Cablegate: Austrian Media Highlights: October 23, 2007

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SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: October 23, 2007

Female Migrants Face Double Disadvantage

1. A report issued on Monday by Doris Bures, Austria's Minister for
Women's Issues (SPOe), shows that female migrants in Austria face a
double disadvantage in the labor market. The report says women more
often have jobs with lower incomes and recognition than those held
by men. The study also reveals that female immigrants are more
likely to be affected by poverty and unemployment and generally have
less education.
Quoting from a report issued by Minister for Women's Issues Doris
Bures on female migrants in Austria, semi-official daily Wiener
Zeitung points out that the women's disadvantages in the labor
market is also linked their often rather poor education, among other
factors. More than half of female migrants only have compulsory
education and are facing difficulties having their qualifications
recognized. Meanwhile, the head of Austria's Economic Research
Institute Wifo, Karl Aiginger, has criticized the way the
integration of foreigners is handled. He has called for a speedy
reform of the integration system, urging that more money be made
available to integrate foreigners. According to Aiginger, the
social partners were trying to push ahead on the issue, but the
Finance Minister was "stepping on the brakes." The Wifo boss also
warned that Austria needs to integrate more highly qualified and
well educated foreigners soon, especially in the high tech field.
Also, foreign-born children must be encouraged at all levels of
schooling to learn German, the Wiener Zeitung quotes Aiginger.

Buxbaum: Police to Be Investigated

2. The head of public security in Austria, Erik Buxbaum, has vowed
to "clean up the mess" in the Vienna police department. He was
speaking on Austrian television about revelations made recently in
the trial of the commander of the Vienna police, which resulted in
convictions on counts of abuse of office and leaking confidential
information. Last week, the commander of the Vienna police, Roland
Horngacher, was convicted of abuse of office and disclosing police
information. He was given a suspended 15 month sentence, but said he
would appeal the verdict.
Reporting on the recent scandal within the Vienna police and the
ensuing convictions on counts of abuse of office and leaking
confidential information, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung says

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that Roland Horngacher, the commander of the Vienna police, has been
found guilty of abuse of office and disclosing police information.
Horngacher was given a suspended 15 month sentence and said he would
appeal the verdict. However, on Monday Vienna's Public Prosecutor
said he would be seeking an even tougher sentence. The trial also
cast a shadow on a private organization calling itself "Friends of
the Vienna police." An investigation is already underway into
donations made to the group, to determine who made the donations and
why.

Solana to Meet New Iranian Nuclear Negotiator

3. Iran's new top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, is to meet
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Rome today. It
is the first meeting since Jalili took over the position from Ali
Larijani. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed Jalili in
a surprise move last weekend, and Western diplomats are now
concerned about a potential hardening in Tehran's position in
negotiations over its nuclear program.
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung believes that the appointment of
Saeed Jalili as Tehran's new top nuclear negotiator means nothing
more than "a new face, but the same old positions." Larijani's
resignation caused deep concern, both in Iran and internationally,
and was met withregret from moderate Iranian circles, the daily
ontinues. Commentator for the daily Arian Faal suggest that
Larijani's departure only serves to stregthen the circle of
hardliners around President hmadinejad. It also clearly shows the
growing rit between Iran's pragmatic conservatives and thehard-line faction. The commentator believes that it was Larijani's
open protest against Ahmadinejad's repeated interference in the
nuclear talks with the West that made his resignation unavoidable.
Jalili can be expected to follow the confrontational course set by
his boss Ahmadinejad, Faal argues.

Kosovo Talks Resume in Vienna

4. A new round of talks on the future of Kosovo began at the
Austrian Foreign Ministry. Representatives of the "Troika" - the US,
Russia and the EU - resumed their negotiations on finding a solution
for rival Serbs and ethnic Albanians, according to semi-official
daily Wiener Zeitung.

PKK Attacks on Turkey: US Is Negotiating

5. Intense diplomatic efforts are under way to try to head off a
major Turkish operation against fighters of the Kurdistan Workers'
Party, the PKK, in northern Iraq. In response to US efforts to that
effect, Turkey has agreed not to launch military intervention in
northern Iraq for the time being. In addition, Turkish Foreign
Minister Ali Babacan is traveling to Baghdad today for talks with
senior Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The
PKK has meanwhile issued a statement saying it is ready for
dialogue.
Although the government in Ankara has decided not to launch military
intervention in northern Iraq for the time being, semi-official
daily Wiener Zeitung reports that Turkey is nonetheless clearly
"showing its teeth." Similarly, mass-circulation tabloid Kronen
Zeitung believes that a "Turkish military incursion into Iraq is
becoming increasingly likely," following the clashes between Turkish
soldiers and PKK rebels. Liberal daily Der Standard point out that
while Turkey has postponed its invasion into northern Iraq at the
urging of the United States, the PKK on Monday announced the
conditions under which it might be prepared to call a cease-fire.
These include Turkey stopping its attacks on Kurdish positions,
giving up its invasion plans, and committing itself to peace, the
Standard quotes. According to mass-circulation daily Kurier, public
pressure is increasing "massively" on Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip
Erdogan to respond to the PKK attacks by launching a military
operation in northern Iraq. The Turkish Ambassador in Vienna, Selim
Yenel, told the daily that public opinion in Turkey on the issue is
clear: "The government (in Ankara) must act."

New Bin Laden Message

6. A new audio recording, apparently by al Qaeda leader Osama bin
Laden, is urging insurgent groups in Iraq to unify their ranks
"under the banner of Islam." The recording, aired by Arab news
network al Jazeera, was released as some Sunni groups shifted their
support to the Iraqi government and against al Qaeda. Austrian media
quote an al Jazeera analyst as suggesting the message is likely an
attempt by bin Laden to regain control over Sunni insurgents in
Iraq, says ORF online news.

US President Wants More Money for Iraq, Afghanistan Wars

7. US President George Bush has asked Congress for an extra 46
billion US Dollars to pay for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a
joint US-Mexican program against the cross-border drug trade. The
President has requested a total of nearly 200 billion US Dollars in
war funds for the next budget year ORF radio early morning news
Morgenjournal reports.
McCaw

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