Chancellor Urges Austrians to Face Nazi Past, Guilt
Chancellor Franz Vranitzky today urged Austrians to come to terms with their nation’s Nazi past and accept “our share of guilt and responsibility” for atrocities committed during the Hitler era.
Vranitzky, speaking to an international gathering of war veterans, former prisoners of war and inmates of Nazi concentration camps, said his comments were sparked by recent “critical attention” to Austria from abroad.
Most foreign criticism has focused on the election of former U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim to the presidency despite allegations he was involved in Nazi atrocities.
“We must face our past squarely, accept our share of guilt and responsibility and, from that, deduce our standards for our actions in the future,” said Vranitzky. “We will be able to work for this better future only if we realize what . . . we were guilty of in the past.”
Blunt comment by prominent politicians on Austria’s Nazi legacy has been rare.
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