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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: March 03, 2008 
 
 
"Coalition Bad-Weather Front" 
 
¶1. ... headlines one Austrian daily newspaper, summing up the 
media's assessment of the current mood in the SPOe-OeVP government. 
There is new cause for conflict, adding to the two parties' recent 
disputes ranging from tax reform to the allegations of abuse of 
office in the OeVP-led Interior Ministry: At today's session of 
Parliament, the Social Democrats, with the support of the opposition 
parties, are expected to pass a motion in favor of creating an 
investigative committee to look into the accusations concerning the 
Interior Ministry. Thus, "an improvement of the coalition climate 
cannot be expected," and the rumors continue to float about early 
general elections later this year, the daily concludes. 
Like all Austrian media reporting on the investigative committee the 
SPOe is expected to launch in Parliament today with the support of 
the opposition parties, mass-circulation provincial daily Kleine 
Zeitung says the committee is to "shed light on the goings-on in the 
Interior Ministry. The matter to be looked into was heavily fought 
over until the last moment, the daily writes, listing the key 
issues, which include the question of "whether, ahead of the 2006 
general elections, the OeVP-run Interior Ministry deliberately 
launched investigations against the SPOe in connection with the 
Bawag affair." Also the committee is to clarify whether "there was 
any pressure on the investigators to play material against the SPOe 
into the hands of the OeVP parliamentary club, and whether the media 
were fed material against the Social Democrats;" and "whether the 
Ministry's Office for Internal Affairs was abused politically, 
including for surveillance of FPOe and BZOe politicians." Finally: 
"Whether, ahead of the 2006 elections, the Interior Ministry denied 
an investigation into potential police mistakes in the Kampusch 
abduction case, because it wanted to avoid a 'police scandal.'" 
In independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten, chief editor 
Manfred Perterer comments on the massive government troubles: "The 
grand colation has failed. There is nothing left to unite the two 
parties. (...) The separate press conferences (of the Chancellor and 
the Vice-Chancellor) are a sure sign of how deep the rift goes. 
(...) This state of paralysis has become insufferable. (...) It 
could well be this time the voters would reward the party that freed 
them from this government." 
 
 
Trial against Islamists 
 
¶2. The trial will start at a Vienna court today against a couple 
accused of having posted a threat video message against Austrian 
politicians on the internet last year. Egyptian-born defendant 
Mohamed M. is also suspected of "having been a member, since March 
2007 at least, of a terrorist organization, namely al-Qaeda, or of 
other internationally active radical-Islamist terrorist networks." 
His wife, Mona S., who is also on trial for allegedly having 
translated the threat messages, has caused a quite a stir with the 
fact that she insists on wearing a burqa in court, Austrian media 
report. 
Several Austrian media report on the trial against two Islamists, 
which begins at a Vienna provincial court today. The two defendants, 
Mohamed M., and his wife, Mona S., two second-generation migrants of 
a Middle Eastern background, face charges of membership of al Qaeda 
or other terrorist organizations, after having produced an Islamist 
internet threat video last year. In the video message posted on a 
website run by the couple, a group calling themselves the "Voice of 
the Caliphate" had issued threats against Germany and Austria, 
urging both countries to stop their involvement in Afghanistan. They 
are also charged with having plotted potential bomb attacks during 
the upcoming European soccer championship, which will be held in 
Austria in June. However, no weapons or explosives were found at the 
time of their arrest on last September. According to their defense 
counsel, both accused deny all charges. Mass-circulation tabloid 
Oesterreich runs the headline "High tension ahead of terrorism 
trial," and says if found guilty, the defendants could be sentenced 
to up to ten years in prison. "Terrorism has arrived in Austria," 
the tabloid comments, and points out that the trial has attracted 
the attention of media from all over the world. 
 
 
Alleged Bank Bawag Funding Of SPOe and OeGB 
 
¶3. The presiding judge at the trial for fraud at BAWAG bank in the 
1990s has announced the discovery of several boxes of documents 
allegedly incriminating the bank as the source of possibly illegal 
funding. The documents reportedly suggest that the bank provided 
funding of 72.7 million Euros to the SPOe, the Austrian Trade Union 
Federation (OeGB) and supermarket chain Konsum Austria from the 
1970s through 1988. Judge Claudia Bandion-Ortner said that the boxes 
had been found in the basement of former bank General Director 
Walter Floettl's residence and turned over to the public prosecutor. 
Walter Floettl is the father of defendant and investment banker 
Wolfgang Floettl. 
All major Austrian media report on the discovery of documents 
allegedly incriminating the formerly union-owned bank BAWAG as the 
source of possibly illegal funding to the SPOe and the OeGB. Judge 
Claudia Bandion-Ortner said that the boxes had been found in the 
basement of one of the bank's former director generals, but she 
warned against leaping to conclusions, noting that the boxes may 
have been a plant. "It cannot be excluded that someone put them in a 
place where we would be sure to find them," she said, according to 
semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung. Bandion-Ortner added that 
information about the boxes had come from former BAWAG director 
general Helmut Elsner's defense attorney Wolfgang Schubert, who had 
said he had been tipped off anonymously about them. In response to 
the news, SPOe party manager Josef Kalina stressed he did not 
believe BAWAG had ever helped finance his party: "As yet, there is 
no evidence that any financing took place," the Wiener Zeitung 
quotes Kalina. Centrist daily Die Presse in its weekend issue runs 
the front-page headline "Bawag: Basement files disrupt SPOe 
strategy," pointing out that the "find is a setback for the 
chancellor's party," as it "threatens to blot out the SPOe offensive 
against the OeVP-run Interior Ministry." 
 
 
"Chronicle of the Announced Victory" 
 
¶4. ... one Austrian daily headlines, reflecting the media's general 
view of the Russian presidential election's results yesterday. As 
expected, Putin protge Dmitri Medvedev has emerged as the winner, 
gaining about 70 percent of the votes. There have been "no 
surprises" in the poll, which was a "mere formality" for Medvedev's 
presidency, and the "outcome was clear from the very beginning," 
Austrian media comment. Other contestants had "no chance to begin 
with against Vladimir Putin's candidate of choice." Many critics and 
observers, however, have described the controversial vote as 
"undemocratic," and "marked by wide-spread irregularities." 
All Austrian media agree the election victory in Russia of Putin 
protge Dmitri Medvedev has come as "no surprise." Putin's "good 
boy has conquered the Kremlin," says mass-circulation provincial 
daily Kleine Zeitung, adding that for years, Medvedev was "his 
master's faithful servant. Yesterday's victory has made him Putin's 
boss - at least on paper." What the new Kremlin leader "stands for 
politically, remains one of Russia's big mysteries, even after the 
campaign and the election."  The "only thing we can be sure about 
is, Medvedev is Putin's creature, and he will certainly make his 
predecessor his Premier and co-regent," the Kleine Zeitung says. 
Mass-circulation tabloid Kronen Zeitung headlines "New Kremlin boss 
by the grace of Putin elected." Medvedev's "victory was a given from 
the moment Vladimir Putin nominated him his successor." The real 
question now is," how power will be distributed among the Russian 
leadership, and whether Medvedev remains Putin's puppet or 
eventually emerges from his mentor's shadow," the tabloid writes. 
According to mass-circulation daily Kurier, the presidential 
election was a "command victory without any trace of euphoria for 
Medvedev." The Kremlin "made sure with presents and with pressure 
that voter turnout would be sufficiently high. Putin's candidate of 
choice won according to plan." 
 
 
Israel Pulls Troops Out Of Gaza 
 
¶5. Israel has withdrawn troops from the Gaza Strip, but air strikes 
continued overnight, after days of fighting that drew concern 
worldwide. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has meanwhile 
formally suspended peace talks with Israel in protest of Jerusalem's 
actions in the last few days. More than one hundred Palestinians and 
three Israelis have been killed since the latest Israeli operation 
began last Wednesday. Israel insists it is defending itself against 
Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza. The latest Israeli offensive 
in the Gaza Strip was met with widespread international protests, 
and harsh criticism of both Israel and the Palestinians from United 
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. 
Reporting on recent events in the Gaza Strip, centrist daily Die 
Presse headlines: "Operation 'Hot Winter' in Gaza puts a stop to the 
quest for peace." Similarly, independent provincial daily Salzburger 
Nachrichten writes about "severe strikes against Hamas." The 
"violent pictures from the Gaza Strip have charged the atmosphere in 
the Arab world," against Israel, and the Mideast peace process, 
which was "cranked up once again only a few weeks ago, fell victim 
to Israel's operations in the Gaza Strip at the weekend. Meanwhile, 
ORF online news asks whether Israel's "surprise pullout of its 
troops from the Gaza Strip" might be "nothing more than a sign of 
temporary de-escalation." While "Hamas declared itself the winner" 
of the latest fighting, Israel has "made it very clear that it will 
continue to take tough action against the radical organization. 
What's more, the media are speculating that Israel only called back 
its troops because it did not want event to overshadow the upcoming 
visit of US Secretary of State," ORF online news states. 
Kilner