Austrian Democracy

Northern Advocate, 16 June 1947, Page 5

Austrian Democracy

The Austrian Foreign Minister (Dr Gruber) admitted today that he was responsible for the “leakage, of news” about the secret talks between Chancellor Figl and the Communist leader (Ernst Fischer) on the subject of a possible Cabinet reshuffle, says Reuter’s Vienna correspondent. Dr Gruber said: “It is impossible for me to keep this information from the public. “If the Government really had been reshuffled, as Fischer proposed—even if the reshuffle were accomplished completely without pressure from any occupation power—the new Cabinet would have awakened the sharpest suspicions among the Western powers, making conclusion of the Peace Treaty probably impossible. NO DANGER OF UPHEAVAL The President of Austria (Dr Karl Renner) interviewed by the British United Press Vienna correspondent, said there was no danger of a political upheaval similar to that in Hungary overthrowing the Austrian Government. Austrian democracy was strong enough to kill all radical political trends which other nations launched against Austria. “Austrian Communists, in future, will be given only as much power as is due to them in proportion to their elected strength,” he said. “They must realise that any other solution is not in harmony with the principles of democracy.”