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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 23, 2007 
 
Female Migrants Face Double Disadvantage 
 
¶1. A report issued on Monday by Doris Bures, Austria's Minister for 
Women's Issues (SPOe), shows that female migrants in Austria face a 
double disadvantage in the labor market. The report says women more 
often have jobs with lower incomes and recognition than those held 
by men. The study also reveals that female immigrants are more 
likely to be affected by poverty and unemployment and generally have 
less education. 
Quoting from a report issued by Minister for Women's Issues Doris 
Bures on female migrants in Austria, semi-official daily Wiener 
Zeitung points out that the women's disadvantages in the labor 
market is also linked their often rather poor education, among other 
factors. More than half of female migrants only have compulsory 
education and are facing difficulties having their qualifications 
recognized. Meanwhile, the head of Austria's Economic Research 
Institute Wifo, Karl Aiginger, has criticized the way the 
integration of foreigners is handled. He has called for a speedy 
reform of the integration system, urging that more money be made 
available to integrate foreigners.  According to Aiginger, the 
social partners were trying to push ahead on the issue, but the 
Finance Minister was "stepping on the brakes." The Wifo boss also 
warned that Austria needs to integrate more highly qualified and 
well educated foreigners soon, especially in the high tech field. 
Also, foreign-born children must be encouraged at all levels of 
schooling to learn German, the Wiener Zeitung quotes Aiginger. 
 
 
Buxbaum: Police to Be Investigated 
 
¶2. The head of public security in Austria, Erik Buxbaum, has vowed 
to "clean up the mess" in the Vienna police department. He was 
speaking on Austrian television about revelations made recently in 
the trial of the commander of the Vienna police, which resulted in 
convictions on counts of abuse of office and leaking confidential 
information. Last week, the commander of the Vienna police, Roland 
Horngacher, was convicted of abuse of office and disclosing police 
information. He was given a suspended 15 month sentence, but said he 
would appeal the verdict. 
Reporting on the recent scandal within the Vienna police and the 
ensuing convictions on counts of abuse of office and leaking 
confidential information, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung says 
 
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that Roland Horngacher, the commander of the Vienna police, has been 
found guilty of abuse of office and disclosing police information. 
Horngacher was given a suspended 15 month sentence and said he would 
appeal the verdict. However, on Monday Vienna's Public Prosecutor 
said he would be seeking an even tougher sentence. The trial also 
cast a shadow on a private organization calling itself "Friends of 
the Vienna police." An investigation is already underway into 
donations made to the group, to determine who made the donations and 
why. 
 
 
Solana to Meet New Iranian Nuclear Negotiator 
 
¶3. Iran's new top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, is to meet 
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Rome today. It 
is the first meeting since Jalili took over the position from Ali 
Larijani. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed Jalili in 
a surprise move last weekend, and Western diplomats are now 
concerned about a potential hardening in Tehran's position in 
negotiations over its nuclear program. 
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung believes that the appointment of 
Saeed Jalili as Tehran's new top nuclear negotiator means nothing 
more than "a new face, but the same old positions." Larijani's 
resignation caused deep concern, both in Iran and internationally, 
and was met withregret from moderate Iranian circles, the daily 
ontinues. Commentator for the daily Arian Faal suggest that 
Larijani's departure only serves to stregthen the circle of 
hardliners around President hmadinejad. It also clearly shows the 
growing rit between Iran's pragmatic conservatives and thehard-line faction. The commentator believes that it was Larijani's 
open protest against Ahmadinejad's repeated interference in the 
nuclear talks with the West that made his resignation unavoidable. 
Jalili can be expected to follow the confrontational course set by 
his boss Ahmadinejad, Faal argues. 
 
 
Kosovo Talks Resume in Vienna 
 
¶4. A new round of talks on the future of Kosovo began at the 
Austrian Foreign Ministry. Representatives of the "Troika" - the US, 
Russia and the EU - resumed their negotiations on finding a solution 
for rival Serbs and ethnic Albanians, according to semi-official 
daily Wiener Zeitung. 
 
 
PKK Attacks on Turkey: US Is Negotiating 
 
¶5. Intense diplomatic efforts are under way to try to head off a 
major Turkish operation against fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' 
Party, the PKK, in northern Iraq. In response to US efforts to that 
effect, Turkey has agreed not to launch military intervention in 
northern Iraq for the time being. In addition, Turkish Foreign 
Minister Ali Babacan is traveling to Baghdad today for talks with 
senior Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.  The 
PKK has meanwhile issued a statement saying it is ready for 
dialogue. 
Although the government in Ankara has decided not to launch military 
intervention in northern Iraq for the time being, semi-official 
daily Wiener Zeitung reports that Turkey is nonetheless clearly 
"showing its teeth." Similarly, mass-circulation tabloid Kronen 
Zeitung believes that a "Turkish military incursion into Iraq is 
becoming increasingly likely," following the clashes between Turkish 
soldiers and PKK rebels. Liberal daily Der Standard point out that 
while Turkey has postponed its invasion into northern Iraq at the 
urging of the United States, the PKK on Monday announced the 
conditions under which it might be prepared to call a cease-fire. 
These include Turkey stopping its attacks on Kurdish positions, 
giving up its invasion plans, and committing itself to peace, the 
Standard quotes. According to mass-circulation daily Kurier, public 
pressure is increasing "massively" on Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip 
Erdogan to respond to the PKK attacks by launching a military 
operation in northern Iraq. The Turkish Ambassador in Vienna, Selim 
Yenel, told the daily that public opinion in Turkey on the issue is 
clear: "The government (in Ankara) must act." 
 
 
New Bin Laden Message 
 
¶6. A new audio recording, apparently by al Qaeda leader Osama bin 
Laden, is urging insurgent groups in Iraq to unify their ranks 
"under the banner of Islam." The recording, aired by Arab news 
network al Jazeera, was released as some Sunni groups shifted their 
support to the Iraqi government and against al Qaeda. Austrian media 
quote an al Jazeera analyst as suggesting the message is likely an 
attempt by bin Laden to regain control over Sunni insurgents in 
Iraq, says ORF online news. 
 
 
US President Wants More Money for Iraq, Afghanistan Wars 
 
¶7. US President George Bush has asked Congress for an extra 46 
billion US Dollars to pay for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a 
joint US-Mexican program against the cross-border drug trade. The 
President has requested a total of nearly 200 billion US Dollars in 
war funds for the next budget year ORF radio early morning news 
Morgenjournal reports. 
McCaw