Cablegate: Media Reaction Report - War On Terrorism
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 005178
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY; BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU; AF/PA;
EUR/WE /P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA; INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA
FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR
AND PASS USTR/PA; USINCEUR FOR PAO; NATO/PA; MOSCOW/PA;
ROME/PA; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE.
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - WAR ON TERRORISM
PARIS - PARIS - JULY 27, 2005
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:
1. WAR ON TERRORISM
2. IRAQI'S CONSTITUTION
3. DPRK NUCLEAR PROGRAM
4. FAMINE IN THE SAHEL: NIGER
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:
ISRAELI PM AREIL SHARON'S VISIT TO FRANCE, FAMINE IN NIGER,
FRENCH AUTHORITIES' DECISION TO EXPAND USE OF PUBLIC VIDEO-
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, AND NASA'S SUCCESSFUL SHUTTLE LAUNCH
TOPS TODAY'S HEADLINES. RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO'S ECONOMIC
PAGES FOCUS ON THE DOMINANCE OF U.S. COMPANIES - THE TOP 8 OR
10 BRANDS ARE AMERICAN - IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE.
ALL NEWSPAPERS REPORT ON PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON'S VISIT
TO FRANCE AS A RENEWAL IN THE FRANCO-ISRAELI RELATIONS:
"ARIEL SHARON COMES TO MAKE PEACE WITH PARIS" HEADLINES
CATHOLIC LA CROIX WHILE RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO READS
"MEETING IN PARIS BETWEEN FRANCE AND ISRAEL." LE MONDE HAS AN
INTERVIEW OF SHARON: "ISRAEL, PALESTINE, `THE WALL': ARIEL
SHARON EXPLAINS HIMSELF. A FEW QUOTES FROM HIS INTERVIEW SAY:
"I AM READY FOR PAINFUL CONCESSIONS", "PEACE MOSTLY DEPENDENTS
ON PALESTINIANS", "THE ARABS HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED ISRAEL", "WE
ARE CONFRONTED BY THE WORST OF HATRED".
IN A VERY LONG EDITORIAL PIECE, LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE'S
DIRECTOR JEAN-MARIE COLOMBANI TRIES TO EXPLAIN AND UNDERSTAND
HOW WE WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH TERRORISM. (SEE PART C)
COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT HAS AN INSERT ON IRAQ'S NEW CONSTITUTION
(SEE PART C)
FOLLOWING THE KEY ROLE OF SECURITY CAMERAS IN LONDON FOR THE
IDENTIFICATION OF SUICIDE BOMBERS, THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT WANTS
TO WIDEN PUBLIC SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN FRANCE. HOWEVER
CATHOLIC LA CROIX NOTES "THE ROLE OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
REMAINS VERY LIMITED IN THE FACE OF PEOPLE READY TO DIE."
THE NEGOTIATIONS TAKING PLACE IN BEIJING REGARDING NORTH
KOREA'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM ARE REPORTED IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX AND
COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT (SEE PART C)
BOTH LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION AND COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT DEVOTE
THEIR FRONT PAGES TO NIGER. HEADLINES READ "IN THE STARVING
NIGER" (LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION) AND "SACRIFICED NIGER" (SEE
PART C)
THE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY IS REPORTED
IN MOST NEWSPAPERS WITH PICTURES OF THE LAUNCH. ON ITS FRONT
PAGE, RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO HEADLINES "THE RETURN OF
AMERICANS TO SPACE."
AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE TAITTINGER GROUP, BARRY STERNLICHT,
THE CEO OF STARWOOD AND TAITTINGER'S NEW OWNER, IS INTERVIEWED
IN ECONOMIC LES ECHOS AND POINTS OUT: "WE DO NOT INTEND TO
KEEP THE CHAMPAGNE FIELD. WE WOULD PREFER IT TO STAY IN FRENCH
HANDS.". ACCORDING TO ECONOMIC LA TRIBUNE, THE CREDIT AGRICOLE
GROUP WOULD BUY IT, WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE TAITTINGER
FAMILY.
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:
WAR ON TERRORISM
"LIVING WITH TERRORISM"
JEAN-MARIE COLOMBANI IN LE MONDE (07/27) ". IRAQ WAS
DEFINITELY NOT AN ANSWER TO TERRORISM. THE US MILITARY
INTERVENTION IN THIS COUNTRY, AS THE EUROPEANS PREDICTED, ONLY
EXACERBATED ISLAMIC MILITANTS' RESENTMENT. IT MAINTAINS A GOOD
PART OF THE ARAB MUSLIM WORLD IN ITS HATRED OF THE UNITED
STATES AND IS OF COURSE USED AS A PRETEXT. WORSE: IN A WORLD
OF INSTANT GLOBALIZATION OF IMAGES, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH
CAR-BOMB MASSACRE IN BAGHDAD IS NOT ATTRIBUTED TO ONE OR
ANOTHER SUNNITE REBELLION GROUP; IT IS IMPUTED TO THE AMERICAN
OCCUPATION AND CONSIDERED AS ANOTHER PROOF OF THE `WAR' THAT
THE WEST WOULD BE FIGHTING AGAINST THE MUSLIM WORLD. HUNDRED
OF MILLIONS OF MUSLIM TELEVISION VIEWERS MAKE THE UNITED
STATES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAILY SLAUGHTERS THAT IRAQ IS GOING
THROUGH EVERY DAY. ONE CAN PUT INTO QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF
THIS THOUGHT PROCESS BUT WE CANNOT IGNORE THIS PREVAILING
PERCEPTION. THE EPICENTER IS IN PAKISTAN. AS OUR REPORTS SHOW
IT EVERYDAY, PAKISTAN IS A CAULDRON, AS THE SAME TIME AS A
KIND OF BIG FACTORY TO PRODUCE COMBATANTS FOR THE `HOLY WAR'.
. TO HAVE TARGETED IRAQ INSTEAD OF WORRYING ON TIME ABOUT
PAKISTAN IS ONE OF THE MANY NONSENSE OF BUSH GOVERNMENT."
IRAQ NEW CONSTITUTION
"`NEW IRAQ' CLOSES ITS DOORS TO JEWS"
PAUL FALZON IN COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT (07/27) "ONE WAS NOT
EXPECTING MIRACLES FROM THE TEAM IN CHARGE OF WRITING THE NEW
IRAQI'S CONSTITUTION CONSIDERING HOW TENSIONS BETWEEN THE
VARIOUS COMMUNITIES WEAKEN THE POLITICAL AND SECURITY BALANCE
OF THE COUNTRY. BUT WE WERE NOT EXPECTING THEM TO TURN ON TO
ANTI-SEMITISM TO RENEW THE BOND BETWEEN FACTIONS. THE MAJORITY
OF DELEGATES HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE BACK THE IRAQI NATIONALLY TO
EXILES ONLY IF THEY LEFT THE COUNTRY AFTER 1963. THIS DATE IS
OFFICIALLY THAT OF THE FIRST COUP D'ETAT BY THE BAATH PARTY.
HOWEVER IT ESPECIALLY UNABLE TO EXCLUDE THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF JEWISH CITIZENS WHO WERE VICTIMS OF PERSECUTIONS
AND FLED IRAQ WHEN ISRAEL WAS CREATED. LET US HOPE THAT THE
PARLIAMENT, WHICH WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD ON THE CONSTITUTION,
WILL REMOVE THIS ARRANGEMENT."
DPRK NUCLEAR PROGRAM, 6 PARTY TALKS JULY 26
"NORTH KOREA COULD GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL"
NADIA HADJ-BOUZIANE IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (07/27) "THE
RESUMPTION OF NEGOTIATIONS ON THE NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR
PROGRAM'S DISMANTLING SEEM TO HAVE BEGIN WITH GOOD BASIS.
FIRST OF ALL BECAUSE THE UNITED STATES HAVE STRAIGHT AWAY
ASSERTED THEIR WILL OF CONCILIATION. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY
ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THE `SOVEREIGNTY' OF NORTH KOREA. FOR A
LITTLE WHILE NOW, GEORGE W. BUSH HAS CALLED NORTH KOREA'S
NUMBER ONE `MR. KIM JONG-IL', LEAVING OUT THE TERM `DICTATOR'.
TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT WAS THE ULTIMATE CLAIM OF THE NORTH
KOREAN LEADER. THE PEKIN MEETING SHOULD ENABLE THE CREATION OF
A CLIMATE OF TRUST. HOWEVER, ONE SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT IF
NORTH KOREA ALWAYS STEPPED BACK DURING THE VARIOUS
NEGOTIATIONS THAT GATHERED THE 6 PARTIES SEVERAL TIMES IN
VAIN, IT IS BECAUSE THROUGH THE NORMALIZATION OF ITS RELATION
WITH WASHINGTON AND SEOUL, THE STALINIAN REGIME ALSO FEARS THE
SPREADING OF DEMOCRACY IN NORTH KOREA."
"WASHINGTON AND PYONGYANG REINITIATE THE DIALOGUE"
CAROLINE DUKE IN COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT (07/27) "IF THE TWO
PARTIES DISPLAYED AN OBVIOUS GOOD WILL YESTERDAY, THE
RENUNCIATION OF NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR IS FAR FROM BEING
ESTABLISHED.. A RENUNCIATION BY NORTH KOREA OF ITS PROGRAM
WOULD NEED TO GO WITH THE WITHDRAW OF AMERICAN NUCLEAR ARMS IN
THE SOUTH OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA AND OF COMPENSATION OFFERS
BY THE PARTICIPANTS TO NORTH KOREA TALKS."
NIGER
"RICH COUNTRIES' INDECENCY"
PATRICK SABATIER IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION "NIGER IS DYING
OF HUNGER. AND THIS AS THE ECHO OF THE . PROCLAMATION OF
COMPASSION FROM BIG COUNTRIES OF THE G8 IS STILL ON. THIS IS
THE CRUEL ILLUSTRATION OF THE BIG GAP BETWEEN THE RHETORIC OF
THE AID TO AFRICA AND ITS REALITY THAT MIXES STINGINESS, MORAL
INDIFFERENCE AND STRATEGIC BLINDNESS. RICH COUNTRIES DO NOT
HESITATE TO BE INTERESTED IN NIGER TO EXPLOIT IT. BUSH
(WRONGLY) ACCUSED IT OF HAVING SUPPLIED IRAQ WITH AN
(INEXISTENT) NUCLEAR PROGRAM . NIAMEY IS STILL WAITING FOR AN
AID AGAINST ITS WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION THAT ARE DRYNESS,
LOCUSTS AND POVERTY. THE SCANDAL IS PATENT BECAUSE THIS
UNSPOKEN CATASTROPHE HITS MILLIONS OF NIGERIANS WAS NOT ONLY
PREDICTABLE BUT PREDICTED AND ANNOUNCED FOR ALMOST A YEAR BUT
NGOS AND THE UN. IT WAS NEITHER VERY COMPLICATED NOR VERY
EXPENSIVE TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING. NON-ASSISTANCE TO
PEOPLE AT RISK IS OF COURSE NOT CONSIDERED A CRIME AGAINST
HUMANITY ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL LAWS."
STAPLETON