US embassy cable - 05PARIS216

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000216 
 
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 - PALESTINIAN 
ELECTION GUANTANAMO AIRBUS-BOEING AGREEMENT 
PARIS - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. MIDDLE EAST - PALESTINIAN ELECTION 
2. GUANTANAMO 
3. AIRBUS-BOEING AGREEMENT 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN CARRIES PRESIDENT BUSH'S 
OP-ED ON THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI, IN WHICH HE CONVEYS HIS AND 
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S COMPASSION FOR THE VICTIMS AND PROMISES 
LONG-LASTING AID. THE OP-ED IS PROMINENTLY FEATURED, INCLUDES 
A COLOR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PRESIDENT AND IS TITLED "OUR 
COMMITMENT WILL BE LONG-LASTING." THE OP-ED IS ANNOUNCED IN A 
FRONT-PAGE SIDEBAR: "IN A LETTER TO OUR PAPER, THE AMERICAN 
PRESIDENT CONVEYS HIS LONG-LASTING COMMITMENT TO HELPING THE 
VICTIMS OF THE TSUNAMI." 
 
UNDERNEATH THE OP-ED HENRI VERNET COMMENTS: "IT IS A RARE 
OCCASION WHEN PRESIDENT BUSH SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO A COUNTRY 
OTHER THAN HIS OWN. IF HE HAS CHOSEN TO DO THIS AT THIS TIME, 
IT IS BECAUSE THE TRAGEDY WHICH HAS HIT SOUTH ASIA IS OF AN 
UNPRECEDENTED MAGNITUDE. IT MAY ALSO BE BECAUSE THE INITIAL 
U.S. REACTION TO THE TRAGEDY WAS VERY MUCH CRITICIZED, WITH 
THE PRESIDENT ON THE FRONT LINES. TO COUNTER THIS CRITICISM, 
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS DECIDED TO EXPLAIN AMERICA'S ACTIONS TO 
WORLD OPINION DIRECTLY." 
 
THE OP-ED WAS MENTIONED BY AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, TWO RADIO 
STATIONS, EUROPE 1 AND RTL, FRANCE 2 TELEVISION AND THE ALL- 
NEWS TELEVISION STATION LCI. 
 
FRONT-PAGES OF TODAY'S MAJOR DAILIES ARE DEVOTED TO DOMESTIC 
SOCIAL ISSUES, WHILE THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PRESS DEVOTE 
THEIR LEAD STORIES TO THE AGREEMENT REACHED IN BRUSSELS 
BETWEEN AIRBUS AND BOEING. "THE U.S. AND EUROPE SIGN AN 
ARMISTICE" HEADLINES LES ECHOS WHILE LA TRIBUNE TITLES 
"NEGOTIATIONS ON TRACK IN THE BOEING-AIRBUS DISPUTE." THE 
EDITORIAL NEVERTHELESS SUGGESTS THAT BEFORE AN "ACCEPTABLE 
COMPROMISE IS REACHED, THE DISCUSSIONS WILL BE AN EXERCISE 
SIMILAR TO A HIGH WIRE ACT." (SEE PART C) 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE DEVOTES ITS EDITORIAL TO THE DETAINEES 
IN GUANTANAMO BAY, "A ZONE OUTSIDE THE LAW" AND A "LEGAL 
MONSTER." (SEE PART C) LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION CARRIES A 
FULL-PAGE REPORT ON THE TRIAL OF CHARLES GRANER FOR HIS 
CONDUCT IN THE ABU GHARAIB PRISON. THE ARTICLE CARRIES THE 
CONTROVERSIAL PICTURE OF THE PRISONERS' PYRAMID. IN A REPORT 
ON THE GROWING VIOLENCE IN IRAQ POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE 
SOIR ASKS: "AFTER THE ELECTIONS, CHAOS?" 
 
MANY REPORTS CONTINUE TO BE DEVOTED TO THE AFTERMATH OF MAHMUD 
ABBAS'S ELECTION AND TO SHARON'S PHONE CALL TO THE NEWLY- 
ELECTED PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT. IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO 
ALEXANDRE ADLER EXPLAINS WHAT SHARON CAN REASONABLY EXPECT 
FROM THE PALESTINIANS IN THE SHORT TERM. (SEE PART C) LEFT-OF- 
CENTER LE MONDE CARRIES AN OP-ED PENNED BY FORMER MIDDLE EAST 
ENVOY DENNIS ROSS, TITLED "BETWEEN ABBAS AND SHARON, HOSNI 
MUBARAK." "PRESIDENT MUBARAK SUPPORTED ABBAS. AND DECLARED 
THAT SHARON MAY BE THE MAN WHO CAN BRING PEACE. WE AMERICANS 
NEED TO COLLABORATE WITH THE EUROPEANS. THERE IS AN OPENING. A 
HISTORIC MOMENT WHICH MAY NOT LAST. IF WE DO NOT GRASP THIS 
OPPORTUNITY IT MAY BE LOST FOR A LONG TIME." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
MIDDLE EAST - PALESTINIAN ELECTION 
 
"WHAT CAN WE FEAR, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?" 
ALEXANDRE ADLER IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (01/12): "A 
SINGLE QUESTION COMES TO MIND: WILL HE SUCCEED? WE WOULD LIKE 
TO SAY HE WILL, BUT MANY OTHER PLAYERS, INCLUDING THE `BAD 
GUYS,' WILL HAVE A SAY: HEZBOLLAH, TEHERAN AND HAMAS. STILL, 
THE BIGGEST STUMBLING BLOCK MAY BE ISRAEL AND THOSE WHO ARE 
ASKING FOR TOO MUCH TOO SOON FROM ABBAS. PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS 
CAN GIVE A LOT ON SECURITY ISSUES, THROUGH A SUBTLE BLEND OF 
FORCE AND CUNNING. MUCH CAN BE ASKED OF THEM, BUT NOTHING 
PUBLICLY." 
 
GUANTANAMO 
 
"GUANTANAMO, YEAR IV" 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE IN ITS UNSIGNED EDITORIAL (01/12): 
"THE VENUE OF GUANTANAMO WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE IT CAME UNDER NO 
JURISDICTION, NEITHER THE U.S. NOR THE CUBAN ONE. THE 
PENTAGON'S INTENTION, APPROVED BY THE WHITE HOUSE, WAS TO 
CREATE A ZONE THAT WOULD STAND OUTSIDE THE LAW, WHERE ALLEGED 
AL-QAEDA COMBATANTS. COULD BE DETAINED, AND ABOVE ALL 
INTERROGATED WITHOUT JUDICIAL CONTROL. A PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON 
ANNOUNCED ON JANUARY 6 THAT AMONG THE DETAINEES IN GUANTANAMO, 
AROUND 25 PERCENT HAD SOME `VALUE' IN TERMS OF INTELLIGENCE. 
EVEN IF THIS WAS REASON ENOUGH TO DETAIN THEM, WHAT SHOULD BE 
SAID ABOUT THE OTHER 75 PERCENT? WHAT ARE THE CHARGES AGAINST 
THEM? BEFORE WHAT JURISDICTION WILL THEY BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE 
CHARGES AND WHEN? . 
FBI DOCUMENTS OBTAINED BY HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HAVE REVEALED 
THAT INTERROGATION PROCEDURES IN GUANTANAMO INCLUDED VIOLENCE. 
THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS, THE ONLY ENTITY ALLOWED BY THE 
U.S. TO WATCH OVER THE CONDITIONS OF DETENTION, HAD IN 
NOVEMBER 2004 CALLED ATTENTION TO METHODS WHICH WERE 
`EQUIVALENT TO TORTURE.' 
THE SIMPLE TRUTH IS THAT AMERICAN OFFICIALS CREATED A LEGAL 
MONSTER IN GUANTANAMO BAY. THEY MUST PUT AN END TO THE 
SITUATION, QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY, BY LIBERATING THOSE 
DETAINEES WHOSE FILES ARE EMPTY AND BY CHARGING THE REST 
BEFORE ORDINARY COURTS OF LAW." 
 
AIRBUS-BOEING AGREEMENT 
 
"A HIGH WIRE ACT" 
PASCAL AUBERT IN CENTRIST LA TRIBUNE (01/12): "RATHER THAN 
GOING BEFORE THE WTO, THE U.S. AND EUROPE HAVE CHOSEN THE WAY 
OF WISDOM. NEITHER SIDE APPEARS EAGER TO LET THE TRADE SHERIFF 
PUT ITS NOSE IN THE BILATERAL AGREEMENT REACHED IN 1992. FOR 
BOTH WASHINGTON AND BRUSSELS, THE LEAST BAD SOLUTION IS STILL 
A TWO-SIDED AGREEMENT. HAVING MADE THE SAME ANALYSIS, BOTH 
SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC HAVE OPTED FOR A TRUCE. BUT WHAT REMAINS 
TO BE FOUND IS AN ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE. THE DISCUSSIONS WILL 
BE AN EXERCISE SIMILAR TO A HIGH WIRE ACT. THE POSITIONS ARE 
STILL SO FAR APART, THAT THE OUTCOME IS NOT GUARANTEED. THE 
FIRST CONDITION IS FINDING A COMMON LANGUAGE, PARTICULARLY 
WHEN IT COMES TO SPEAKING ABOUT AID AND COMPETITION. THE 
AMERICANS SPEAK OF AIRBUS'S `UNFAIR' SUBSIDIES, AND BOEING'S 
LEGITIMATE AID. ANOTHER CONDITION FOR SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS 
IS THE NEED FOR STRICT EQUALITY OF TREATMENT, SINCERE AND 
VERIFIABLE AT ALL TIMES. SO AS TO REACH A REGIME THAT IS 
TRANSPARENT AND WILL AVOID FUTURE DISPUTES." LEACH