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TAGS: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: April 16, 2008 
 
 
Platter To Testify Before Investigative Committee 
 
¶1. The parliamentary committee, which investigates charges of 
corruption against the Ministry of the Interior, has now issued a 
summons against Minister G|nther Platter to account for holding back 
files and documents that are needed to assess the charges. The 
minister had done so with reference to data protection - a view 
which is not shared by the head of the committee Peter Fichtenbauer. 
The case has led to a controversy among experts Theo Vhlinger, 
expert for constitutional law, backs Fichtenbauer's claim that the 
documents be released. Former President of the Court of Audit Franz 
Fiedler contradicts this opinion.  [Der Standard, p. 1 and 7; other 
Austrian media] 
 
Greens Demand Manager Tax 
 
¶2. The Austrian Greens are currently working on their tax reform 
proposal and party boss Alexander Van der Bellen has now suggested 
that top earners - people with incomes above 126,000 euros per year 
- should pay the full tax rate for their 13th and 14th salary. 
According to Van der Bellen, the average employee does not make that 
much money - therefore, the Greens' proposal would affect mainly top 
managers. He calculates that this measure alone would bring in 600 
million for the budget. The Greens' party boss also calls for 
raising the amount for the highest tax rate from 51,000 to 71,000 
euros. Also, Van der Bellen demands a new inheritance tax with a 
tax-free amount of 200,000 euros and a tax on valuable goods in 
addition to the new capital gains tax already in planning. [Kurier, 
p. 2] 
 
Chad Mission Disguised As Development Aid? 
 
¶3. The Austrian Foreign Ministry has come under massive criticism 
since it transpired that it is planning to write off most of the 
costs for the Chad mission as development aid. Greens and the Red 
Cross have already issued vehement protests - the latter's Secretary 
General Wolfgang Kopetzky calls this procedure "unacceptable" and 
stresses his view that a military mission, even if it is intended to 
provide protection for refugees and assistance organizations, must 
never be conducted at the cost of the long-term fight against 
poverty. [ORF online, Salzburger Nachrichten, p. 4] 
Similarly, the Greens criticize the approach of the Austrian 
government to the issue. ORF online quotes the Greens' foreign 
policy spokeswoman Ulrike Lunacek as saying that "military missions, 
even if they serve humanitarian goals, cannot be the future of 
Austrian development aid." She is planning to raise the issue in the 
Federal Assembly. Criticism also came from the aid organization 
"Care" and the UNHCR. The latter organization's spokesman Roland 
Schnbauer points out that the military component of the Chad 
mission is too dominant with "too little actual development work 
being done." The Foreign Ministry has rejected the criticism and 
expressed its view that the humanitarian motivation behind the Chad 
mission justifies its being declared development aid. The government 
parties SPOe and OeVP are principally agreed in their approval of 
the Ministry's declaration of the Chad mission as development aid, 
writes ORF online. They regard the procedure as common 
"international practice." However, Petra Bayr from the SPOe also 
stressed the fact that Austria still has a lot to do in terms of 
development cooperation. In a commentary in independent daily "Der 
Standard," Andras Szigetvari expresses his view that the current 
debate fails to address the core of the problem, which, in his view, 
is the quality of the aid provided by Austria. Too little is 
invested in the long-term fight against poverty and too much money 
goes into too many micro-projects in too many countries, he writes. 
 
Hostage Drama Continued 
 
¶4. According to mass circulation tabloid "Vsterreich," Arab 
television network al-Jazheera, which has become notorious for 
broadcasting the messages of terror boss Usama bin Laden, has now 
offered to mediate in the hostage drama involving the Salzburg 
couple Andrea Kloiber and Wolfgang Ebner. "Vsterreich" reports that 
the TV station's German correspondent Aktham Suliman has come to 
Austria and conducted interviews with the father of the convicted 
Mohamed M., who is currently serving a prison sentence in Vienna and 
whose release the kidnappers have demanded, and the son of Wolfgang 
Ebner. Sami M., the father of Mohamed M., has used his TV appearance 
for issuing an appeal to the kidnappers to release the hostages, 
claiming that his son and daughter-in-law do not want to be 
exchanged and that "kidnapping is not Islamic." [Vsterreich, p. 10] 
 
Middle East Agreement Possible 
¶5. Former Israeli Minister of Justice Yossi Beilin, one of the chief 
peace negotiators of the Oslo peace agreement and co-negotiator of 
the Geneva initiative, the basis for a peace agreement, gave 
interviews in two major Austrian dailies in which he stressed his 
conviction that a peace agreement is possible "if all parties want 
it." He also referred to the necessity to talk with the Hamas since 
peace is not possible without them. However, he also pointed out 
that Hamas does not want to negotiate with Israel and that 
therefore, negotiations that include Hamas could only take place via 
a third party.  [Kurier, p. 6, Die Presse, p. 6] 
In his assessment of the current situation in the Middle East in 
centrist daily "Die Presse," Yossi Beilin draws up a list of 
negative components, including the fact that Hamas is strong while 
Palestinian President Abbas is weak, Bush is nearing the end of his 
term and Israel's Prime Minister Olmert has very low approval 
ratings. However, he also points out that the Israeli and the 
Palestinian leaderships have a basically good understanding and are 
making progress. Beilin recommends that the American send a special 
envoy that will then remain in the region for the next eight months. 
"It is not enough for the Secretary of State to stop by every now 
and then. What would be necessary is a conclave that negotiates 
until there is white smoke to be seen." According to Beilin, US 
President Bush is actually anti-Israel in that his policies are 
proving a disservice to the country:  "With your friends, you have 
to call their attention to their mistakes, too." The former peace 
negotiator claims that it is "crazy to expand settlements while a 
peace process is under way." After being admitted to the elections 
in 2006, the Hamas has become a political actor which cannot be 
ignored, says Beilin and calls for a third party - in his view, this 
should be Egypt - to mediate between Israel and the Hamas. Beilin 
identifies territory, Jerusalem and refugees as the three core 
problems in the Middle East where a compromise has to be reached. 
In an interview with mass circulation daily "Kurier" Yossi Beilin 
stresses his conviction that "there is a window of opportunity now" 
for peace in the Middle East, stating expressly that "we cannot wait 
for the new US administration." He argues that Palestinian President 
Mahmoud Abbas will leave office next January and there is no knowing 
who will replace him. "Perhaps he is weak, but he believes in 
peace," Beilin points out. Touching upon the issue of the Iranian 
nuclear program, the peace negotiator recommends a continuation of 
the sanctions already in place, claiming that "Tehran is impressed 
by the sanctions, even if it denies that. Sanctions are the best 
way." An Iranian nuclear bomb would not just hurt Israel, warns 
Beilin, but "extremists all over the region would celebrate it." 
 
Carter Not Admitted To Gaza 
 
¶6. Former US President Jimmy Carter, who has embarked on a Middle 
East trip in the course of which he will also meet with some 
political leaders of Hamas, was denied entry to the Gaza Strip. He 
had already met with a local Hamas leader in Ramallah on Tuesday. 
His reception in Israel on Sunday had already been frosty - the 
White House also criticized Carter's planned meetings with 
representatives of Hamas as "not very helpful" in the attempt to 
isolate Hamas.  [ORF online; other Austrian media] 
 
Putin Secures His Power Base 
¶7. Russia's President Vladimir Putin has paved the way for his 
transfer to the office of Prime Minister. He has accepted the offer 
of the Kremlin party "Unified Russia" to take over its chairmanship 
with "extended responsibilities" - a move which will give Putin a 
broad power base at the expense of his successor. The future 
President Medvedev is not in a position to make any decisions 
without Putin's consent. [Der Standard, p. 5] 
Kilner