US embassy cable - 04PARIS8990

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 008990 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY (FRANK); BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU; 
AF/PA; EUR/WE (DEBORAH MENNUTI)/P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA 
(BERBENA); INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE 
HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR AND PASS USTR/PA 
(ANN LUZZATO); USINCEUR FOR PAO; NATO/PA; MOSCOW/PA; ROME/PA; 
BRUSSELS/PA; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - MIDDLE EAST 
U.S. DEFICIT TURKEY 
PARIS - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2004 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. MIDDLE EAST 
2. U.S. DEFICIT 
3. TURKEY 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
PRESIDENT CHIRAC'S TELEVISED INTERVIEW LAST EVENING ON TURKEY, 
HIS "YES, BUT ONLY IF," AND THE OPENING OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH 
THE EU IS TODAY'S NUMBER ONE LEAD STORY. INTERVIEWS AND 
COMMENTARIES ABOUND, ANALYZING THE PRESIDENT'S EFFECTIVENESS 
IN CONVINCING FRENCH OPINION AND PRESENTING THE PROS AND CONS 
OF TURKEY AS A EU MEMBER. (SEE PART C) 
 
CENTRIST LA TRIBUNE INTERVIEWS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
REPRESENTATIVE PIERRE LELLOUCHE FOR WHOM "CLOSING THE DOOR TO 
TURKEY WOULD BE A POLITICAL MISTAKE." IN POPULAR RIGHT-OF- 
CENTER LE PARISIEN, FORMER SOCIALIST JUSTICE MINISTER ROBERT 
BADINTER ASKS "WHY IS EU MEMBERSHIP INDISPENSABLE FOR TURKEY 
TO ADDRESS ITS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS?" 
 
THE FALLING DOLLAR AND PRESIDENT BUSH'S ECONOMIC POLICIES ARE 
FRONT-PAGE STORIES IN THE ECONOMIC PRESS. RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES 
ECHOS HEADLINES: "BUSH TRIES TO RALLY ECONOMISTS TO HIS 
REFORMS." BUT IN HER EDITORIAL TITLED "VERY DEAR GEORGE", 
FRANCOISE CROUIGNEAU CONCLUDES THAT "BUSH'S REFORMS MAY TURN 
OUT TO BE TOO COSTLY." (SEE PART C) 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION CARRIES AN OP-ED ON IRAN PENNED BY 
TWO RESEARCHERS FROM THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTE, PHILIP GORDON 
AND KENNETH POLLACK, WHO CONCLUDE: "THE BEST WAY FOR 
WASHINGTON TO PERSUADE IRAN TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR POLICY IS 
BY PUTTING AN END TO ITS PRESENT POLICY OF BELITTLING IRAN AND 
TO JOIN THE EUROPEAN EFFORTS, EVEN IF THEY ARE FAR FROM 
PERFECT." 
 
IN LEFT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR, EDITORIALIST 
JEAN DANIEL SEES "A GLIMMER OF HOPE IN PALESTINE" THANKS TO 
"CHANGES IN THE U.S. APPROACH." (SEE PART C) 
 
IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY LE POINT COLUMNIST BERNARD-HENRI 
LEVY PANS THE LATEST BOOK IN THE U.S. ON FRANCO-PHOBIA, "OUR 
OLDEST ENEMY," FOR ITS RIDICULOUS CLICHS. HE CONCLUDES IN HIS 
REVIEW: "FRANCE AND AMERICA DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS DELIRIUM, 
THIS OPPOSITION BETWEEN FRANCO-PHOBIA AND ANTI-AMERICANISM. 
FRANCE AND AMERICA CANNOT RESIGN THEMSELVES TO THIS SOMBER 
IMITATION OF ONE ANOTHER, WHICH ARE BOTH AS SUICIDAL. THE 
BOOK, ITS VULGAR ACCUMULATION OF STEREOTYPES AND ITS SHOW OF 
IGNORANCE, IN SHORT, THIS AMERICAN VISION OF `FRENCH IDEOLOGY' 
RE-ENFORCES MY BELIEF THAT IT IS EMINENTLY URGENT TO REKINDLE 
THE BROKEN RELATIONSHIP (BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE U.S)." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
MIDDLE EAST 
 
"A GLIMMER OF HOPE" 
JEAN DANIEL IN LEFT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR 
(12/16): "ALTHOUGH PESSIMISTIC IN PRINCIPLE AND SKEPTICAL BY 
EXPERIENCE, WE MUST NEVERTHELESS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SOMETHING IS 
HAPPENING IN JERUSALEM, RAMALLAH AND OTHER MIDDLE EAST 
CAPITALS. THE CHANGE OF COURSE IS COMING FROM THE U.S. IT IS 
NOT ON THEIR OWN THAT THE ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS HAVE COME 
TOGETHER. PRESIDENT BUSH AND HIS ADMINISTRATION HAVE BEEN 
SENSITIVE TO THE JOINT APPEALS FROM TONY BLAIR AND PRESIDENT 
CHIRAC, WHO SPEAKING AS ONE, EXPLAINED THAT THE U.S. WOULD NOT 
BE ABLE TO GET THE ASSISTANCE OF ITS ALLIES IN IRAQ UNLESS IT. 
CHANGED ITS PARTISAN APPROACH TO THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT. 
ARAFAT'S DEATH HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING. IT HAS GIVEN PRESIDENT 
BUSH THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXERCISE CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE ON THE 
ISRAELIS. FINALLY, BARGHOUTI'S LAST POLITICAL GESTURE, 
ACCEPTING NOT TO RUN IN THE PALESTINIAN PRESIDENTIAL 
ELECTION., PROVES THAT THE PALESTINIANS ARE TIRED OF A 
PERPETUAL WAR WITH NO OUTCOME." 
U.S. DEFICIT 
 
"VERY DEAR GEORGE" 
FRANCOISE CROUIGNEAU IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES ECHOS (12/16): 
"PRESIDENT BUSH IS TURNING FROM GEO-STRATEGY TO THE AMERICAN 
ECONOMY AND GETTING HIS TROOPS TOGETHER TO WIN HIS BATTLE ON 
TWO FRONTS: SOCIAL SECURITY REFORMS AND TAX REFORMS. THE COST 
OF HIS REFORM PLANS ARE FUELING A CONTROVERSY BOTH IN THE U.S. 
AND ABROAD. IN HIS OPEN LETTER TO `DEAR PRESIDENT BUSH,' 
VALERY GISCARD D'ESTAING POINTED TO THE DANGERS OF THE U.S. 
DEFICIT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM. AFTER THE NEO- 
CONS, THE NEO-ECONOMISTS ARE ENTERING THE AMERICAN AND 
INTERNATIONAL DEBATE. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. AT HOME, 
PRESIDENT BUSH WILL HAVE TO CONVINCE SOME OF THE DEMOCRATS IF 
HE DOES NOT WANT ONE DAY TO BE REMEMBERED AS THE `TOO DEAR 
GEORGE W. BUSH.'" 
 
TURKEY 
 
"THE OTTOMAN LOGIC" 
CLAUDE IMBERT IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY LE POINT (12/16): 
"TURKEY WANTS A FULL-BLOWN MARRIAGE OR NOTHING. BUT TODAY WE 
MUST COMMIT NEITHER TO AN IRREVOCABLE `YES' NOR TO TURNING OUR 
BACKS TO TURKEY. WE SHOULD OFFER TURKEY AN ASSOCIATION. 
TURKEY, AS THE GREAT NATION THAT IT IS, DREAMS OF THE WEST BUT 
MOVES TOWARDS THE EAST, THE CASPIAN AND THE CAUCASUS. IT IS 
STILL HAMPERED BY HEAVY BURDENS, SUCH AS CYPRUS, ARMENIA AND 
KURDISTAN. IT IS WISE BOTH FOR EUROPE AND TURKEY TO ALLOW FOR 
TIME. IN TEN OR FIFTEEN YEARS WE MAY BE IN A POSITION TO 
DECIDE. MOSTLY, LET US NOT MAKE A HASTY DECISION THAT WILL 
LEAVE NO WAY OUT." 
 
"A DESIRE FOR EUROPE" 
PASCAL AUBERT IN CENTRIST LA TRIBUNE (12/16): "TURKEY OR NOT 
TURKEY? THE FACT IS THAT EUROPE MADE A PROMISE IT MUST HONOR. 
THERE WILL BE NEGOTIATIONS AND AT THE END OF THOSE 
NEGOTIATIONS THERE MUST BE THE PERSPECTIVE OF MEMBERSHIP. IT 
IS UP TO TURKEY NOW TO PROVE THE DEPTH OF ITS DESIRE FOR 
EUROPE AND TO GIVE ALL THE TOKENS EUROPE IS ASKING FOR." 
 
"A DOMESTIC EMERGENCY" 
NICOLAS BEYTOUT IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (12/16): "FRANCE 
IS CONFUSED AND FEELS THAT THE CHOICES MADE BY ITS PRESIDENT 
CARRY RISKS FOR FRANCE. AND THAT WHILE HE HAS BEEN DEALING 
WITH AFFAIRS OF THE WORLD, HE HAS SOMEWHAT FORGOTTEN TO DEAL 
WITH FRANCE AND ITS CONCERNS. A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR THE 
PRESIDENT, BEYOND EUROPE, IS CONCENTRATING ON FRANCE, ITS 
REFORMS AND THE PEOPLE OF FRANCE." WOLFF