VZCZCXYZ0020
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVI #1874/01 1941317
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131317Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7975
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITEHOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS VIENNA 001874 
 
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: July 13, 2007 
 
 
FIRST EUROFIGHTER HAS LANDED 
 
¶1. The first of Austria's fifteen Eurofighter jets, delivered from 
Germany, landed at the Zeltweg air base at 10:45 am Thursday morning 
and was greeted with a traditional brass band and an arch of water 
from a water cannon. Economics Minister Martin Bartenstein of the 
People's Party was the only government minister on hand to welcome 
the arrival of the plane. President Heinz Fischer and Defense 
Minister Norbert Darabos of the Social Democrats were on an official 
visit to Macedonia and therefore unable to attend the ceremony. 
Austrian media suggest that Norbert Darabos' absence was a 
deliberate move, given that the Minister has shown himself to be 
strongly opposed to the deal. 
Reporting on the arrival of the first Eurofighter jet in Austria on 
Thursday, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung points out that Defense 
Minister Norbert Darabos, whose party long opposed the purchase of 
the Eurofighter, is facing criticism from top military 
representatives in Austria. Lieutenant General Guenter Hoefler, head 
of the joint chiefs of staff, said he regretted the minister's 
decision to cut the number of jets from 18 to 15 and the amount of 
negative comments that have accompanied the purchase of the planes. 
According to centrist daily Die Presse, the Austrian military has 
increased pressure on the Defense Minister over future planning for 
the military. According to experts, there are not enough funds for a 
necessary reform of the armed forces under the current budget. 
Mass-circulation tabloid Kronen Zeitung meanwhile suggests that the 
arrival of the first Eurofighter jet has caused yet another crisis 
in the coalition government: Economics Minister Martin Bartenstein's 
comment at the Zeltweg air base that he was "representing the 
Austrian government, so to speak" has outraged the Defense Minister, 
who was accompanying President Heinz Fischer on an official visit in 
Macedonia on Thursday. Darabos apparently considers Bartenstein's 
statement a transgression, the tabloid explains. 
 
 
AUSTRIANS AND THE EU 
 
¶2. Austrians remain critical of the European Union, with only 36 
percent of interviewees saying that the country's EU membership is 
"a good thing," the most recent Eurobarometer survey shows. The poll 
has also revealed that acceptance of the EU is far more common among 
young Austrians, while older people are more skeptical. 
A recent Eurobarometer survey reveals that many Austrians have 
reservations about the European Union. Only about one third of 
interviewees believe Austrian EU membership is a "good thing," while 
25 percent say it is a "bad thing." According to mass-circulation 
daily Kurier, this negative approach may be rooted in a feeling of 
helplessness among Austrians towards the EU. In fact, 62 percent 
feel they have no voice in the EU. However, the European Union is 
not seen as critically by all: 48 percent of Austrians aged 15 to 25 
say they consider their country's EU membership an asset. However, 
only 23 percent among Austrians aged 65 and older are convinced of 
the advantages of EU membership. 
 
 
 
 
 
OECD CRITICIZES AUSTRIA'S TAX SYSTEM 
 
¶3. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 
has presented a critical report of Austria's taxation system. In a 
country report due to be released today, OECD experts consider 
Austria's overall tax burden excessive and have suggested higher 
taxes on wealth and lower taxes on labor. According to the 
organization, the share of revenue from wealth taxes in Austria is 
only a quarter of the OECD average, writes ORF online news. 
 
 
HOUSE VOTES FOR IRAQ PULLOUT 
 
¶4. The United States House of Representatives has voted for the 
withdrawal of most US combat troops from Iraq by April next year. 
The move, which can still be vetoed by President George Bush, is 
aimed at putting pressure on the Senate to also vote for a troop 
pullout, Austrian media suggest. Earlier this week, President Bush 
presented a report on Iraq, which found that there had been only 
limited military and political progress following the deployment of 
extra troops. 
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung, quoting from the US report on 
Iraq presented earlier this week, says the situation in Iraq remains 
critical and security there continues to be "complex and extremely 
challenging." Reflecting the assessment of most Austrian media, ORF 
radio early morning news Morgenjournal asks whether US President 
George Bush may have "lost touch with reality," given the conditions 
on the grounds in Iraq as presented in the report and the growing 
rejection of the President's Iraq policy in Congress.  Independent 
provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten is just as critical in its 
assessment, suggesting that President "Bush's Iraq strategy has 
failed." Instability in Iraq is by now considered "irrevocable," and 
none of the key goals have been met fully as a result of the troop 
surge, the daily says. Likewise, centrist daily Die Presse says that 
"only 8 of 18 Iraq objectives have been achieved," and speaks of a 
"disillusioning report on Iraq." Similarly, mass-circulation daily 
Kurier writes about a "great disillusionment," and suggest that even 
the White House can no longer gloss over the reality in Iraq. 
Intelligence experts meanwhile paint a gloomy picture of the 
country's future, adds the daily. Liberal daily Der Standard in turn 
focuses on President Bush's optimistic assessment that progress has 
been made in Iraq. The US strategy is successful, the President 
argued, and again dismissed calls for a pullout of American troops 
from Iraq. 
 
 
NORTH KOREA URGES DIRECT TALKS WITH US 
 
¶5. North Korea is calling for direct talks with the United States on 
peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea's military 
made the call for talks between military representatives, which 
would also include a UN envoy. Washington has replied that it can 
discuss a peace treaty after North Korea abandons its nuclear 
program. Meanwhile, a team of inspectors from the International 
Atomic Energy Agency left Vienna for Pyongyang last night to 
supervise the shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, according to 
ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal. 
McCaw