US embassy cable - 05PARIS38

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000038 
 
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 RELIEF EFFORTS AND 
CONTROVERSY 
PARIS - TUESDAY, JANUARY 04, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS AND CONTROVERSY 
 
SIPDIS 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
HEADLINES AND MOST COMMENTARIES ARE ONCE AGAIN DEVOTED TO THE 
TSUNAMI, ITS VICTIMS AND RELIEF EFFORTS. LEFT-OF-CENTER 
 
SIPDIS 
LIBERATION AND RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO CONCENTRATE THEIR 
LEAD STORIES ON THE HIGH EUROPEAN DEATH TOLL, WHILE POPULAR 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN AND FRANCE SOIR EXPLAIN WHY 
TOURISM WILL AND MUST RETURN TO THE REGION. FRANCE SOIR 
DEVOTES AN EDITORIAL COMMENTARY TO THE U.S. RELIEF EFFORT, 
"MORE PRESENT THAN EUROPE'S." BUT LE FIGARO'S EDITORIALIST 
PIERRE ROUSSELIN REGRETS THE IN-FIGHTING BETWEEN NATIONS AND 
THE RACE TO PROVE WHO IS GIVING MORE: "PUBLIC OPINION CAN 
UNDERSTAND WHEN GREAT NATIONS FIGHT IN TIMES OF WAR; THEY 
WOULD NOT TOLERATE THIS FIGHTING IN TIMES OF PEACE OVER A 
NATURAL DISASTER." (SEE PART C) 
 
CENTRIST LA TRIBUNE, REPORTING ON THE AID RELIEF TO THE 
REGION, NOTES THE DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN COLIN POWELL AND 
SENATOR LUGAR: "THE DISAGREEMENT THAT OPPOSED THESE TWO MEN IS 
INDEED REVEALING: THE SENATOR IS ASKING FOR A MUCH GREATER AID 
RELIEF, IN THE BILLIONS IN FACT, AND MUCH MORE THAN WHAT 
WASHINGTON HAS ALREADY PROMISED. BUT AS SOON AS HE SET FOOT IN 
THAILAND YESTERDAY, SECRETARY POWELL HARSHLY DENIED THAT HE 
WAS BRINGING ADDITIONAL AID." 
 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO REPORTS ON THE REMARKS MADE BY 
IRAQ'S DEFENSE OFFICER ON THE POSSIBLE POSTPONEMENT OF THE 
ELECTIONS: "THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT IS APPARENTLY TRYING A LAST 
DITCH NEGOTIATION WITH THE SUNNIS. IT KNOWS THAT IT WILL NOT 
BE ABLE TO MILITARILY REDUCE THE INSURRECTION IN THE `SUNNI 
TRIANGLE' UNLESS IT HAS A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF SUPPORT FROM THE 
SUNNI COMMUNITY." 
 
LE FIGARO ALSO CARRIES A REPORT ON THE GUANTANAMO DETAINEES 
AND THE WASHINGTON POST REPORT CLAIMING THE U.S. WANTS TO 
"HOLD THE DETAINEES INDEFINITELY, INCLUDING THOSE WHO CANNOT 
BE TRIED FOR LACK OF PROOF." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS AND CONTROVERSY 
 
SIPDIS 
 
"THE U.S. MORE PRESENT THAN THE EU" 
FREDERIC ABADIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR (01/04): "WHILE 
THE EU IS STILL IN MEETINGS TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT SORT OF AID 
TO BRING TO SOUTH EAST ASIA'S RECONSTRUCTION, THE U.S. IS 
ALREADY ON THE GROUND. AMERICA'S FIREPOWER IS MUCH GREATER AND 
HAS ALLOWED PRESIDENT BUSH TO QUICKLY SEND IN AIRCRAFT TO 
ASSESS THE DAMAGE AND THE NEEDS. THE DISPARITY BETWEEN WHAT 
THE U.S. AND THE EU ARE ABLE TO DO ILLUSTRATES THE DIFFERENCE 
BETWEEN A NATION THAT CONSIDERS ITSELF THE SHERIFF OF THE 
WORLD, WITH MILITARY BASES ALL AROUND, AND A UNION OF NATIONS 
WHOSE FINALITY IS NOTHING MORE THAN ECONOMIC, REGARDLESS OF 
WHAT SOME MIGHT SAY. ALTHOUGH THE U.S. WAS SLOW IN GETTING 
STARTED, ONE CANNOT HELP BUT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO 
EMERGENCY AID, THE AMERICANS HAVE BEEN SENDING THE APPROPRIATE 
RESPONSE TO THE NEEDS AS THEY ARE IDENTIFIED." 
 
"A GLOBAL RESPONSE TO A GLOBAL DISASTER" 
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (01/04): "AS WE 
WAIT FOR SOME SORT OF COORDINATION IN AID RELIEF, A NUMBER OF 
SCATTERED INITIATIVES ARE GETTING UNDERWAY. DOING MORE THAN 
YOUR NEIGHBOR SEEMS TO STEM MORE FROM A DESIRE TO GET 
RECOGNITION THAN FROM A DESIRE TO BE EFFECTIVE. AFTER SOME 
INITIAL DELAY, THE U.S. IS PUTTING ITS POWER AT THE SERVICE OF 
AID RELIEF. BUT ISN'T INDONESIA, ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT, ALSO 
THE WORLD'S MOST POPULATED MUSLIM NATION? WHATEVER ITS 
MOTIVATION, AMERICA'S MOBILIZATION IS AN EXCELLENT THING, EVEN 
IF THE IDEA OF A `COALITION OF THE WILLING' IS MORE 
APPROPRIATE TO FIGHT TERRORISM THAN TO BRING AID TO DISASTER 
VICTIMS. THE FACT THAT THIS NEW AD HOC COALITION WITH INDIAN 
OCEAN COUNTRIES HAS, IN PRESIDENT BUSH'S EYES THE ADVANTAGE OF 
EXCLUDING THE UN AND THE EU, DOES NOT MAKE IT LESS EFFECTIVE. 
TRUE TO ITS PRINCIPLES, FRANCE CONTINUES TO PROMOTE THE UN. IN 
ORDER FOR THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO THIS GLOBAL DISASTER NOT TO 
FAIL, THE AID MUST BE COORDINATED. PUBLIC OPINION CAN 
UNDERSTAND WHEN GREAT NATIONS FIGHT IN TIMES OF WAR; THEY 
WOULD NOT TOLERATE THIS FIGHTING IN TIMES OF PEACE OVER A 
NATURAL DISASTER." WOLFF