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TAGS: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 24, 2007 
 
SPOe, OeVP Disagree on Comprehensive Schools 
 
¶1. Austrian Education Minister Claudia Schmied of the Social 
Democrats (SPOe) has said she is "appalled" by People's Party (OeVP) 
efforts to block the introduction, in selected areas of Austria, of 
comprehensive-type schools. Speaking after talks with the People's 
Party education spokesperson Fritz Neugebauer, Mrs. Schmied accused 
him of a "total lack of constructive dialogue" on the issue. Further 
talks are to be held today with Science Minister Johannes Hahn, also 
from the People's Party. 
Reporting on the dispute between the Social Democrats and the 
People's Party over the introduction of comprehensive schools in 
Austria, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung points out that 
comprehensive school systems exist in many of the major 
industrialized nations. These systems have been implemented in 
response to the criticism of an early and irreversible selection 
process, which makes for an elitist versus a mass educational 
system. Political tensions about this issue in Austria go back many 
years. The SPOe insists that comprehensive schools would make the 
school system fairer because the selection process would be delayed 
until age 14. The OeVP, however, has continuously argued against any 
changes in the traditional, selective school system. 
 
 
Gusenbauer against Blue Card 
 
¶2. The EU Commission wants to see the introduction of so-called 
"blue cards," similar to the US green card, to bring skilled workers 
into Europe. Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini presented the plan 
on Tuesday. However, Austria and Germany have objected to parts of 
the plan, which would allow blue card holders to move jobs between 
EU countries. Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer has said that 
residence and work permits must remain clearly within the competence 
of the national governments. 
Presenting its plans for a Blue Card for skilled immigrants based on 
the US Green Card, the EU says it needs 20 million skilled 
immigrants over the next 20 years, and is very short of expertise in 
engineering and computer technology. To be eligible for the card, 
new immigrants would need to show a recognized diploma, have at 
least three years of professional experience, and the offer of a job 
which could not be filled by and EU citizen, semi-official daily 
Wiener Zeitung reports. The plan will need the approval of all 
member states to become effective. Austria and Germany have already 
objected to parts of the plan, demanding that the authority to issue 
residence and work permits must remain with the member states' 
national governments. Liberal daily Der Standard quotes Chancellor 
Alfred Gusenbauer as emphasizing that "we don't need this type of 
Blue card. I don't want our labor market policies being undermined 
by EU regulations." 
 
 
"Constructive Talks" Between EU and Iran 
 
¶3. Iranian negotiators and the EU are hoping for more talks on 
Iran's nuclear program in the coming weeks, after what was described 
as a "constructive meeting" between EU foreign policy chief Javier 
Solana and Iran's new nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in Rome 
yesterday. While Jalili described the meeting as "clear and 
transparent," Solana suggested the next round of talks should be 
held before the end of November. 
Liberal daily Der Standard, writing about the latest talks on the 
Iranian nuclear program, suggests that Larijani's successor Saeed 
Jalili is a "new negotiator representing all the old positions." 
Speaking to Iranian media, Jalili stressed that Iran's "nuclear 
policy will remain the same," even under a different Iranian 
President. Meanwhile, in Vienna, the President of the Jewish world 
Congress, former US ambassador to Austria Ronald S. Lauder, urged 
the Austrian government to support tougher sanctions against Iran. 
In an analysis of the situation, foreign affairs writer Andrs 
Szigetvari says "it is not clear at this point whether there will be 
war (with Iran). Marital rhetoric, however, has already become part 
of the discourse; and threats are becoming increasingly severe in 
the row over Iran's atomic program." 
 
 
Platter on Counter-Terrorism Cooperation 
 
¶4. Austrian Interior Minister Guenther Platter from the People's 
Party, who is currently on an official visit to the United States, 
has said Austria and the US need to cooperate more closely in areas 
including counter-terrorism, the fight against organized crime and 
human trafficking. Platter will be meeting for talks on these issues 
with representatives from the Bush administration today and 
tomorrow. 
Pushing for closer cooperation between Austria and the United States 
on issues including counter-terrorism, Austrian Interior Minister 
Guenther Platter from the People's Party, currently on an official 
visit in the US, will be meeting with US Homeland Security Secretary 
Michael Chertoff in Washington today. The two ministers are to sign 
an "memorandum of understanding" regarding internal security for 
Austria and the US, Platter told Austrian Press Agency APA ahead of 
his departure for Washington. The memorandum essentially aims at 
intensifying the employment of air marshals on international 
flights. Platter underscored that he "is looking forward to the 
talks during the next two days. I am determined and confident that 
we will successfully address the issue of cooperation, which is such 
a vital matter," the Austrian Interior Minister said. He is also 
scheduled to meet with Acting Attorney General Peter D. Keisler. 
 
 
Al Gore in Vienna 
 
¶5. Al Gore, former US Vice-President and this year's winner of the 
Nobel Prize for Peace, is in Vienna today. He has been invited by 
Mobilcom Austria to speak to 800 guests about climate protection 
measures in mobile communication. Austrian media say gore's message 
is: The world cannot afford to surrender in the face of the 
overwhelming task of fighting climate change. 
Centrist daily Die Presse publishes a portrait of former US 
Vice-President Al Gore, who will be holding a lecture in Vienna 
today. The daily's Washington correspondent, Norbert Rief, writes 
Gore, the winner of this year's Nobel Prize for Peace, is a "loser 
turned demigod." According to Rief, losing the US presidential 
elections seven years ago was the "best thing that could have 
happened to him." AS US President, "Gore would hardly have become as 
popular, esteemed and internationally respected as he is now. And a 
Nobel Prize or an Oscar would have been as unattainable for him as, 
say, the Nobel Prize for Literature for George Bush." 
 
 
Baghdad Promises Assistance against PKK 
 
¶6. Iraq has promised to assist Ankara by closing the offices of 
Kurdish rebels and working towards preventing them from launching 
attacks on Turkey. Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki emphasized 
he would not allow the rebel group to operate on Iraqi territory. 
The PKK has been blamed for a number of recent deadly raids inside 
Turkey. 
Reporting on the current tensions between Turkey and Kurdish PKK 
rebels in northern Iraq, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung has 
pointed out that that the Turkish government imposed a news embargo 
on the fighting between PKK rebels and the Turkish military in 
northern Iraq. Faced with massive, nationwide anti-Kurdish protests 
and solidarity rallies for the Turkish soldiers Ankara, it seems, is 
concerned about the possibility of a popular uprising over the 
issue, the daily suggests. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government and the 
White House are striving to discourage Ankara from launching a 
military operation against the Kurds in Iraq, centrist daily Die 
Presse says. However, US President George Bush's phone calls to 
Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki and Turkish President Abdullah Gul, as 
well as Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan's trip to Baghdad have 
failed to provide the government in Ankara with an effective tool to 
calm down the increasingly enraged Turkish masses, the Presse 
argues. 
McCaw