US embassy cable - 05PARIS86

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000086 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - IRAQ TSUNAMI - HUMANITARIAN 
AID AND POLITICS 
PARIS - THURSDAY, JANUARY 06, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. IRAQ 
2. TSUNAMI - HUMANITARIAN AID AND POLITICS 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
POLITICS AND HUMANITARIAN AID ARE TWO KEY WORDS IN MANY OF 
TODAY'S COMMENTARIES, WHILE FRONT PAGES ARE MOSTLY DEVOTED TO 
DOMESTIC SOCIAL ISSUES. LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION IS AN 
EXCEPTION WITH ITS LEAD STORY ON IRAQ AND THE ELECTIONS, WHICH 
EDITORIALIST PATRICK SABATIER CONSIDERS WILL BE NOTHING MORE 
THAN "AN ILLUSION." (SEE PART C) 
 
WITH REGARD TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE TSUNAMI DISASTER AND 
THE RELIEF EFFORTS UNDERWAY, SOME COMMENTATORS CALL FOR A 
"TRUCE" IN THE RIVALRY BETWEEN NATIONS (LA CROIX), OTHERS 
POINT TO U.S. "ULTERIOR MOTIVES" (LIBERATION) WHILE OTHERS 
STILL (LE FIGARO) EXPLAIN HOW "A NATURAL DISASTER CAN ALSO 
LEAD TO DOING POLITICS DIFFERENTLY." (SEE PART C) 
 
THE HEARINGS ON THE NOMINATION OF ALBERTO GONZALES AS ATTORNEY 
GENERAL LEAD LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION TO TITLE ITS REPORT: 
"AN ADVOCATE OF TORTURE TO HEAD THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IN THE 
U.S." 
 
IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO PIERRE PRIER WRITES A REPORT ON 
"A MYSTERIOUS ANTI-AMERICAN PLOT" IN KUWAIT. "IF THE PLOT BY 
KUWAITI SOLDIERS (AGAINST U.S. INTERESTS) IS VERIFIED, THE 
CONCERNS THIS WOULD TRIGGER WOULD SURPASS ANYTHING IMAGINED 
UNTIL NOW. IT WOULD CAST A DAUNTING LIGHT ON THE HOLD THE 
SUNNI DJIHAD HAS IN THE GULF AND ON THE FRAILTY OF REGIONAL 
OIL REGIMES. THE INFILTRATION OF THEIR ARMED FORCES IS THE 
ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE FOR THESE GOVERNMENTS." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
IRAQ 
 
"ILLUSION" 
PATRICK SABATIER IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (01/06): "IT 
WILL BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO PUT AN END TO THE SUFFERING OF 
THE IRAQIS CAUGHT IN THE WAR THAN TO THE SUFFERING OF THE 
SURVIVORS OF THE TSUNAMI. PRESIDENT BUSH IS NO LONGER TALKING 
ABOUT BRINGING DEMOCRACY TO IRAQ OR ABOUT REBUILDING THAT 
COUNTRY. HIS GOAL IS TO WITHDRAW HIS TROOPS FROM THE QUAGMIRE 
HE SENT THEM TO, BUT WITHOUT CONCEDING DEFEAT IN THE FACE OF A 
`NATIONAL ISLAMIC' IRAQI RESISTANCE HE CANNOT BREAK. THE 
JANUARY 30 ELECTIONS WERE SUPPOSED TO OFFER A WAY OUT, WITH 
THE `IRAQISATION' OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. THIS SOLUTION MAY 
BE CUT SHORT BY THE INTIMIDATION TECHNIQUES USED BY TERRORIST 
GROUPS. IT IS NOT TOTALLY CERTAIN AT THIS POINT WHETHER THE 
ELECTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE. AND IF THEY DO, IT IS EVEN LESS 
CERTAIN WHETHER THEY WILL SERVE ANY PURPOSE. THERE IS NO OTHER 
CONCEIVABLE END TO THIS WAR THAN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A 
REGIME THAT FULLY REPRESENTS ALL IRAQIS AND IS ABLE TO SECURE 
THE COUNTRY ALL THE WHILE FREEING IT FROM FOREIGN OCCUPATION. 
BUT ORGANIZING ELECTIONS IN A COUNTRY AT WAR, WITHOUT ANY 
INTERNATIONAL CONTROL, WITH ONE FIFTH OF THE POPULATION 
EXCLUDED FROM VOTING BY EITHER TERROR OR THROUGH A BOYCOTT, 
WILL RESULT IN A REGIME THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED TO BE 
ILLEGITIMATE BY THE SUNNIS, AND THEREFORE THREATENED BY CIVIL 
WAR. IN SUCH A CASE THE ELECTIONS WILL BE NOTHING OTHER THAN 
AN ILLUSION." 
 
TSUNAMI - HUMANITARIAN AID AND POLITICS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
"SOLDIERS OF LIFE" 
CHARLES LAMBROSCHINI IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (01/06): "BY 
HELPING ONE OF THE COUNTRIES WITH THE LARGEST MUSLIM 
POPULATION THE U.S. IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO 
ERASE ITS IMAGE OF ENEMY OF ISLAM. AS OPPOSED TO THE 
INTERVENTION IN IRAQ, THE GIS ARE NOT COMING TO ASIA AS 
CONQUERORS BUT AS SAVIORS. SIXTY YEARS AFTER THE MARSHALL 
PLAN, THIS STRATEGY OF GENEROSITY RESPONDS TO THE SAME 
MOTIVATIONS. GEORGE BUSH'S DECISION TO MULTIPLY BY TEN 
AMERICA'S AID IS DEVOID OF ANY AMBIGUITY. THE U.S. SOLDIERS 
LANDING IN ASIA HAVE HERE NO REASON TO USE THEIR WEAPONS. 
WHEREAS IN VIETNAM THE AMERICANS WERE UNABLE TO CONQUER THE 
`HEARTS AND MINDS,' THERE IS IN ASIA NO POSSIBILITY FOR 
CONFUSION. AS CLAUSEWITZ ONCE SAID, A NATURAL DISASTER CAN 
ALSO LEAD TO DOING POLITICS DIFFERENTLY." 
 
"COMPETITION" 
GERARD DUPUY IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (01/06): "IN ASIA, 
THE U.S. IS FINDING AN UNHOPED FOR AND RESPECTABLE NEW WAY TO 
USE ITS WAR MACHINE, JUST WHEN ITS SUPERIORITY IS PRODUCING 
THE WORST POSSIBLE POLITICAL RESULTS IN IRAQ. BUT THOSE WHO 
CRITICIZE WASHINGTON'S ULTERIOR MOTIVES HAVE SIMILAR 
INTENTIONS." 
 
"A NEW WORLD ORDER" 
BRUNO FRAPPAT IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (01/06): "FOR THIS REAL WAR 
IN THE NAME OF GOOD, THERE IS NO ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF, NO 
`MASTER OF THE WORLD.' IN JAKARTA, WHERE A CONFERENCE IS 
ATTEMPTING TO ORGANIZE THE UNPRECEDENTED FLOW OF GENEROSITY, 
LET US TRY TO FORGET, FOR A TIME, ULTERIOR MOTIVES, RIVALRIES 
AND COMPETITION ABOUT THE `COMMUNICATION' STRATEGIES WHICH ARE 
BEING ELABORATED." 
 
"MAKING PROPER USE OF A DISASTER" 
JACQUES AMALRIC IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (01/06): "WHEN 
PRESIDENT BUSH BECAME AWARE THAT THE TSUNAMI DISASTER COULD 
HELP WASHINGTON PROJECT A MORE POSITIVE IMAGE OF THE U.S. ARMY 
TO THE WORLD THAN THE ONE COMING FROM IRAQ, HE TURNED THE 15 
MILLION DOLLARS INTO 350. NOTHING AS YET PROVES THAT THE 
DISASTER IN SOUTH ASIA WILL ALLOW WASHINGTON TO PROJECT THE 
IMAGE OF THE `EMPIRE OF GOOD' AND TO ERASE THE IRAQI FIASCO. 
BUT THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY WE MUST PUT ON HOLD ALL OUR 
INDECENT RIVALRIES AND CONFIRM THE UN IN ITS ROLE AS SOLE 
COORDINATOR FOR THE EMERGENCY RELIEF EFFORT AND FOR THE 
RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS THAT WILL CONTINUE FOR 
YEARS." LEACH