1.
GV Cairo Airport sign
0.03

2.
SCU Egyptian Foreign Minister
0.08

3.
CU Austrian Foreign Minister & other delegates
0.37

4.
MV INT. The two Foreign Ministers, surrounded by press (2 shots)
0.50

5.
SCU The two seated, press ask questions SOF IN:"Sir...." OUT:"...for ideals".



Cairo Airport sign; Dr Ghaleb greeting Dr Kirchschlaeger and other Austrian delegates; the two Ministers seated surrounded by press; press ask questions.



QUESTION: "Sir, do you think that this most recent hijacking will have any effect on the general political situation in the Middle East, or don't you think that it is politically important?"



KIRCHSCHLAEGER: "I think that this fact shall not affect the talks we shall have here. We have, as I said, no bilateral problems. We have to deal with international political questions. But of course all hijackings, wherever they are going on, are condemned by the Austrian government and we feel it is not the right way to follow, or to fight for ideals."




Initials SGM/0231 SGM/0211



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Austrian Foreign Minister Dr. Rudolf Kirchschlaeger arrived in Cairo on Tuesday (9 May) only a week after returning from Israel where he held talks with Israeli leaders on the Middle East situation.

He was greeted at Cairo Airport by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Mourad Ghaleb, with whom he was to hold talks during his official five-day visit. Although not on his official schedule, Dr Kirchschlaeger is also expected to have discussions with President Sadat, who returned to Egypt on Wednesday (10 May).

Austria has not been formally requested by either Egypt or Israel to mediate in the Middle East, but Foreign Office officials in Vienna indicated that Dr. Kirchschlaeger's talks in Tel Aviv are likely to be broached during his Cairo visit.

The film shows Dr. Kirchschlaeger arriving at the airport and being questioned by reporters in the V.I.P. lounge. In answer to one question, he said that he would be dealing with "international political questions."
Speaking at a banquet held for the Austrian Foreign Minister on Wednesday night, Dr Ghaleb said there would be no peace in the Middle East until Israel withdrew from all occupied territories.

There follows a transcript of the exchange between Dr Kirchschlaeger and the press in the V.I.P. lounge. The Minister was asked about the implications of this week's hijacking drama in Israel: