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TAGS: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: September 25, 2007 
 
Data Protection Regularly Violated 
 
¶1. Austria's Data Protection Commission does not issue a good report 
for the state authorities and companies with regard to their 
handling of sensitive data. In their Data Protection Report 
2005-1007, the Commission has made a case for urgent legislative 
action in three areas:  Information on creditworthiness, passing on 
of health data and private video surveillance. In the meantime, the 
President of the Austrian Constitutional Court, Karl Korinek, has 
warned that Austria is about to become a total surveillance state 
after the pattern of the former German Democratic Republic. His 
remarks have startled the coalition partners as well as the Data 
Protection Council.  [Der Standard, p. 1 and 9; other Austrian 
media] 
On Monday, government officials did not hold back with criticism of 
Korinek's statement, writes centrist daily "Die Presse." OeVP 
Minister of the Interior G|nther Platter rejected Korinek's 
comparison of Austrian and former Stasi practices when it comes to 
surveillance of ordinary citizens. Likewise, Josef Cap, head of the 
SPOe parliamentary club spoke of a "totally unjustified" statement, 
while conceding that any call for more caution with regard to 
observance of fundamental rights had to be taken seriously. However, 
the President of the Austrian Constitutional Court got backing from 
the Green Party for voicing his concern over the issue of data 
protection and the necessity to keep intact the private sphere of 
Austrian citizens. Their legal spokesman Albert Steinhauser urged 
the coalition parties to deliberate the issue, reports semi-official 
daily "Wiener Zeitung." 
 
Call for Action 
 
¶2.  Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dominated the debate 
at the UN climate conference on Monday with a remarkable speech in 
which he called for "action" in the area of environmental 
protection. He made a case for a future-oriented approach which he 
himself pursues in California, where in the meantime, more capital 
is invested in the development of green technology than in the 
development of telecommunications. He urged the heads of government 
and state who had gathered at the summit to follow his example and 
take an active stance on the environment issue. Austrian Chancellor 
Alfred Gusenbauer likewise participated in the summit where he had a 
brief meeting with Schwarzenegger.  [Kurier, . 3;  other Austrian 
media] 
All Austrian media report on the UN climate summit in New York - and 
repeatedly, commentators point out Austria's own lack of resolve 
when it comes to implementing the Kyoto targets. Andreas Schwarz of 
mass circulation daily "Kurier" criticizes that hardly any state has 
so far adhered to the Kyoto goals and Oe1 radio morning news is 
likewise uncertain whether one can take the UN climate initiative 
very seriously:  "Somehow, there is increasingly the impression that 
the targets - projected and partially documented - are not nearly 
being achieved. And Austria is no exception to this rule." 
Independent daily "Salzburger Nachrichten" remarked that Austria, 
according to the Kyoto Protocol, ought to reduce its greenhouse gas 
emissions by 18 percent in comparison to 1990. Until 2005, however, 
they had actually risen by 18 percent. Oe1 radio news takes note of 
the absence of US President Bush from the conference and the 
disturbing effect this has had on many participants, calling the 
conference, which the US President has announced to hold on the 
issue in Washington on Thursday, "a counter-conference, as diplomats 
have scathingly remarked." 
 
Austrian Military Considers Chad Mission 
 
¶3. Austria is considering participation in a military EU mission in 
Chad with the goal of protecting refugees from the neighboring 
Sudanese crisis region of Darfur. The mission will be headed by the 
French and will comprise about 4,000 troops. The precondition for 
the planned mission is a mandate by the UN Security Council. 
[Salzburger Nachrichten, p. 1] 
Independent daily "Salzburger Nachrichten" reports on the planned EU 
mission in Chad, where more than 300,000 refugees from Darfur have 
fled - one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes of the past few 
decades. The question of Austrian participation in the mission will 
be deliberated and the military will give its assessment at the 
beginning of October. The Ministry of Defense is considering mainly 
an Austrian participation in providing ambulance services and 
processing drinking water. For this, the Austrian troops would also 
be called on to provide the necessary means of transportation, such 
as Hercules aircrafts. According to "Salzburger Nachrichen, the 
Ministry has not confirmed this. In the meantime, the UN efforts for 
an international peace initiative are moving ahead slowly. So far, 
not enough countries have come forward and offered soldiers for the 
mission, which is to comprise 26,000 soldiers and police forces. 
 
Monks Challenge the Generals 
 
¶4. On Monday, more than 130,000 demonstrators protested against the 
military regime under General Than Shwe in the capital of Rangun. 
The protests were headed by 20,000 monks and the demonstration was 
the culmination of the biggest protest wave since the democratic 
movement was struck down in 1988. The patience of the junta seems to 
be exhausted, however:  The military leadership of the country fears 
for its existence and has now warned the monks that they cannot 
tolerate the protests much longer.  [Wiener Zeitung, p. 8; Oe1 radio 
morning news; other Austrian media] 
Having the Buddhist clergy spearhead the protests presents a big 
problem for the generals:  The monks are revered by the public and 
if the junta resorts to violence in an attempt to stop them from 
protesting, it risks arousing public wrath and thus provoking an 
escalation of the situation. That could result in an eruption of the 
aggression that was stored up in years of oppression and poverty. 
Observers are united in their assessment that the monks are the only 
ones hat could stand up to the military - since they are the only 
opposition movement to have a comprehensive structure and 
organization. What the junta will do to deal with the situation 
depends also largely on the Chinese. Beijing is the biggest ally of 
the Burmese potentates - it relies on the large oil and gas reserves 
of Burma for its booming economy. "Salzburger Nachrichten" reports 
that the US has adopted a strongly critical stance towards the 
Burmese junta and France and Germany have both called for reforms in 
the country. 
 
Heated Debate 
 
¶5. After the controversy caused by the invitation for Iran's 
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to speak before students at the 
Columbia University in New York, there was a heated debate when the 
Iranian head of state actually made his appearance. The President of 
Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, in his introductory speech, 
charged Ahmadinejad with exhibiting the characteristics of a 
"narrow-minded and cruel dictator." Bollinger explicitly challenged 
Ahmadinejad about his Holocaust denial, calling the Holocaust "the 
most documented event in history." The Iranian President did not 
directly respond to Bollinger's charges - he gave a long religious 
address and proceeded from there to sharply criticize the Bush 
administration.  [ORF online, other Austrian media] 
According to ORF online, Ahmadinejad listed in his speech all the 
sins of the current and former US administrations - his list of 
topics ranged from the bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to 
illegal wiretapping. With regard to Iran's nuclear program, the 
Iranian President stressed that it served exclusively the purpose of 
energy production. With regard to Israel, Ahmadinejad emphasized the 
fact that Iran did not acknowledge Israel, because its regime was 
founded on "occupation and racism." The Iranian President denied, 
however, that Iran was planning to attack the country. "Iran will 
not attack any country," he said.  While the Iranian President is 
apparently still planning a visit to Ground Zero, the New York 
authorities have banned him from doing so - a decision which US 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has welcomed. She called a 
 
SIPDIS 
possible visit of Ahmadinejad to the chief location of the 9/11 
attacks a "farce." 
McCaw