Austrian Chancellor Victor Klima has told Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Barak that he has no intention of bringing far-
right leader Joerg Haider into his coalition.
Barak noted that the rise of the extreme right in Austria
should serve as a warning for the "enlightened" world. The
two agreed that there is a need for educational activity
among youth, with a stress on the events in Europe during the
1930s and 1940s.
Haider exacerbated the highly charged dispute between Israel
and Vienna over the success of the far-right in the Austrian
elections.
Interviewed by Israel the Israeli press, Haider said Foreign
Minister David Levy, who has been harshly critical of his
electoral success, should concentrate his energies at home
before tackling Austria's problems.
Levy, who has described Haider's anti-foreigner Freedom Party
as "neo-Nazi," has threatened to "reassess" relations with
Vienna if Haider joins the new cabinet.
Levy's description of the election results as "revolting"
last week provoked a storm of anger from Austrian leaders,
including President Thomas Klestil, who described Levy's
comments as inaccurate, unfair, and unjustified.
Austrians have been incensed by what they see as Israel's
interference in their country's internal affairs.
The row between the two countries is one of the most serious
since former U.N. Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, accused of
hiding a Nazi past, became Austrian president in 1986.
Haider's Freedom Party finished second in Sunday's national
election with 27.2 percent of the vote, behind the Social
Democrats but ahead of the conservative People's Party,
leaving the complexion of the next government wide open.
Haider is best known internationally for once praising
Hitler's employment policies and describing the Waffen SS
veterans as "decent men of character." However, a recent
article in the New York Times argued that the main
thrust of Haider's party and the base of his appeal is simple
populism that has nothing to do with Nazi ideology or
anything similar.
