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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: February 05, 2008 
 
Opposition Blasts Government over Chad Mission 
 
¶1. The opposition parties are having a field day with the coalition 
government over its decision to participate in the EU's EUFOR 
peacekeeping mission in African Chad and its dispatch of an advance 
team of 15 soldiers to the country last week, just before a rebel 
attack on the capital N'Djamena over the weekend. Greens' security 
spokesperson Peter Pilz has blamed OeVP Foreign Minister Ursula 
Plassnik for promoting Austrian participation in the mission and has 
called for Austria's immediate withdrawal from it. He also harshly 
attacked Defense Minister Norbert Darabos (SPOe), claiming that 
"chaos" prevailed in his Ministry and that Austrian soldiers would 
play the role of a "football" between French troops stationed in 
Chad and the rebels. 
Like all Austrian media, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung reports 
that the opposition parties have massively attacked the coalition 
government over its decision to participate in the EU's peacekeeping 
mission in Chad and its dispatch of an advance team of 15 soldiers 
there last week, which came just before a rebel attack on capital 
N'Djamena over the weekend. Similar to Greens' security spokesperson 
Peter Pilz, who harshly criticized both the Foreign and Defense 
Ministers, FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache has stressed that 
developments over the weekend in Chad fully justified his party's 
rejection of Austrian participation in the mission. He called for 
both "war ministers" Plassnik and Darabos' resignations. Strache 
described Darabos' refusal to order the Austrian troops' immediate 
return home an instance of "depressing stubbornness." Meanwhile, 
BZOe chief Peter Westenthaler said that there was no reason for 
Austrian troops "to spend another hour in Chad. The peacekeeping 
mission has already failed," and also suggested that France was no 
longer neutral in the fighting in Chad. 
 
 
Support for Chancellor on the Decline 
 
¶2. Recent opinion poll results show that SPOe Chancellor Alfred 
Gusenbauer is gradually losing voters' support, as a leading 
Austrian daily has pointed out. In the latest Gallup poll, 39 
percent of Austrians said that they would vote for OeVP 
Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer, and only 30 
percent would cast their ballots for Gusenbauer, if there were 
direct election of the chancellor. In addition, only 32 percent 
describe Gusenbauer as "likeable," with fewer than 25 percent of 
women, young people and public-opinion leaders calling him that, 
says semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung. 
 
 
EU's Administration Mission to Kosovo 
 
¶3. The European Union has given the green light to sending a police 
and civil administration mission to the Serbian province Kosovo. No 
date has yet been set for deployment, and the EU's Council of 
Ministers has yet to vote in favor of the move. If passed, the plan 
envisages sending 1,400 police and 400 EU officials to the province, 
making it the biggest civilian mission in European Union history. 
Kosovo is expected to declare independence from Belgrade in the next 
few weeks, according to a report on ORF radio early morning news 
Morgenjournal. 
 
 
Austrian Soldiers Remain in Chad 
 
¶4. All Austrian media continue to report on the situation in Chad, 
where the advance team for the EU's EUFOR peacekeeping mission of 15 
Austrian soldiers was transferred from a hotel in the capital 
N'Djamena to a military camp near the airport yesterday. Despite 
massive criticism of the contingent's deployment and calls from the 
Austrian opposition parties to withdraw the Austrians from the 
crisis region, the Defense Ministry says the soldiers will remain in 
Chad for the time being. Speaking on Austrian television yesterday, 
General Christian Segur-Cabanac from the Defense Ministry emphasized 
that the advance team was safe for the time being. The contingent 
would stay in Chad "as long as there is no massive threat to their 
security," Segur-Cabanac stressed. Meanwhile, the United Nations 
Security Council called on member states to back Chad's government, 
following days of clashes with rebels in the capital N'Djamena. 
Thousands of people continue to flee the country, and rebels say 
they will be launching a fresh assault on the capital. 
All Austrian media give extensive coverage to the recent 
developments in Chad. Independent provincial daily Salzburger 
Nachrichten on its front page reports on a "mass exodus from Chad," 
adding that Austria "is continuing its mission" nonetheless. In an 
interview with the daily, Austrian military expert Gerald Karner 
dismissed the opposition parties' calls for an immediate pullout of 
the advance team: "All by itself, Austria does not have the means 
and resources to fly down to the combat zone and evacuating the 
soldiers."  Furthermore, Defense Minister Norbert Darabos' 
announcement that he would withdraw the Austrian soldiers even 
without green light from the EU if the situation became critical, 
"would be a demonstration of lacking solidarity within the EU, 
politically."  Nonetheless, Karner criticized the EUFOR mission as 
"clearly showing the EU's weakness. It took them months to get the 
troops and the equipment ready for deployment. Obviously the rebels 
have used that time and have tried to create new conditions." 
Meanwhile, in liberal daily Der Standard, Africa expert Antoine 
Glaser suggests that an Austrian pullout from Chad would jeopardize 
France's efforts in the country. Such a move "would be a serious 
blow for Paris. Eric Chevallier, advisor to French Foreign Minister 
Bernard Kouchner, has been committed for months to putting the EUFOR 
force together, and he had a really tough time of convincing Poland, 
Austria and Ireland of deploying small contingents. (...) All his 
efforts would be in vain," if Austria withdrew from Chad. 
 
 
US Voters Set for Super Tuesday 
 
¶5. All Austrian media give prominent coverage to Super Tuesday, 
where US voters will be holding primaries and caucuses in 24 states 
for the presidential nomination process. Austrian radio, explaining 
the selection process for the US presidential election, says the 
"world's eyes are turned to the US," and points out that the 
November election "is of key importance not only for America, but 
for the entire world." The main candidates for the Democratic and 
Republican parties completed marathon campaigns ahead of Super 
Tuesday. However, in the Democratic Party, the contest between 
Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is very close, which is 
why Austrian radio suggests it may yet be a while for a Democratic 
frontrunner to emerge. For the Republicans, on the other hand, Super 
Tuesday is likely to decide the nomination process in favor of 
Senator John McCain against his main challenger Mitt Romney. 
On ORF radio early morning news Morgenjournal, commentator Joerg 
Winter points to the leading candidates' incessant campaigning in 
the run up to Super Tuesday. Despite Hillary Clinton's huge campaign 
efforts, Winter says, recent polls saw her rival Barack Obama 
"constantly gaining ground. In California, (...) Obama has 
apparently overtaken Clinton shortly before Super Tuesday. In New 
York and Missouri, too, Obama is on Clinton's heels. Polls can be 
wrong, but still everything seems to indicate that neither of the 
Democratic presidential hopefuls will be able to secure a landslide 
victory today. The race for the Democratic presidential nomination 
is likely to continue after Super Tuesday. On the Republican side, 
however, today could bring about a decision: Senator John McCain is 
considered the clear frontrunner - he is way ahead in most states. 
But his competitors are not yet ready to admit defeat." 
In centrist daily Die Presse, Washington correspondent Norbert Rief 
publishes portraits of the two parties' leading candidates. For the 
Democrats, the race is one of "heart versus brain," with Clinton 
banking on experience, and Obama on his charisma. But whoever wins 
the race is "certain to go down in history: Since its foundation in 
1776, the United States has had neither a female, nor an African 
American presidential candidate," Rief points out. Among the 
Republicans, the correspondent writes, "the eternal loser may emerge 
as the winner." John McCain is seen as the definite frontrunner on 
Super Tuesday, while his main rival Mitt Romney has been losing 
votes to Mike Huckabee. Senator McCain "has come a long way since 
last summer, when people had thought they could already write off 
his candidacy because he lacked sufficient campaign funds." 
Independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten publishes an 
analysis of the US election process, and writes that the Republicans 
and the Democrats are faced with completely contrary choices: One 
party will have to agree on the lesser evil, while the other is 
spoilt for choice. The daily suggests that for the Democrats, the 
selection of a presidential candidate is a "fundamental decision," 
and will determine whether it is "back to the golden age or a 
changing of the guards." The Republicans, meanwhile, will likely 
choose John McCain, as the "least of all evils," and as "the only 
potential candidate who stands a chance of defending the White 
House" for the Grand Old Party. 
Kilner