶5. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is visiting Vienna 
today. Although his trip is primarily a private visit, Kissinger is 
expected to meet with Austrian government representatives, including 
Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer and Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, 
on Monday, according to ORF online news. 
 
 
US Missile Defense: Putin Threatens Europe 
 
¶6. Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest threats create the 
impression he may want to bring back the Cold War, Austrian media 
suggest. In the dispute over US plans for a missile defense shield 
based in some Eastern European countries, Putin warned that Russia 
would target missiles at central Europe, should the US go through 
with its plans. The strategy appears to be working: For the first 
time, Washington has signaled its willingness to compromise on 
missile defense, said ORF online news. 
 
 
G-8 Summit to Address Climate Change 
 
¶7. Ahead of a G-8 summit of industrialized nations in Germany, at 
which global warming is expected to be a major issue, China unveiled 
its first-ever plans to tackle the problem. Beijing, one of the 
world's biggest polluters, stressed it is not prepared to sacrifice 
economic development in the process, however. German Chancellor 
Angela Merkel meanwhile said she believes the United States could be 
brought into the UN process to combat climate change at the summit. 
Merkel also condemned the violence that broke out on Saturday in the 
city of Rostock, which left more than 1,000 people injured, 
including over 400 police. Reporting on the up-coming G-8 summit, 
liberal daily Der Standard suggests that on the issue of climate 
change, the Europeans are adopting a tough stance towards the US. 
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is hosting the summit at 
Heiligendamm, does not want to agree to any "shabby compromises" 
with US President George Bush. At the G-8 meeting, Germany is 
expected to propose binding environmental protection measures aimed 
at limiting the rise in global temperatures until 2050 to two 
degrees Celsius. 
Meanwhile in an interview with mass-circulation provincial daily 
Kleine Zeitung, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's energy 
advisor, W. Michael Hanemann, suggested that regarding climate 
protection, the "Bush administration's view is different from that 
of other parts [of the US]." California "is confident that the 
problems can be solved, but across the US there's the concern that 
the fight against climate change will weaken the economy. This is an 
exaggerated and overly pessimistic view. The most important tool to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions is technological progress." 
 
 
US President Visits Europe 
 
¶7. US President George Bush will visit the Czech Republic today, 
where the United States wants to build a radar base aimed at 
deflecting attacks from rogue states such as Iran. It is going to be 
a "tricky" European trip for President Bush, given Russia's 
opposition to the US defense plans, Austrian media suggest. The US 
President is going to Germany later this week to attend the G-8 
summit there, said ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal. 
 
 
Democrat Hopefuls Clash over Iraq 
 
¶8. The war in Iraq has divided Democratic presidential hopefuls 
during a debate televised across the United States. Exchanges among 
the eight candidates, including frontrunners Hillary Clinton, Barack 
Obama and John Edwards, brought repeated calls for America to 
withdraw from Iraq. There were also clashes over whether President 
George W. Bush had made the US safer from terrorism since 9/11 ORF 
radio early morning news Morgenjournal reported. 
McCaw