Vienna Objects to U.S. Anti-Iran Policy (who's side are they on?)

VIENNA -- Speaker of Austrian National Council (Nationalrat) Heinz Fischer said on Monday that Austria and the majority of the European Union (EU) member states are opposed to the term of 'axis of evil' Washington has attributed to states of Iran, Iraq, and N. Korea.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mahdi Karrubi in Vienna, Fischer said "I object to any mentality which sees every thing black and white and believe that in dealing with others every aspect should be observed." The speaker of Austria's Nationalrat said that every country should accept criticism, adding that all nations could criticize the United States, Austria or Iran, IRNA reported.

Fischer said that Iran and Austria enjoy excellent parliamentary relations which is effective in enhancing the level of political, economic and cultural cooperation.

He hoped that exchange of visits between ranking Iranian and Austrian officials would help develop bilateral ties.

Answering a question posed by Austria's state radio on Iran's attitude in the wake of September 11 terror attacks in the United States, Karrubi said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has no tension with any country and works to build its relations with other nations on the basis of detente.

"Iran does not accept any dictates nor does it yield to any extortion," Karrubi pointed out.

The Iranian speaker of Parliament said that the U.S. president has made irrelevant statements against the Iranian nation, adding that the Iranian officials as well as nation have expressed outrage at those statements in public speeches and demonstrations.

Asked by another Austrian reporter whether the reform process has stopped in Iran, Karrubi said that the reform process is going ahead in line with the stipulations of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He said that there are some obstacles in the way of reform process which is normal, adding that the leadership and administrative system in Iran believe that the reform process should proceed.

Karrubi said that the Iranian people are constitutionally empowered to have the final say on state affairs and they support the reform platform put forward by President Mohammad Khatami.

He rejected that the Iranian Parliament has developed differences with the Guardian Council(GC)-- the body which examines whether the legislations passed by Majlis is in line with the Constitution.

Karrubi arrived in Vienna on Sunday for a three-day visit to Austria at the invitation of Nationalrat Speaker Fischer.

From www.anxietycenter.com: Having noted the Muslim defeat outside of Vienna, Austria in 1683, it would not be until 1878 before Muslims appeared in greater numbers as the result of the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and other territories by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Currently, Muslims are the third largest religion in Austria and growing. Their numbers doubled between 1981 and 1991. These Muslims are largely immigrants and are often political refugees. The bulk are formerly Turkish and citizens of the former Yugoslavia. The recent Balkan wars drove a lot of Muslims to choose Austria as a homeland. There are also distinct and visible Iranian and Arab minorities as well.

The relationship between Muslim minorities and the State of Austria has been formalized and regulated since 1912 by the Islam Act that officially recognized the religion. It led to the establishment of the Muslim Faith Union in 1979 and Austrians Muslims are taught their faith in public schools with teachers paid by the State. The rise of nationalistic political parties in Austria reflects a concern seen in France. Increasingly, a growing portion of native Austrians are suspicious and fearful of Muslims.

Speaking of axis of evil, here's an article that I didn't get around to posting a few months ago:

Austria buries victims of Nazi infanticide Monday, April 29, 2002 at 08:30 JST
VIENNA — The remains of children tortured and murdered by the Nazis in the name of medicine were laid to rest in Vienna's central cemetery Sunday, six decades after their deaths.

Between 1940 and 1945, when Austria was part of Hitler's Third Reich, 789 mentally and physically handicapped children were killed at Am Spiegelgrund hospital for leading "worthless lives."

Their brains, preserved in surgical spirit and used for neurological research, remained accessible to the medical profession until only a few months ago.

The Austrian government has come under heavy pressure in recent years from the families of victims and survivors of the program to bury the remains properly.

Around 600 urns with the remains of the children have been buried privately over the past two weeks under stone plaques inscribed with each of their names. Sunday, two final urns were given a formal funeral and public burial.

The headstone on the honorary grave reads "Never forget."

Each of the victims' names were read out over and over again as mourners walked toward the memorial service along a leafy avenue lined with the portraits of the murdered children.

Termed "inferior, worthless lives, ballast existences, and useless eaters," they were poisoned with sleeping tablets until their weakened condition lead to death from infectious diseases.

Austrian President Thomas Klestil said the nation had been very late in facing up to this criminal chapter in its history and must never be allowed to forget it.

Addressing a congregation of Spiegelgrund survivors and relatives of the victims, Klestil said Austrians must ensure that a "cloak of silence" was not spread over what had happened in the past.

"We must not look back with arrogance as if the past were already over and done with. Much remains to be done," the president said.

Those who were found guilty of having been instrumental in the Nazis' euthanasia program at Am Spiegelgrund must be brought to justice, Klestil added.

The case of Heinrich Gross is symptomatic of how Austria has dealt with its Nazi past.

The former doctor at Am Spiegelgrund became a leading neurologist in post-war Austria despite several attempts to bring him to trial. He wrote psychiatric reports for Austrian courts until 1998 and published dozens of papers on brain deformations, predominantly taken from the Spiegelgrund victims.

Gross was charged two years ago with acting as an accessory to multiple infanticide at the clinic in 1944, but the trial was suspended indefinitely after the court heard he was suffering from dementia.

The state awarded Gross a medal of honor in 1975 for his work as a scientist. He has not been stripped of it. This article appeared in Japan Today(Compiled from wire reports)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.