Austrian Rightist Leader Haider Due in Egypt Wednesday on Private Visit

Published November 7th, 2001 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Far-right Austrian politician Joerg Haider will make a private visit to Egypt during which he will meet Egyptian officials, the Austrian embassy was quoted by AFP as stating Tuesday. 

Haider, known for his anti-immigrant views and notorious for his past Nazi-linked comments, might meet Tourism Minister Mamduh Al Beltagui and parliamentary Speaker Fathi Srour during his stay, the embassy said. 

His three-day visit will begin Wednesday and take in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. 

Haider, former leader of the Freedom Party, is governor of Austria's southern Carinthia province. 

But the extreme rightists has in recent years taken a number of public steps in an attempt to redeem his international image, according to adl.org. 

During a 1994 visit to the United States, Haider visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., declaring afterwards: "I think that even those individuals who don’t know much about history will realize that we must do everything to enforce tolerance, everything to enforce human rights and everything to strengthen democracy." 

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel visited Egypt in late October – Albawaba.com 

© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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