by Eldad Beck
A day after Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, 31, led his party to victory, he tells Israel Hayom: Far-right party will have to abide by zero-tolerance policy on anti-Semitism before joining coalition
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Presumptive
chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Sunday
Photo: AFP
Austrian
Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, just 31, became his country's
presumptive chancellor on Sunday after the Austrian People's Party won
the most seats in parliament.
Kurz will join other young, photogenic
leaders, such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French
President Emmanuel Macron, on the world stage.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick
to congratulate Kurz on Monday. Netanyahu said in a statement that he
spoke with Kurz by telephone and commended Austria for "preserving the
memory of the Holocaust and its war against anti-Semitism" in recent
years. According to the statement, Kurz responded positively when
Netanyahu invited him to Israel.
Less than 24 hours after Kurz's sweeping
win, as he began preparing for his new job as the youngest world
leader, he granted Israel Hayom an exclusive interview, making a
point of showing he has a warm place in his heart for the Jewish state.
Kruz made it clear that denouncing
anti-Semitism would be a "clear precondition" for his future coalition
partners, including his most likely partner, the far-right Freedom Party
of Austria.
"There must be no doubt about this at all," he said. "A Europe without Jews is not Europe anymore."
Kurz also said he supports the 2015 nuclear
deal between Iran and world powers, which was negotiated in his
country's capital, Vienna. He stressed that "we cannot be naive" about
the Islamic republic's conduct.
Q. Congratulations on your victory
and thank you for finding the time to answer our questions on such a
busy day. How does it feel to become the youngest chancellor in
Austria's history?
"I'm glad and overwhelmed by the good
electoral results for our political movement, the new People's Party. We
have achieved historic success. The voters have conferred a very large
responsibility on us and I would be honored to serve the Austrian
citizens as the head of the next government."
Q. Does being so young make it easier for you to take responsibility for Austria's history during World War II?
"My visits to Yad Vashem [Israel's
Holocaust memorial], as well as my many meetings with Holocaust
survivors, were deeply moving for me. I have always been very clear that
we – and that very much includes the new Austrian generation – shall
never forget the Holocaust and the atrocities committed during World War
II. Austria has to face up to its own history, and that includes the
dark sides of it. Let me be very clear: A Europe without Jews is not
Europe anymore. I am therefore very glad that we have a vibrant – small,
but very vibrant - Jewish community in Austria. Also, Austria enjoys
excellent relations with the State of Israel – this is a fact that is
very important for me."
Q. During the campaign, your close
contacts with the Austrian Jewish community and Israel were used by
certain sides to try to harm your chances of winning. Was that
anti-Semitic?
"I cannot speak for other parties. But the
election results clearly show that Austrians do not reward any kind of
smear campaigns or dirty campaigning tricks. Let me also be clear that
we must continue to pursue a policy of zero tolerance for any form of
anti-Semitism in Austria as well as in Europe."
Q. The campaign was shadowed by the
"Silberstein scandal," in which Israeli adviser Tal Silberstein was
accused of misconduct by promoting allegedly racist propaganda. Will
this affair influence future contacts between Austria and Israel?
"No, it will not. It is of the utmost
importance for me that Austria and Israel continue to intensify our
already close bilateral relations. I am glad that during my time as
foreign minister our bilateral relations have further improved and grown
ever stronger. Let me just give you one figure here: Our bilateral
trade grew by 32.5% during the first half of 2017 – that tells you
something about the growing strength of our relationship. Also, we have
put a focus and an intensified exchange between our young generations.
(A new Working Holiday Program that I have signed with PM Netanyahu
allows for young Israelis and Austrians for the first time to work in
each other's country – and this opportunity is taken up with great
enthusiasm.) If I become the next chancellor of Austria, I will strive
to further intensify our close bilateral relations."
Q. The chances are that you will
form a coalition with the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), led by
Heinz-Christian Strache. Do you see a difference between the FPO of Jorg
Heider (the former leader who was accused of being anti-Semitic) and
that of Strache? In other words, is it not the extreme right,
anti-Semitic and Nazi-nostalgic party it used to be?
"The fight against anti-Semitism and a
policy of zero tolerance against any anti-Semitic tendencies is very
important for me. This is a clear precondition for any coalition that I
would lead. There must be no doubt about this at all. None. The FPO has
in the past shown efforts to fight anti-Semitism, in its own ranks as
well, and I expect them to continue to do so."
Q. Israel is still avoiding any
official contacts with the FPO, despite party leader Strache's attempts
to convince the Israeli public that he has changed his party's nature
and positions. Would you recommend that the Israeli government open a
dialogue with the FPO, especially if this party joins your government?
"It is not up to me to give recommendations
to Israel on this matter. This is truly a decision for the Israeli
government to take."
Q. How do you plan to enhance the relations between Austria and Israel?
"Our ties are strong, and that is true for
tourism, trade, cultural exchange, youth exchange and many other areas.
But there is always room for improvement. Israel is the startup nation
and we can learn much from the Israeli can-do spirit. Austria, too, has a
lot to offer: Just look at the sciences, our strong expertise when it
comes to environmental protection etc. In other words, much has been
achieved over the past years, but there is still a lot to do. I am happy
to 'roll up my sleeves' and get things moving!"
Q. Will you consider moving the Austrian Embassy to Jerusalem as Mr. Strache has suggested?
"I don't think that this is the time to
discuss such a sensitive question. But of course you know the
international position on this issue."
Q. The agreement with Iran, which
was negotiated in Vienna two years ago, is being challenged by the U.S.
President Donald Trump. Do you think the EU should reconsider its
positions on this agreement in light of Iran's ongoing long-range
missile program and growing influence in the Middle East?
"I support the Iran nuclear agreement
reached in Vienna two years ago. This agreement is certainly better than
no agreement. After all, it is of the greatest importance to avoid a
nuclear arms race in an already very volatile region, and according to
the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has so far fulfilled its
obligations under the agreement. However, there is no doubt that we
cannot be naive and we have to carefully take into consideration the
security concerns of Israel and closely observe Iran's role in the
region."
Eldad Beck
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2017/10/17/austrias-chancellor-elect-denouncing-anti-semitism-a-precondition-for-coalition/
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