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Contact: Marilyn Marks (609) 258-5748

April 10, 2000

Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister to speak at Princeton in only U.S. public appearance

Who: Dr. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Republic of Austria
What: Lecture on "Austria, the European Union and the United States"
When: Tuesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Dodds Auditorium in Robertson Hall on the Princeton campus

Dr. Benita Ferrero-Waldner is Austria’s top foreign-policy official, serving during an especially challenging time. Since the far-right, anti-immigrant Freedom Party of Jorg Haider joined Austria’s governing coalition, 14 European Union countries have downgraded relations with Austria, and Israel has withdrawn its ambassador. Haider has resigned as head of the Freedom Party but his party’s members remain in office and relations have not improved.

Ferrero-Waldner, a senior member of Austria’s conservative People’s Party who became foreign minister in February, has distanced herself from Haider and urged an end to the political isolation of her government. In the U.S. to work on a resolution to the problem, she will make her only public address at Princeton.

In her 16-year diplomatic career Ferrero-Waldner has served in various positions in embassies in Madrid, Dakar, and Paris. For five years, she was the state secretary for foreign affairs, a position equivalent to deputy secretary of state.

 Ferrero’s lecture will be followed by responses and questions from a panel of Princeton professors: Wolfgang Danspeckgruber, director of the Liechtenstein Research Program on Self-Determination; Walter Hinderer, professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures; Harold James, professor of history; Anson Rabinbach, professor of history and director of the Program in European Cultural Studies; and Ezra Suleiman, professor of international studies and chairman of the Committee for European Studies.

Audience members also will be able to ask questions.

Reporters will have an opportunity after the lecture to speak with Dr. Ferrero-Waldner but are asked to refrain during her public presentation.

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