Haider's Freedom Party split over cooperation with Europe's other rightists

Date: 12th Aug '02

Name: article from Internet anti-fascist

Joerg Haider's Freedom Party split over cooperation with Europe's other
rightists
Roland Prinz (AP)
1 Aug 02

(http://www.anti-fascism.org/story/story24/2410.html)

VIENNA -- Joerg Haider said Thursday he intends to continue contacts with
Belgium's far right, despite opposition from other senior figures of his
Freedom Party who described the Belgians as undesirable partners in any
pan-European political movement.

The differences of opinion on the Vlaams Blok were expressed at a news
conference apparently called to deny media reports of a rift in the Freedom
Party, the junior partner in Austria's government coalition over
cooperation with the Belgian party and other issues.

Although Haider and other top party officials took pains to tone down their
differences, their responses to reporters' questions revealed deep splits
over ideology, policy and style that essentially splits the party between
Haider, its former leader, and Vice Chancellor Susanne Riess-Passer, who
now heads it.

Although the Freedom Party has a strong right-wing faction, more pragmatic
leaders like Riess-Passer have in recent years sought to blunt its anti-
foreigner stance and put it on a more pragmatic course.

Haider outraged many moderates in his party last week when he met with
Filip Dewinter, leader of the extreme right-wing Vlaams Blok (Flemish
Bloc), and leaders of the Italian Lega Nord.

Immediately after the rightists' meeting in Klagenfurt, capital of the
southern province of Carinthia governed by Haider, some Austrian media
speculated that Haider may want to head a list of European right-wing
parties for the 2009 European Parliament elections.

In an interview to be published in the news magazine Format and party
released Thursday, Dewinter confirmed such plans.

"Haider is a success factor for the whole of Europe, not only for Austria,"
he was quoted as saying. "It is quite important to have Joerg Haider on our
side and to cooperate with him."

"Haider is also popular with our voters in Belgium," Dewinter reportedly
said. "I have the impression Haider is very much interested in
cooperation."

Haider has defended the meeting with Dewinter, saying there were "many
identical positions in my party and the Vlaams Blok," and indicating plans
for closer cooperation.

In past years, Haider has fed his rightist image by many controversial
comments, including praising Nazi employment policies in Austria and
hailing participants of a Nazi army unit responsible for torturing and
killing civilians behind front lines as men of honor. His party —
particularly its Vienna wing — has sought to stir up anti-foreigner
sentiment in election campaigns over recent years.

At Thursday's news conference, Riess-Passer, the vice-chancellor, sought to
downplay the latest rift in the party over cooperation with Vlaams Blok,
which advocates a stop to immigration and the expulsion of immigrants who
fail to assimilate into Belgian culture.

She said the whole issue of cooperation with other European parties was "a
theoretical question which comes up in 2009 at the earliest" — when
national parties can jointly contest European Union ( news - web sites)
elections.

But Riess-Passer rejected Haider's view that cooperation with the Belgian
extremists was possible, saying, she did not consider the Vlaams Blok as "a
suitable partner ... at the present time."

Haider, whose party governs in coalition with the centrist People's Party,
also infuriated colleagues earlier this week by lashing out at ministers of
his own party for their alleged unwillingness to effectively reduce red
tape and privileges held by many office holders.

In a TV interview late Wednesday, Riess-Passer, clearly irritated by
Haider's verbal salvos, said she was only "moderately enthused" by his
broadsides.

Haider sounded more conciliatory Thursday but insisted he would continue in
future to make his views clear on "where the party has to go."

But with all his political stamina, Haider appears to be losing ground in
party ranks and among voters.

The Freedom Party's two general secretaries backed the vice chancellor in
her latest confrontation with Haider, while a recent opinion poll suggests
that nearly two-thirds of respondents feel Haider's recent meeting with
extreme rightists has hurt his own party.

According to the same poll, only 15 percent would favor Haider as a future
chancellor — Austria's equivalent of prime minister — while 56 percent said
Riess-Passer would be a suitable candidate. No margin of error was
published.

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