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Austrian chancellor in Brussels for EU talks

BRUSSELS: Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel arrived on Monday for talks with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres on his first foreign trip since bringing the far-right Freedom Party into government.

Schuessel and Guterres, whose country holds the European Union's presidency for the first six months of this year, did not talk to reporters as they arrived at EU headquarters.

Austria's 14 EU partners, who question the Freedom Party's commitment to democracy and human rights, have frozen bilateral political contacts in protest at the party's inclusion in the government sworn in on February 4.

Guterres excluded Vienna from a round of visits to EU capitals intended to prepare for an EU summit in Lisbon later this month.

Schuessel has acknowledged that it was unusual for a presidency to exclude a member state from its pre-summit tour, but said he would go to Brussels as a conciliatory gesture.

"In the present situation, I see it as a gesture from our side that we should seek talks with the EU presidency -- I think that is OK," Schuessel told a news conference last week.

He said the talks would cover preparations for next week's EU summit and Austria's relations with its EU partners.

Joerg Haider, best known for controversial remarks about the Nazi period and for his party's opposition to immigration, has resigned as the Freedom Party's leader and has not taken a cabinet post.

But Austria's EU partners have said they will keep sanctions in place as long as the party remains in government.

Austrian President Thomas Klestil, who has made no secret of his disapproval of the government, visited the EU last week and had talks with Roman Prodi, president of the EU's executive Commission.

Klestil appealed to the Commission to help resolve the "unpleasant situation as soon as possible". Prodi said the Commission would judge the government on its actions, and Klestil's visit brought no easing of the sanctions.-Reuters