Haider Mouths Off Again

Joerg Haider called France's president a "pocket Napoleon" in comments published Thursday, escalating attacks on critics of his far-right Austrian political party.

Haider also likened the European Union to an occupying force, and criticized Austrian President Thomas Klestil and others unhappy with the participation of his anti-immigration Freedom Party in Austria's government.

The government coalition sworn in Feb. 4 is split equally between the Freedom Party and the conservative People's Party. Reacting to the Freedom Party's participation, the 14 other EU member countries and several other nations announced sanctions last month.

French President Jacques Chirac and Belgian government leaders have been at the forefront of foreign criticism of the Freedom Party and of Haider, who in the past has made comments sympathetic to Nazi labor policies.

Speaking Wednesday in Ried, a town in Upper Austria province, Haider called Chirac "a pocket Napoleon of the 21st century." He added that Chirac's criticism of Austria has the moral value of "Pinocchio."

France is scheduled to assume the rotating presidency of the EU this summer, and Haider has previously warned Paris not to exploit that position to apply pressure on Austria.

In Paris, French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin noted that this was not the first time Haider had turned his sights on Chirac.

"I publicly denounced and deplored the attacks he directed at the president of the French republic," Jospin said in the Senate Thursday.

In remarks published by the daily Kurier and other newspapers, Haider suggested that Austrian President Klestil should be firmer in criticizing the European Union's attitude toward the new government. "There has been no occupying power in Austria since 1955," Haider said, suggesting that the EU had assumed the supervisory role the Allies had taken after World War II.

Further attacking Klestil, whose reluctance to swear Freedom Party members into ministerial position was apparent during the televised ceremony, Haider said his solemn demeanor during the proceedings made him look "as if the hens had stolen his bread."

And in criticism of leading members of the Social Democrats, Haider singled out Vienna Mayor Michael Haupl, saying his problem is that "his intellectual maturity cannot keep pace with the rapid increase of his weight."

The Austrian government has tried to limit the damage caused by such Haider statements, asserting that he does not make government policy.

Austria's stock market is suffering from woefully meager turnover, in part because international investors are keeping their money away from Vienna.

Austria's 14 EU partners have frozen bilateral relations with it, due to the far right's entry to government.

Haider has sai he is stepping down as leader of his party May 1, but he is considered to wield enormous influence through lieutenants holding ministerial positions.

Maria Rauch Kallat, secretary-general of the People's Party, said Haider's only post is as governor of Carinthia province and that he "should be taken as such."

"I am not Haider's nanny, and I am not here to take care of Haider," she told the Austria Press Agency, calling his comments "the internal affairs" of the Freedom Party.