Oldal 1 [1]
OCR
ee KeAe2e for July 1952. * REPORT ON AUSTRIA The political situation in Austrba today is characterized by uncertainety and divisions uncertainety as to the international event: that have the first and greatest impact on the countrys; division along the lines of its four-fold occupation and of its inner split among political parties. Uneertainety in relation to internationa ents One touches sre at the main point of TF ference between Austr: and Germany. The authority of the Vienna goverment extends to the whole country, to the four zones of occupations that of the Bom géverment merely to the Western part of Germanys In questions like the peace treaty) the occupation policies, the approval of laws voted by the Parliament et. Chancellor Figl has to count with all four occupying powers, consequently; with opposing interests, His policy has to be one of constant balancing, necessarily one of hesitation too, of trial and error, in view of finding a modus vivendi, Chancelbor Admauer on the contrary is able to follow a clearer line, Once he had taken the courageous decision of his all-out stand for the West, he ean now settle affairs with the three Western powers; Russian interference being not an internal but an externs problem for Western Germany. The two countries - Austria and Germany alike = have on the other hand a geographical position, which makes both of them the first line of combat, in case of a European ware The need of being helped in Such oecasion, has led Germany into the European Defense Conmunitye Austria, occupied by the Russians and without much hope of an internation settlement of its status in the near future, cannot enter such specific commitment in international law. The recent trips of Chancellor Figl to London, Paris and Washington has had to do with the desperate economic and defense situation of the countrye policy-making for the whole of Austria are Russia and the United States. Difficulties with them lie mostly along the lines of their interference in internal Austrian affairs, (1) Russia and Austria, The questions of Austrian interneegs and prisoners of war, of Austrian produetion especially of its petrol and the question of Russian troops living off the country are the three main friction points between Austria and its Russian occupier. A Avstrian internees and. prisoners of war, - Since 1945, Soviet authopities have detained and deported a number of civilians living in their zone of occupation. Civil Austrian internees in Russia are detained in two large camps (the camps number 9250 and 686). The location of the first one could be established: it is in the Northern Ural. The present position of the second is unknown, The nemes and identity of 287 deportees could be checked; they are known to be alive, Among those, 172 Ce
