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Austria's Greens Call for Party Meeting as Coalition Deal Nears

Reuters

   VIENNA - Austria's Greens, who are incoalition talks with conservatives
   led by Sebastian Kurz, onSaturday summoned a meeting of their party's
   top decision-makingbody next week to sign off on a deal, indicating an
   agreement isclose.

   The Greens' Federal Congress, comprising various groupswithin the
   party,including its national, local and Europeanlawmakers, must sign
   off on any coalition deal, and it requiresa week's notice to meet.

   The meeting has been called for January4 and invitations weresent
   shortly before midnight, a Greens spokeswoman said.Although a deal has
   not yet been struck between the Greensand Kurz's People's Party (OVP),
   which won the lastparliamentary election on September29, calling the
   meetingindicates the Greens believe an agreement will be reached
   beforethen.

   Kurz said on Friday as talks resumed after a short Christmasbreak that
   he aimedto have a government sworn in by "early tomid-January." In
   contrast to the Greens, Kurz can sign off onthe deal himself on behalf
   of his party.

   Given the difficulty in keeping the deal confidential onceit is put to
   the more than 250 members of the Federal Congress,the details are
   likely to be announced before it meets. Mediareports said presentation
   was likely to happen onJanuary2 or January3.

   Few details have emerged so far, but Greens leaderWerner Kogler has
   said he wants an investment package inenvironmental measures, and Kurz
   has said his priorities includecontinuing his hard line on illegal
   immigration and keeping abalanced budget.

   There have also been reports the deal includes largeinvestments in
   expanding Austria's rail network.

   A deal would bring Kurz back to power as chancellor afterhis coalition
   with the far-right Freedom Party(FPO)collapsedin May over a video sting
   that felled FPO leader Heinz-ChristianStrache. A provisional government
   of civil servants is in placefor the time being until a coalition is
   formed.

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