Rome / Linz, 06/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - "The initiative of the fourteen Heads of Government against Austria is fully justified (…). If the Austrian Government were to go in the right direction, we would take note", declared Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini in an interview published by "La Repubblica" on Saturday on the freeze of bilateral relations. Mr. Dini added: "I know Chancellor Schuessel well, and have every confidence in him, I know what he is politically, and what he thinks. I know Austria: that country has never breached any clause of the Amsterdam Treaty, and should the Chancellor succeed in convincing his partners in the government to develop a political line that fully responds to the principles of the Union, we could begin a normalisation process regarding relations. As EU Member State, Austria has conducted itself in an irreproachable manner. And its consensus is essential for the Union to work. We have to take account of that".
As for Franz Fischler, European Commissioner (Austrian) for agriculture and fisheries, he turned to the political situation in Austria when speaking to the "Bauernstammtisch" of Linz, considering that Vienna has a "great need" to deal with this crisis in a professional manner", and had not to adopt "a defiant attitude to the concerns of the other EU countries". Austria may prove that is continues to be a stable democracy, which respects human rights, solidarity and tolerance, and the current situation offers "the opportunity for a new departure", said Franz Fischler, promising to do all he can to demonstrate that certain things said recently regarding Austria were too "hasty".