Shamir Decries Waldheim Trip; Criticism Protested by Austria

Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir charged Sunday that Pope John Paul II’s upcoming visit with Austrian President Kurl Waldheim will serve to legitimize Waldheim’s alleged war crimes, but Austria called Israel’s criticism an “unfriendly act.”

In a television program in Vienna on Sunday, Austrian Foreign Minister Alois Mock announced a diplomatic protest over Israel’s negative reaction to the meeting scheduled Thursday at the Vatican between the Pope and Waldheim.

The meeting has been condemned by Jewish groups because of allegations that Waldheim helped deport Jews and partisans to Nazi death camps during World War II while serving as a German army lieutenant. Waldheim has denied the allegations.

The Vatican has defended the visit and said it was scheduled at the request of Waldheim in his capacity as the legitimate head of state of a predominantly Roman Catholic country, and not as an individual who may have been involved in war crimes. The meeting will be Waldheim’s first official visit abroad since he was elected president about a year ago.

Shamir told reporters Sunday that because Israel does not have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, “Israel can do nothing but express its unhappiness and regret about this negative move.”

“This move could be explained in the world as a kind of legitimization of the crimes . . . according to the various accusations (against Waldheim),” Shamir said.

Shamir would not comment on how the incident might influence the relationship between Israel and the Vatican.