Justice Department to Meet with Attorneys Representing Waldheim

The Justice Department has accepted a request to meet with attorneys for Kurt Waldheim before reaching a decision on whether to bar the Austrian Presidential candidate from entering the United States, a department spokesman said Tuesday.

The spokesman, Patrick Korten, told the JTA that lawyers representing Waldheim in the U.S. had “requested that they come down to be heard on the issues and allegations” surrounding the war-time activities of

Waldheim faces a run-off election for the Austrian Presidency June 8, after national elections last month brought him just short of the majority of votes needed to win. But the Justice Department has stressed that it will not allow the timing of

“We are not attempting to resolve this case with any eye at all on that election date,” Korten said. He added, however, that a final decision might well be made next week, casting doubt on the likelihood of any

USUALLY ACCEPT OSI RECOMMENDATIONS

The Department’s investigation into Waldheim’s past is being conducted in response to a

Such recommendations from OSI, an agency responsible for investigating alleged war criminals, are routinely accepted by the Department. But the sensitivity surrounding Waldheim’s case has created suspicion in some circles that the authorities are stalling in

Representatives of the World Jewish Congress, which has been behind many of the recent revelations concerning Waldheim’s activities during World War II, were planning to demonstrate in front of the Justice

Even if Waldheim is put on the watch list, Korten noted, his election to the Presidency would make the decision moot since the new President would have the benefits of diplomatic immunity throughout his term