Austrian Official Says Terrorists Intended Attack on Transit Camp

Austria’s Interior Minister has told the World Jewish Congress that the Palestinian terrorists being held for the attack on Vienna’s main synagogue last August have admitted under interrogation that the transit camp for Soviet Jewish emigrants in Vienna was originally an intended target.

Minister Erwin Lanc, who oversees Austria’s internal security and police forces, met with leadership of the WJC American section, accepting the invitation of its Chairman, Rabbi Arthur Schneier, for a private two-hour meeting Monday. The meeting took place at the Park East Synagogue, whose spiritual leader is Schneier. The talks focused on a wide range of issues of mutual concern relating to the Soviet Jewry question, international terrorism, and Austrian foreign policy.

Lanc reported on intensified measures being taken by the Austrian authorities to insure the security of the transit camp of Soviet Jewish emigrants in Vienna. He noted in this connection that prior to the attack on the Vienna synagogue, the Palestinian terrorists had had the camp under lengthy scrutiny but had abandoned their planned attack against it after finding that security around it was too tight.

AUSTRIA’S MIDEAST STANCE DISCUSSED

A frank discussion was held on Austria’s stance toward the Middle East and its relations with the PLO, in which the two sides “agreed to disagree.” It was an absolute necessity, Lanc noted, that terrorist elements be identified and isolated within Palestinian groupings.

Aside from some well-known political differences he underscored that relations between Austria and Israel in all other fields – economic, cultural, social were excellent, Lanc conceded that Austria’s dialogue with the PLO has not been as successful as he might have wanted it to be, but noted that extremist Palestinian factions have also struck at the PLO itself. Austria, he said, supported the Camp David accords as an important step away from war but did not feel it will solve the Palestinian problem.

On the question of Soviet Jewry, he reported on information he had received indicating that the number of Jews being processed for exit visas was down to 300 a month. He saw “no sign that this trend will change.” In his view, these low figures were caused by the deteriorating state of Soviet-American relations. Soviet Jews had also told him that a secondary reason stemmed from the hardship that Jewish outflow was causing in sectors of the Soviet scientific, social and academic infrastructure.