November 26, 2002	Tuesday	Ramazan 20, 1423

VIENNA, Nov 25: Austrian far-rightist Joerg Haider said on Monday he was sick of politics after his Freedom Party was trounced in elections, but party leaders rejected his offer to quit and said they were willing to stay in government.

Freedom leaders emerged from a six-hour crisis meeting saying they wanted to talk to other parties about forming a new coalition, despite calls from some party factions to return to opposition after dropping by nearly two thirds in Sunday’s vote.

For almost three years the anti-immigration, eurosceptic Freedom Party has been partner in a coalition government with Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel’s conservative People’s Party that caused international outrage when it was formed.

But on Sunday Freedom’s vote plunged nearly 17 percent to 10.2 percent, while the People’s Party shot up.

“We are prepared to enter talks (on a new coalition) in the interest of Austria, but I must stress — not at any price,” Freedom’s interim party chief Herbert Haupt told reporters.

Haider, who has dominated his party despite giving up its chairmanship in May 2000, offered to resign from his post as governor of Carinthia province after the election debacle.

But the party rallied around him and its leaders in the southern province refused the resignation.—Reuters