Austrian chancellor attacks Britain's Cameron over EU

(VIENNA) - Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann launched a broadside Friday at Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, accusing him of sending mixed messages when it comes to the European Union.

What Cameron said depended on whether he was addressing the British people or a meeting in Brussels, Faymann told Saturday's edition of Austria's daily newspaper Standard.

Such an attitude undermined his trust in the British leader, said Faymann, a Social Democrat.

Cameron, under pressure from the eurosceptic wing of his Conservative party and from opinion polls suggesting growing hostility to the EU in Britain, has stepped up his criticism of the bloc.

He is due to give a long-awaited speech later this month in which he is expected to offer a referendum after general elections in 2015 on taking back powers from the 27-member bloc.

Cameron got a generally positive reception from the British press after taking a tough stance during budget talks at last November's EU summit.

In December, EU President Herman Van Rompuy warned that Cameron's bid to win back powers from the EU threatened to undermine the single market.

And this week, a US official expressed concern about British plans to renegotiate its relationship with the European bloc.

Philip Gordon, the US assistant secretary for European affairs, warned that "referendums have often turned countries inward".

Every hour spent arguing over the EU's structures, was "one hour less spent on how to deal with the common issues of jobs, growth and international peace around the world," he said.

"We have a growing relationship with the EU as an institution, which has an increasing voice in the world, and we want to see a strong British voice in that EU."