„Kreisky dominiert die österreichische Politik komplett. Seine Kontrolle wird praktisch nicht in Frage gestellt“

Die Enthüllungsplattform Wikileaks hat ihre bereits bestehende “Public Library of US Diplomacy“ (https://wikileaks.org/plusd) erweitert: Um 350.000 „Kabel“, also Schriftverkehr zwischen den US-Botschaften und dem Washingtoner Außenministerium, aus dem ersten Jahr der Präsidentschaft von Jimmy Carter (1977-1981). Zahlreiche der Dokumente beziehen sich auf den österreichischen Bundeskanzler Bruno Kreisky, dessen außenpolitische Initiativen im Nahen Osten und die Bedrohung durch den internationalen Terrorismus. Anbei einige interessante Beispiele:

I. Am 20. Jänner 1976 meldete die US-Botschaft aus Wien, dass die Haltung Österreichs gegenüber dem Terrorismus „schwach“ sei – obgleich die Regierung infolge der OPEC-Geiselnahme und die Ermordung des türkischen Botschafters 1975 auf mehr internationale Kooperation im Kampf gegen den Terrorismus dränge, sei nicht zu erwarten, dass sich Österreich besonders exponieren werde. Man wolle weiter eine „ruhige Insel in stürmischer politischer See“ bleiben.

"1. ASSASSINATION OF TURKISH AMBASSADOR AND TERRORIST ATTACK ON OPEC HEADQUARTERS IN RECENT WEEKS HAVE MOVED BOTH AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT KIRSCHLAGER AND CHANCELLOR KREISKY TO EXPRESS AUSTRIA'S SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO COMBAT TERRORISM. THESE EXPRESSIONS NOTWITHSTANDING, WOULD NOT EXPECT TO SEE GOA [GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRIA] IN VANGUARD OF EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL ACTION OR TO PAY POSSIBLE COSTS IN TERMS EITHER OF AUSTRIAN INTERESTS OR OF CHANCELLOR KREISKY'S PERCEPTION OF HIS DEVELOPING ROLE AS SPOKESMAN FOR EUROPEAN SOCIALISTS, E.G. ON BEHALF OF SOCIALISTS INTERNATIONAL VIS-A-VIS ARAB STATES. INDEED, KREISKY WENT SO FAR AS TO SAY HE DOUBTED INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO COMBAT TERRORISM WOULD SUCCEED UNTIL UNDERLYING CAUSES OF TERRORISM ARE REMOVED. ON OTHER HAND, CURRENT AUSTRIAN INTERESTS- FILLING VIENNA'S UNO CITY, COURTING OPEC, EXPANDING COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH THIRD-WORLD RICH, AND POSSIBLY REELECTING UN SYG [UN-Secretary General] WALDHEIM-ARE LIKELY TO LIMIT GOA ACTION TO RIGHT SOUNDING STATEMENTS.

2. TO EXTENT CURRENT AUSTRIAN INTERESTS MAY BE HARMED BY TERRORIST ACTIVITIES ON AUSTRIAN TURF, GOA WILL WANT TO MINIMIZE THEIR INCIDENCE, BUT MAIN GOA EMPHASIS WILL BE UPON UNILATERAL SECURITY MEASURES AND SUCH PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND PRIVATE APPEALS AS MAY HELP CONVINCE OTHERS THAT AUSTRIA, IN THIS RESPECT AS IN MANY OTHERS, SHOULD REMAIN ISLAND OF CALM IN STORMY POLITICAL SEAS.

3. SHOULD TERRORISM PROBLEM COME TO FORE IN UN, WE WOULD THEREFORE EXPECT GOA TO TALK A GOOD FIGHT BUT NOT REALLY GO TO THE MAT. ONLY SOLID FRONT OF WESTERN COUNTRIES, RATHER FIRMLY BACKED BY SUBSTANTIAL THIRD WORLD CONTINGENT, WOULD SUSTAIN GOA RESOLVE.”

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1976VIENNA00441_b.html

II. Am 16. November 1976 schickte die Botschaft einen biografischen Abriss über Bruno Kreisky an das US-Außenministerium. Darin wird der Bundeskanzler durchaus schmeichelhaft charakterisiert. Österreich gebe ihm zu wenig „Betätigungsfeld“, was ihn rastlos mache. Kreiksy dominiere die politische Landschaft vollkommen. Kritisch wird dagegen Kreiskys Anerkennungsstrategie der PLO gesehen – hier sei er „ein bisschen zu weit gegangen“. Dahinter stünde das Interesse Wiens, Unterstützung für den Standort als dritter UN-Sitz zu erhalten.

„CHANCELLOR KREISKY'S HANDLING OF THE SLOVENIAN MINORITY PROBLEM REFLECTS POORLY ON HIM, AND HIS OTHER SHORTCOMINGS, BOTH ON THE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL SCENE, ARE NOT HARD TO FIND. HIS FEUD WITH SIMON WIESENTHAL IS A BIZARRE EPISODE. YET KREISKY COMPLETELY DOMINATES AUSTRIAN POLITICS. HIS CONTROL IS VIRTUALLY UNCHALLENGED. JUST AS AUSTRIA PLAYS A SUPPORTIVE ROLE FOR THE US TOWARDS EASTERN EUROPE, SO KREISKY PERSONALLY, THROUGH HIS CLEAR IDEOLOGICAL POSITION, REPRESENTS A USEFUL ASSET FOR US IN EAST-WEST RELATIONS. KREISKY'S MAIN PROBLEM IS PROBABLY THAT AUSTRIA DOES NOT GIVE HIM ENOUGH SCOPE, AND THIS MAKES HIM RESTELSS, ALSO IN A POLICY SENSE. NEVERTHELESS, HE ENJOYS HIS ROLE AND WE COULD DO MUCH WORSE THAN HAVE HIM AS CHANCELLOR.

HIS HANDLING OF THE OPEC TERRORISM INCIDENT AT THE END OF LAST YEAR CAN BE FAULTED AS TOO PLIANT. HIS COMMENTS ON QUADAFI AFTER VISITING THE LIBYAN LEADER IN THE DESERT IN FEBRUARY 1975 VERGED ON THE MAWKISH. HE HAS BY OUR TASTE PERHAPS GONE A BIT FAR OUT OF HIS WAY TO GIVE AN AIR OF RESPECTABILITY TO THE PLO. HIS CULTIVATION OF THE THIRD WORLD AS A WHOLE SEEMS EXCESSIVE AND MAY REFLECT THE AUSTRIAN INTEREST IN GAINING SUPPORT FOR VIENNA AS THE THIRD UN CITY AS MUCH AS ANYTHING ELSE.”

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1976VIENNA09520_b.html

III. Am 3. März 1977 informierte die Botschaft anlässlich eines bevorstehenden Besuchs Kreiskys in den USA über dessen Ansichten zur Lage im Nahen Osten:

“ALTHOUGH KREISKY PROBABLY IS CONSIDERED TO BE NAIVE AND A POLITICAL GADFLY BY SOME ISRAELIS, HIS VIEWS ON MIDDLE EAST SEEM TO CARRY WEIGHT IN OTHER ISRAELI QUARTERS SINCE HE NOW HAS CREDENTIALS OF SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL EXPERT ON SUBJECT, WAS NAZI REFUGEE HIMSELF DURING WORLD WAR II AND HAS KEPT AUSTRIA INVOLVED IN ASSISTING SOVIETS JEWISH EMIGRES IN SPITE OF ARAB PRESSURES. […] KREISKY HOWEVER RECOGNIZES THAT ONLY U.S. IS ABLE TO MEDIATE IN ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT AND SUGGESTED RECENTLY TO SECRETARY CLIFFORD THAT SINCE ISRAEL RECEIVES ARMS AND MONEY FROM U.S., IT SHOULD ALSO BE WILLING TO ACCEPT ADVICE FROM SAME QUARTER. AS KREISKY SEES SITUATION, ACT OF POLITICAL WILL ON ISRAELI SIDE IS NECESSARY; ALTERNATIVE IS OVERTHROW OF MODERATE ARAB REGIMES, LEFTIST RADICALIZATION THROUGOUT ARAB WORLD, AND RENEWAL OF HOSTILITIES.

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1977VIENNA01698_c.html