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TAGS: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: July 23, 2007 
 
Trial for Those Who Fire 
 
¶1. Independent daily "Der Standard" reports on the rekindled debate 
about whether Eurofighter pilots are to use military force against 
civilian planes that are hijacked by terrorists. Erich Speck, the 
trade union representative of the air force was quoted as calling it 
"a shame to shift this responsibility onto a young pilot." On 
Friday, the National Security Council stipulated that an impending 
terror attack was a national security issue and that the order to 
fire was to come from the Minister of the Interior - the union 
representatives consider such a case as an attack on Austria and 
thus the responsibility of the armed forces. The supreme commander 
of the armed forces, General Lieutenant G|nter Hfler, on the other 
hand, is of the opinion that all parties concerned would have to 
stand trial if it came to a situation where military force had to be 
used to bring down a hijacked plane. [Der Standard, p. 7] 
EU Reform Conference Trembling Before Poland 
 
¶2. Independent daily "Der Standard" reports on the governmental 
conference about the future of the EU, which is to begin in Brussels 
on Monday. At the June summit, where the framework for a reduced 
version of the EU constitution was negotiated, the Poles pushed for 
more voting rights for their country and almost caused the summit to 
fail. It is now feared that the expected negotiations about the 
technical and legal details of the reform treaty could once again 
culminate in lengthy debates with the Poles about fundamental 
issues.  [Der Standard, p. 3] 
Agreement on a reform treaty would have to be universal - and that 
is the snag:  In addition to Polish concerns, other states such as 
the Netherlands and Italy have already indicated that they would 
withhold their consent if the summit agreement was changed in any 
way, writes independent daily "Der Standard." The reform treaty is 
the crucial issue with regard to re-organizing EU institutions and 
redistributing voting rights. The Portuguese EU presidency has 
already made clear that it will not stray from the decisions made at 
the summit which, at the time, the Poles agreed to as well. The 
preliminary agreement stipulates, among other things, that there 
will be a "double majority principle":  55 percent of the states, 
which additionally represent 65 percent of the population, are 
necessary for a majority decision. Also, the EU will get a "High 
Commissioner for Foreign and Security Policy" who will represent the 
Union internationally. 
 
Landslide for Erdogan 
 
¶3. All Austrian media report on the clear victory which Turkish 
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-conservative AKP party 
scored in Sunday's elections. According to independent daily 
"Salzburger Nachrichten," it was estimated that the AKP achieved 
between 47 and 50 percent of the vote, which means that it can 
continue to govern alone. It will occupy more than 330 seats out of 
the 550 seats in Parliament. The Republican People's Party of 
opposition leader Deniz Baykal got around 18 percent of the votes 
(almost 100 seats) and the nationalist MHP received ten percent of 
the votes (more than 80 seats) required for representation in 
Parliament. The daily points out the importance of these elections, 
which were brought forward from the original date by four months: 
It is seen as deciding the direction in which the country will move. 
At present, there is increasing polarization within Turkey between 
the religious and the secular forces.  [Salzburger Nachrichten, p. 1 
and 7, other Austrian media] 
The crucial issue, according to mass circulation daily "Kurier," is 
how the military will react to the election results. The generals 
distrust Prime Minister Erdogan and his AKP. At the end of April, 
the military obstructed the election of Foreign Minister Abdullah 
G|l to the office of President with an indirect threat of a military 
coup. The military, which sees itself as the institution that 
ensures the separation of religion and state, has become more and 
more powerful. "Kurier" quotes former army judge Umit Kardas, who 
turned into one of the biggest critics of the system, as saying that 
"the military is the state." The daily also reports on the concern 
expressed by the EU office in Ankara about the increased importance 
of the military. However, a military coup would not only be 
unpopular in Turkey, but would also isolate the country on the 
international scene. Analyzing the situation in Turkey after the 
election, senior editor for independent daily "Salzburger 
Nachrichten" Helmut L. M|ller concludes that "[t]he election triumph 
of the AKP does not mean that the political crisis in Turkey has 
already been solved. The crucial question of how the issue of the 
controversial candidature for President will be solved is still 
open. ... Erdogan would be well-advised to suggest a compromise 
candidate for the position of President despite the increase in 
votes for the AKP - no matter whether the head of state is to be 
elected by the Parliament - as has been the case so far - or 
directly by the people. An amiable solution would take into 
consideration the fact that Turkish society was polarized 
politically, and it would take away any pretext that the army could 
have to once again intervene politically." 
 
 
Psychological War Continues 
 
¶4. All Austrian media report on the hostage drama currently taking 
place in Afghanistan, where two Germans and 23 South Korean hostages 
are still held by the Taliban, which is demanding the withdrawal of 
international troops and the liberation of prisoners. Over the 
weekend, one of the Germans was found dead in the province of 
Wardak. According to centrist daily "Die Presse," it is still not 
clear whether the man was shot or died of heart failure. The 
confusion about the fate of the South Koreans also continues. The 
Taliban had originally threatened to murder the hostages on Sunday, 
unless 23 prisoners were freed - later, the ultimatum was extended 
by 24 hours.  [Die Presse, p. 4; other Austrian media] 
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin has confirmed that one of 
the German hostages is dead - however, it is believed that the man, 
who suffered from diabetes, died of a heart attack as a result of 
the kidnapping. In an analysis of the events in Afghanistan, 
centrist daily "Die Presse" speculates that Germany is being 
targeted by Afghan extremists - as were Canada and the Netherlands 
before. In October, the German Parliament will vote on prolonging 
the Afghan mission - a variety of hostile acts could serve to 
increase the number of opponents of the mission. Support for the 
mission is eroding in parts of the government and especially among 
the opposition. Especially controversial is the participation in the 
US-led anti-terror command "Operation Enduring Freedom." So far, 
however, the government in Berlin has been unyielding - Chancellor 
Angela Merkel has stressed Germany's intention not to leave the 
Afghans in the lurch and SPD floor leader Peter Struck is one of the 
fiercest opponents of withdrawal, writes "Die Presse." 
 
US Intelligence Says Bin Laden Is Alive in Pakistan 
 
¶5. ORF online reports on findings by US intelligence services 
according to which Osama bin Laden is still alive and hiding 
somewhere near the Afghan border in the western part of Pakistan. In 
an interview with TV station NBC on Sunday, the coordinator of the 
US intelligence services, Michael McConnell, held the Pakistan 
government responsible for the fact that al-Qaida was able to 
regroup and claimed that instead of pushing al-Qaida out of 
Pakistan, the government had "created a safe haven for training and 
recruitment." In spite of this fact, he said that Pakistan's 
President Musharraf is still an important ally. [ORF online] 
 
Republicans Stumbling Through the Election Campaign 
 
¶6. In an assessment of the current state of the "Grand Old Party" 
Norbert Rief, correspondent of centrist daily "Die Presse," refers 
to the difficulties the Republicans are having to find a candidate 
for the White House who voters are prepared to accept. [Die Presse, 
July 21, p. 10] 
For 2008 - so Rief's conclusion - the Republicans have as yet no 
strong frontrunner. All the candidates that have surfaced so far 
have trouble getting strong support: Mitt Romney's hurdle is his 
religious belief - he is a Mormon, and many Republicans find this 
difficult to accept; Rudy Giuliani, on the other hand, is 
universally popular, but does not have the backing of conservative 
Republicans because of his support of abortion and weapons control. 
However, it is John McCain, who once was regarded the favorite among 
the possible candidates, who has seen the most drastic decline. His 
campaign is about to flop; he already had to dismiss half of his 
staff because of lack of money. In view of dwindling donations, it 
is questionable how long McCain will still be able to maintain his 
campaign. 
Kilner