The new Austrian chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel, has survived a vote of no-confidence in parliament.

The vote had been called by the small opposition Green Party, which feared Austria faced a period of damaging isolation following Mr Schuessel's formation of a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party.

The international disapproval has been further illustrated by the decision by the heir to the British throne, the Prince of Wales, to cancel his planned trip to Austria, which was designed to foster business links between the two countries. Earlier, Mr Schuessel said Austria did not deserve to be portrayed as a pariah.

He said he and the foreign minister, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, had been putting Austria's case to other governments -- and that some countries now appeared to be taking a more balanced approach.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service