Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky said today the United States will try to persuade other countries to act as transit stations for Jews emigrating from the Soviet Union. In an interview with the Vienna newspaper, Kurier, Kreisky said U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger assured him that the United States would start negotiations with other countries to act as host countries for emigrating Jews.
Kreisky, who paid an official visit to the U.S. last month, said that with an expected emigration of 60,000 Soviet Jews per year, other countries would have to take away part of the burden Austria carries as a transit station. He rejected a recent statement of Israeli Ambassador to Austria Avigdor Dagan, who said Austria could easily handle double the number of Jews passing through Austria now. “The Israeli Ambassador should leave this evaluation to the Austrian authorities,” Kreisky said.
“It is not the job of the Israeli government to decide where the emigrants want eventually to settle, but it is the people themselves who make this decision,” Kreisky added. Austria does not want to be the only country to transit Jews. “This is not a question of money, but a security question.” Kreisky said.
Referring to his and the Socialist International’s initiatives to secure peace in the Middle East, the Chancellor said: “The world must give up its wrong picture of the Arab world. It is essential that the Arab world does not fall into the hands of Communism. Although we appreciate the problems of the Israel Labor Party, we cannot ignore the problems of democratic Socialism and the Arab world.” He pointed out the different situations of the U.S. and Europe on the energy question. He said that the U.S. produces 85 percent of its crude oil needs while Europe produces only two percent.
“This forces Europe into a close relationship with the Arab countries,” Kreisky said. “But we respect the constructive work Israel has done. Who is familiar with the fate of the Jews in Israel, who knows what happened to them in Europe, understands that we cannot give Israel up.” Kreisky said the only solution was a policy of peaceful settlement. “Any other, solution is an illusion, is nonsense,” he said.
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