Evian, 04/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - "It is very probable" that the report by the three Wise Persons on the political situation in Austria will be handed to President Chirac towards the end of next week, said on Sunday in Evian the Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who indicated to the press that she had raised the issue of sanctions by the EU 14 against Austria on the sidelines of the informal "Gymnich" meeting (see other stories), during bilateral meetings with she colleagues, and that several of them had shown "great understanding" for the Austrian position". President Chirac will then consult the other Member States, noted Mrs Ferrero-Waldner who, in answering a question, affirmed that she would be "disappointed, very disappointed" if the EU 14 should decide not to lift the sanctions, but simply suspend them. I pleaded for a "rapid lifting of the sanctions if possible before the Danish referendum (on 28 September, on the Euro), said Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, who signalled that she would still have contacts with her EU counterparts during the ministerial meeting planned in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Questioned over the possibility that certain Member States maintain sanctions (an allusion to the tough positions of France and Belgium), Mrs Ferrero-Waldner said: it would be a "completely new scenario", but what counts, is that the front be "broken".
This Monday the Austrian daily "Format" affirms that the report by the three Wise Persons considers the European sanctions "without legitimate foundation", without however calling for their lifting. The Schüssel government did not attack European values nor human rights, but several FPÖ announcements have exacerbates the tensions in society, says the report.