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P 291413Z MAY 08
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TAGS: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: May 29, 2008 
 
PARLIAMENT PUTS BRAKES ON HEALTHCARE REFORM 
 
¶1. The coalition government's controversial healthcare reform is 
encountering resistance not only from doctors and the Austrian 
Medical Association, but also from Parliament. The three 
parliamentary presidents have dismissed the SPOe-OeVP cabinet's wish 
to have the reform law passed before Parliament's summer recess, 
saying they "won't be rushed" on such an important issue. The 
parliamentary presidents underscored they would debate the draft law 
"as long as necessary," possibly until the fall. While the three 
parliamentary presidents have emphasized that MPs will discuss and 
assess the draft law on healthcare reform "as long as necessary," 
thus smashing the coalition's hopes for a quick adoption of the law, 
Healthcare Minister Andrea Kdolsky (OeVP) says she's confident the 
dispute with doctors over the  planned reform package can be 
resolved. Speaking after a meeting with doctor's representatives 
Kdolsky said she understood the harsh rhetoric used by doctors 
during the debate and expected a solution after the weekend. 
Meanwhile, liberal daily Der Standard quotes Austrian President 
Heinz Fischer as calling on doctors to "do without the premature 
saber rattling" in the debate of the proposed measures. Fischer 
suggested it would have been better to wait for the outcome of 
negotiations before threatening strike actions. The problem, 
according to the President, is "complex, but not unsolvable." 
 
 
DAIRY STRIKES IMMINENT 
 
¶2. Strikes are imminent as Austria's dairy farmers look to follow 
their German counterparts in disputes over falling dairy prices, 
with IG Milch, the association of Austria's dairy farmers, urging 
farmers to stop deliveries. Ewald Gruenzweil, the IG Milch 
chairperson explained: "We are appealing for all dairy farmers to 
halt their shipments completely beginning on Thursday." Gruenzweil 
is optimistic that large numbers of Austrian farmers will take part 
in the strike. Even though milk prices have not fallen as fast in 
Austria as they have in Germany, dairy farmers are expecting the low 
prices in their larger neighbor to further depress their income. In 
the face of IG Milch's call on farmers to stop delivering milk to 
factories and retailers as a protest against low prices, the 
Austrian agriculture promotion agency, Agrarmarkt Austria, says 
consumers will not initially be affected as retailers have about one 
week's supply. In contrast, liberal daily Der Standard runs the 
front-page headline "Dairy farmers call delivery strike: Daily 
industry warns of potential shortages" within four days time. 
Meanwhile, major retailers, including Spar, Billa and Merkur have 
indicated they are willing to negotiate with IG Milch on the issue. 
Commenting on these developments, the Standard questions whether 
strikes are "the right way for farmers to raise awareness of their 
rapidly dwindling profits? Consumers who have been forced to dig 
deep in their pockets in recent months to pay for basic food 
products, will hardly welcome the farmers' actions." 
 
 
MOLTERER PROMISES RELIEF FOR COMMUTERS 
 
¶3. Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer of the People's Party (OeVP) 
has promised sizeable relief to commuters hard hit by rising motor 
fuel prices. He was responding to calls from his coalition partner, 
the Social Democrats (SPOe), and provincial governors. Details were 
announced after Wednesday's regular weekly cabinet meeting. 
Commuting drivers are being offered tax credits and the private 
vehicle allowance will also be raised by 12 percent. The changes, 
which will cost the state 60 million Euros, will go into effect on 
July 1. Reflecting the majority view, mass-circulation tabloid 
Kronen Zeitung headlines "Government's relief measures for commuters 
are inadequate by far." The increase of mileage allowances from 38 
to 42 Eurocents as of July and the raise of commuter allowances by 
15 percent is "too little and too late," according to Austria's 
automobile associations, the Chamber of Labor and the opposition 
parties. Similarly, the head of Austria's Institute for higher 
Studies HIS, Bernhard Felderer, told semi-offcial daily Wiener 
Zeitung that the commuter relief measures are "the wrong kind of 
incentive." Insead, the government should focus on reducing theincome tax burden, as planned for the 2010 tax refrm round. Such 
steps ould yield far more promisng results, Felderer suggested, 
and warned that te "more we spend now on other incentives and 
meaures, the less money we will have at our disposal or such key 
challenges as tax cuts later." 
 
 
ASTRIA TO LEAD KOSOVO PEACEKEEPERS 
¶4. Austria is taking command of a brigade of the multinational 
peacekeeping force in Kosovo. It will be the first non-NATO country 
to command the Multi-National South Brigade, which is made up of 
nearly four thousand soldiers from seven different countries. 
Austrian Defense Minister Norbert Darabos (SPOe) pointed out that 
Austria has played a key role in Kosovo, and added the appointment 
"clearly shows the level of trust [in Austria] that the leadership 
of KFOR is being handled by the Austrian contingent." Austria has 
taken part in the mission since 1999 with around 12,000 Austrian 
soldiers taking part, and 700 Austrians are currently deployed 
there. Austria is taking command of a brigade of the multinational 
peace-keeping force in Kosovo, made up of nearly 4,000 soldiers from 
Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Macedonia, Switzerland and 
Turkey. A total of 16,000 international peace-keepers are based in 
Kosovo which declared independence from Serbia earlier this year. 
Centrist daily Die Presse publishes a report of Austria's 
peacekeeping efforts worldwide, entitled: "From Africa's deserts to 
the mountains of Kosovo." The daily's foreign affairs writer Wieland 
Schneider analyzes the international peacekeeping missions the about 
1,400 Austrian soldiers are currently engaged in. They include 
efforts as part of the EU's peacekeeping forces in Chad and in 
Bosnia, participation in NATO's EUFOR mission in Kosovo and under UN 
auspices on the Golan. While the emphasis of Austria's military is 
on peacekeeping missions on the Balkans, the military leadership is 
also aware of the necessity to be committed to stabilizing in 
Africa, which are "important for security in the EU and in Austria. 
The overall motto here is: Go respond to and solve emerging crises, 
before they have reached your own doorstep." Thus, the Austrian army 
needs to be capable of participating in the entire spectrum of 
international missions - from "peace enforcement" as envisaged in 
the UN charter, to humanitarian and disaster relief projects. 
 
 
BAN ON CLUSTER BOMBS AGREED 
 
¶5. More than one hundred nations have reached agreement on a treaty 
banning the use and stockpiling of cluster bombs. The announcement 
was made in Dublin last night, after ten days of negotiations. 
Cluster munitions with their multiple and deadly "bomblets" can 
cause death and injury among civilians long after the end of 
conflicts. A number of major countries, including the United States, 
Russia and China, oppose the ban, but experts are convinced the 
treaty will affect them nonetheless. Austria took a leading role in 
the campaign, and was one of the first countries to adopt 
legislation banning the weapons. More than 100 nations have reached 
an agreement on a treaty banning the production, acquisition, 
transport, stockpiling and use of cluster bombs. At the same time, 
participants agreed on provide financial assistance to cluster bomb 
victims. ORF radio in its early morning news Morgenjournal quotes an 
Austrian delegate to the talks, Markus Reiterer, who said the 
agreement was a "great success" for Austrian diplomacy. Austria has 
taken a leading role in the campaign to ban cluster bombs and was 
one of the first countries to adopt legislation banning the weapons. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IRAQ CONFERENCE STARTS IN SWEDEN 
 
¶6. A United Nation conference on Iraq is beginning in Sweden today. 
The forum will review progress on security, the economy and 
political reform. Ahead of the meeting, Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri 
Al-Maliki underscored that Iraq wanted embassies to reopen and 
countries to cancel debts to Iraq. An Iraqi government spokesperson 
is quoted by ORF radio as stressing that his country is now 
"enjoying a good achievement and development. We have to invest in 
this development... and need to do more to get reconciliation 
accepted and promoted" all over Iraq, says ORF radio early morning 
news Morgenjournal. 
Kilner