US embassy cable - 04PARIS9188

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 009188 
 
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 - TSUNAMI: AN INTERNATIONAL 
COALITION 
PARIS - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2004 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
TSUNAMI: AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION 
 
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(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
LEAD STORIES AND HEADLINES IN THE NATIONAL PRESS ARE DEVOTED 
TO THE CALL FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE 
TSUNAMI IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. "LET'S GIVE" LEADS RIGHT-OF-CENTER 
 
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LE PARISIEN, AND RIGHT-OF-CENTER ECONOMIC LES ECHOS PRAISES 
THE "MANY INITIATIVES TO HELP THE VICTIMS IN ASIA." RIGHT-OF- 
CENTER FRANCE SOIR, FOR ITS PART, HEADLINES: "BUSH, BLAIR AND 
SCHRODER SHOW CONCERN FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE CATASTROPHE: AND 
CHIRAC SAYS NOTHING." 
 
COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE'S REPORT "WHAT KIND OF COALITION IS 
NEEDED IN ASIA?" SUMMARIZES THE TONE OF THE EDITORIALS IN THE 
MAJORITY OF TODAY'S PRESS: "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT 
DELIBERATELY DECIDED TO CIRCUMVENT THE UN BY PROPOSING AN 
INTERNATIONAL COALITION DEVOTED TO HUMANITARIAN AID. AND THE 
FACT THAT THE VICTIMS OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN BAM (IRAN) LAST 
YEAR ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE ASSISTANCE THAT THEY WERE 
PROMISED LEAVES US SKEPTICAL AS TO THE PURPOSE OF SUCH A 
COALITION." (SEE PART C) 
 
NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT JEAN-LOUIS TURLIN FOR RIGHT-OF-CENTER 
LE FIGARO ANALYZES THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO HOLD AN 
IMPROMPTU PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY: "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT 
INTERRUPTED HIS VACATION IN TEXAS FOR A FEW MINUTES YESTERDAY 
TO HOLD A VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH HIS ADVISORS TO PERSONALLY 
RESPOND TO CRITICISM CONCERNING THE AMOUNT OF AID FROM WEALTHY 
COUNTRIES IN GENERAL AND THE U.S. IN PARTICULAR. IT WAS 
NECESSARY FOR GEORGE BUSH TO SHOW HIMSELF PUBLICLY IN ORDER TO 
DISPEL THE UNHEALTHY IMPRESSION OF A LACK OF CONCERN THAT 
CHARACTERIZED, NAMELY, THE PRE-SEPTEMBER 11 PERIOD." 
 
PASCAL RICHE, THE WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER 
LIBERATION, PENS A LENGTHY OP-ED IN TODAY'S EDITION: "AMERICAN 
PROGRESS," WHICH OUTLINES THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN MENTALITY. 
"FRANCE LOVES TO HAMMER THAT AMERICAN SOCIETY IS ULTRA- 
CONSERVATIVE, RELIGIOUS, CLOSED, OBSESSED WITH MORAL VALUES, 
REACTIONARY. BUT IN FACT, AMERICAN SOCIETY IS INCREASINGLY 
LIBERAL AND SECULAR." 
 
ANOTHER OP-ED IN LIBERATION BY AUTHOR ANTOINE AUDOUARD PUTS 
FORWARD THAT " `FRENCH-BASHING' REMAINS A POPULAR SPORT IN THE 
U.S." "THE FRENCH WOULD BE WRONG TO THINK THAT THE CRISIS IS 
BEHIND US. INDEED, `FRENCH-BASHING' IS NO LONGER CONTINGENT ON 
THE POLITICAL SITUATION, IT HAS BECOME CULTURAL." 
 
IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR, THE PRESIDENT OF THE 
INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF GEOPOLITICS, JACQUES SOPPELSA'S BY- 
LINER ENTITLED "BUSH 2, NOW WHAT?" OUTLINES WHAT HE SEES AS 
THE CHANGES THAT CAN BE EXPECTED IN AMERICAN FOREIGN AND 
DOMESTIC POLICY DURING THE NEW TERM. 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE CARRIES AN OP-ED ENTITLED "HOW TO DEAL 
WITH TEHRAN" SIGNED BY SIX FORMER FOREIGN MINISTERS: MADELEINE 
ALBRIGHT, LLOYD AXWORTHY, ROBIN COOK, HUBERT VEDRINE, LAMBERTO 
DINI, NIELS HELVEG PETERSEN, ANA PALACIO AND JOZIAS VAN 
AARTSENRIGHT, THAT ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN ENGLISH IN THE 
TORONTO STAR. "THE IRANIANS HAVE MADE SPLITTING THE ATLANTIC 
PARTNERSHIP THEIR MODUS OPERANDI, HOPING THAT DISAGREEMENTS 
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE WILL BUY THEM THE TIME TO 
PROGRESS DOWN THE NUCLEAR PATH TO THE POINT OF 
IRREVERSIBILITY. IN ORDER TO COUNTERACT THIS STRATEGY, 
EUROPEAN AND U.S. POLICYMAKERS MUST REPEATEDLY AND JOINTLY 
ARTICULATE THAT THEY SEEK TO HOLD IRAN TO THE OBLIGATIONS IT 
HAS ACCEPTED UNDER THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY TO 
REFRAIN FROM BUILDING NUCLEAR ARMS." 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
TSUNAMI: AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION 
 
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"WELL-MANAGED CHARITY" 
STEPHANE MARCHAND'S EDITORIAL IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO 
(12/30): "INTERNATIONAL AID TO THE VICTIMS OF THE TSUNAMI IN 
ASIA REPRESENTS, AMONG OTHER THINGS A DIPLOMATIC GESTURE, A 
POLITICAL AFFIRMATION. A COUNTRY THAT GIVES PROVES ITS 
GENEROSITY IN THE EYES OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION AND 
ASSERTS IT STANDING IN THE WORLD. I GIVE THEREFORE I COUNT. 
BUT BEWARE OF THE CONTRARY. A NATION, POWERFUL THOUGH IT MAY 
BE, THAT IS PERCEIVED AS INDIFFERENT OR STINGY WILL BE HARSHLY 
JUDGED. THE U.S. HAS JUST HAD A BITTER TASTE OF THIS FACT. 
WHEN IT BECAME KNOWN THAT THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY ON THE 
PLANET HAD PROMISED 15 MILLION DOLLARS IN AID TO THE VICTIMS 
OF THE TSUNAMI, THERE WAS A GENERAL UPROAR. 15 MILLION DOLLARS 
IS A RIDICULOUS FIGURE GIVEN THE SCOPE OF THE CATASTROPHE. 15 
MILLION DOLLARS OF LESS THAN HALF OF WHAT IS BOUGHT IN DOG AND 
CAT FOOD IN THE U.S. EVERYDAY. IT IS TEN TIMES LESS THAN THE 
DAILY COST OF THE WAR IN IRAQ. IT IS HALF THE PRICE OF A F16. 
THE U.S. QUICKLY DECIDED TO UP THE ANTE, BUT A SERIOUS MISTAKE 
IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE, WHICH IS 
ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN 5 BILLION TELEVISION VIEWERS ARE 
WATCHING. AMERICA'S IMAGE OF A SUPERPOWER AT TIMES CRUSHING 
AND AT TIMES BENEVOLENT IS AT STAKE. OF ALL OF THE 
INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS, THE U.S. IS THE ONE THAT CONTRIBUTES 
THE LEAST TO POOR COUNTRIES. AMERICA IS PAYING A HIGH 
POLITICAL PRICE FOR THIS PITIFUL REPUTATION. ASIA, AND 
FOREMOST JAPAN AND CHINA, HAVE BECOME THE KEYSTONE OF 
AMERICA'S ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL SECURITY. AND THAT IS 
PRICELESS." 
 
"THE PEOPLE AND THE MISERS" 
JEAN-PAUL PIEROT IN COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE (12/30): "THE 
OUTBURSTS OF GENEROSITY FROM ORDINARY CITIZENS AND NGOS HAS 
SERVED TO UNDERSCORE THE STINGINESS OF THE RICHEST COUNTRIES 
IN THE WORLD. AFTER THE SCOLDING THAT BUSH GOT FOR PROMISING 
ONLY 15 MILLION DOLLARS IN AID TO THE VICTIMS OF THIS 
CATASTROPHE, HE DECIDED TO ADD A MISERABLE 20 MILLION MORE. IS 
IT REALLY NECESSARY TO NOTE ONCE AGAIN THAT THE COST OF THE 
WAR IN IRAQ EXCEEDS 200 BILLION DOLLARS? AND ONCE AGAIN THE 
WHITE HOUSE IS PROVING ITS UNILATERALIST TENDENCY BY PROPOSING 
TO CREATE AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION (A COPY OF THE ONE 
CREATED FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ) THAT IT ALONE, WITHOUT THE UN, 
WOULD MANAGE TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE." 
 
"GLOBALIZED SOLIDARITY" 
THE UNSIGNED EDITORIAL IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE (12/30): 
"THE FACT THAT THE WORLD HAS COME TOGETHER IS DUE, IN PART, TO 
THE SPEED OF INFORMATION EXCHANGE TODAY WHICH LENDS A NEW 
DIMENSION TO SOLIDARITY. THIS ALSO IS GLOBALIZATION. BUT THIS 
MOBILIZATION POSES A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PROBLEMS. THE FIRST HAS 
TO DO WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROMISES AND ACTIONS. 
WHILE THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS WILL DO 
THEIR PART AND STAND BY THEIR COMMITMENTS, HISTORY HAS SHOWN 
THAT GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 
TEND NOT TO BE SO RIGOROUS. OF THE BILLION DOLLARS THAT WERE 
ALLOTTED TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN BAM IN 2003, 
ONLY 17 MILLION DOLLARS HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN RECEIVED. A CERTAIN 
DEGREE OF COORDINATION IS NECESSARY TO MANAGE RELIEF EFFORTS. 
AND ONLY THE UN HAS THE CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT THIS TYPE OF 
PLANNING." 
 
"LACK OF FORESIGHT" 
THE EDITORIAL IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION BY GERARD DUPUY 
(12/30): "WITH 100,000 BODIES AND MILLIONS OF LIVES SHATTERED 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST ADMIT TO ITS LACK OF 
FORESIGHT AND BUSH IS FIRST ON THE LIST. IN TERMS OF 
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, HISTORY IS HEADING IN THE WRONG 
DIRECTION. GENEROSITY IS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE IF IT DOES NOT 
ALSO INCLUDE A MEASURE OF FORESIGHT. AND SIGNIFICANT SUMS, 
THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FEW MILLION EUROS OR DOLLARS 
THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED TO THE VICTIMS OF THE TSUNAMI SO FAR. 
WILL BE NEEDED TO PROVIDE POOR COUNTRIES WITH EARTHQUAKE 
DETECTORS AND DECENT COMMUNICATION NETWORKS." WOLFF