SWEDISH PUBLIC SHOWS INTEREST IN THE SITUATION IN AUSTRIA FOLLOWING THE ELECTIONS
Statement by the President Kucan for Swedish radio

Ljubljana, 12 October 1999


"In one part, the results of the Austrian elections are not a good omen for the future of Europe. They are a danger to Slovenia just like they are a danger to all of Europe. Populism, building on xenophobia, closing-in and the creation of new obstacles and new divisions in Europe is a political platform looking toward the past. It is also a platform that attempts to change history and historic events retroactively. I am mainly thinking of post-war Europe as it was created following the victory of the Allies over the Nazis and Fascists at the Potsdam conference, reflected also by the so-called "Avnoj Resolutions" and which contains a condemnation of everything that happened in Europe in the name of Nazism and Fascism - including genocide to which the Slovenian nation fell victim. I think that such a turning of the wrong pages of history is dangerous for Europe's future and that it must be reacted to. Of course, it is mainly the voters themselves, the citizens of Austria, that have the right to judge an election result. Yet the world is connected and co-dependent, and therefore I hope that they will choose to continue on this path that is pro-European, future-oriented, aiming at good relations with its neighbours and a high level of protection of ethnic minorities - not a direction seeking its justification in the so-called "remedy of injustices", which is in fact an attempt at revising the role of Austria following the Anschluss in World War II," replied the President of the Republic, Mr. Milan Kucan, to a question in a special interview for Swedish Radio following President Kucan's state visit to Sweden between 5 and 7 October 1999.

The current situation in a post-election Austria was also one of the topics of interest of President Kucan's Swedish collocutors during his official visit to Sweden, who wanted to hear the President's assessment. In replying to the questions on Joerg Haider's policy from journalists, participants in the lecture at the University of Uppsala, as well as Sweden's officials, the President estimated that this was a policy opposing EU enlargement and the free movement of people and ideas, and a policy in favour of strong Schengen borders. During the electoral campaign in Austria several issues surfaced as conditions for EU membership of some member states. One such issue is nuclear power plants, the other a compulsory restitution of property confiscated from collaborators with the occupation forces in WW II, the justification being that the principle of non-discrimination should apply in the process of denationalisation. In President Kucan's view this not only pertains to Slovenia, but also to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland, and in a way also to all of Europe, at least those parts affected by the conclusions of the Potsdam conference. Such conditions open up a question of principle, whether there are also special, bilateral requirements for EU membership that apply to candidate countries beside the general ones, and whether the principle of solidarity shall apply to individual demands set by individual Member States to particular candidate countries when deciding on membership.

In his replies, President Kucan expressed his wish for the political forces in Austria to find a way of continuing a government policy that would be beneficial to Europe as it has been to date, and that would be able to maintain and strengthen good relations with Slovenia.