US embassy cable - 05PARIS306

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000306 
 
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 - BUSH ADMINISTRATION - SECOND 
TERM PROSPECTS AIRBUS VERSUS BOEING 
PARIS - TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. BUSH ADMINISTRATION - SECOND TERM PROSPECTS 
2. AIRBUS VERSUS BOEING 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
ONE WORD, AIRBUS, SUMMARIZES TODAY'S FRONT PAGES AND 
EDITORIALS. AS THE EUROPEAN CONSORTIUM GETS READY TO UNVEIL 
THE A380, HEADLINES COMPETE FOR WORDS TO ILLUSTRATE THE 
GRANDEUR OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT. FOR LE 
FIGARO, IT IS A "FLYING AIRSHIP," WHILE LIBERATION TITLES 
"XXL" AND FRANCE SOIR "EVERYTHING ABOUT THE LARGEST AIRCRAFT 
IN THE WORLD." LE PARISIEN NOTES ABOUT THE A380 FEATURED ON 
ITS FRONT PAGE: "THIS, ALSO, IS EUROPE." COMMENTATORS FOR THE 
MOST PART HAIL THIS TECHNOLOGICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHILE SOME, 
LIKE LIBERATION'S JEAN-MICHEL THENARD, CONTEND THAT "BIGGER IS 
NOT NECESSARILY BETTER." (SEE PART C) 
 
THE SITUATION IN THE BROADER MIDDLE EAST LEADS COMMENTATOR 
BERNARD GUETTA IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY L'EXPRESS TO DEVOTE 
HIS COLUMN TO THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE "BUT NOT WITHOUT THE 
U.S. AND EUROPE." IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES ECHOS COMMENTATOR 
JACQUES HUBERT-RODIER WRITES AN OP-ED ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S 
SECOND TERM, WHICH HE SEES AS LESS ISOLATIONIST AND MORE PRO- 
ATLANTICIST. (SEE PART C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
BUSH ADMINISTRATION - SECOND TERM PROSPECTS 
 
"THE `BUSH DOCTRINE' TESTED DURING SECOND TERM" 
JACQUES HUBERT-RODIER IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES ECHOS (01/18): 
"IRAQ, IRAN, ISRAEL-PALESTINE, THREE `IS' THAT WILL DOMINATE 
PRESIDENT BUSH'S SECOND TERM. A SECOND TERM THAT IS BEGINNING 
UNDER VERY DIFFERENT AUSPICES FROM THE FIRST, ESPECIALLY IN 
TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. FOUR YEARS LATER, AMERICA 
FINDS ITSELF MUCH MORE COMMITTED TO THE AFFAIRS OF THE WORLD. 
PRESIDENT BUSH'S SECOND TERM WILL BE COLORED BY FOREIGN POLICY 
AND ITS SOCIAL AND BUDGETARY CONSEQUENCES FOR THE U.S. . THE 
PRESENT CONTEXT IS OFFERING WHAT THE AMERICANS LIKE TO CALL 
`WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY' IN THE BROADER MIDDLE EAST. EVEN IF 
IN IRAQ AND FOR THE TIME BEING, THE 135,000 SOLDIERS ARE HARD- 
PRESSED TO ESTABLISH A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF SECURITY. STILL, THE 
ELECTIONS ARE CRUCIAL., OPENING AN ERA FOR THE RETURN OF FULL 
SOVEREIGNTY TO IRAQ. THAT MOMENT IS STILL FAR OFF INTO THE 
FUTURE BECAUSE THE IRAQI ARMY AND POLICE CANNOT AT THIS TIME 
TAKE OVER FROM THE AMERICANS AND THE ALLIES TO GUARANTEE THE 
COUNTRY'S SECURITY. PARADOXICALLY, IT IS IN THE ISRAELI- 
PALESTINE CONFLICT THAT, DIPLOMATICALLY SPEAKING, THE U.S. CAN 
CARRY THE MOST WEIGHT. CALLS ARE COMING FROM EVERYWHERE FOR 
WASHINGTON TO TAKE OVER AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. 
DOES THE U.S. PRESIDENT WANT THE EXISTENCE OF A PALESTINIAN 
STATE `COEXISTING IN PEACE' NEXT TO THE ISRAELI STATE? IT IS 
WITH IRAN THAT THE EXERCISE WILL BE THE HARDEST. WHAT TO DO 
WITH TEHERAN, WHICH IS OPENLY SUSPECTED BY WASHINGTON, AND 
MORE DISCREETLY BY THE EUROPEANS, OF WANTING TO DEVELOP THE 
ATOMIC BOMB? THE PRESIDENT WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE 
`SOFT APPROACH' OF THE EUROPEAN TROIKA AND THE HARD LINE 
PREFERRED BY MANY OF HIS ADVISORS. THESE THREE ISSUES WILL 
DETERMINE TO A LARGE EXTENT THE STATUS OF TRANSATLANTIC 
RELATIONS, WHICH SUFFERED FROM THE WAR IN IRAQ. THE U.S. 
PRESIDENT HAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE A RECONCILIATION 
WITH MANY OF HIS EUROPEAN ALLIES AND TO DEMONSTRATE THAT 
AMERICA IS NOT AT WAR WITH ISLAM. PRESIDENT BUSH IS COMING TO 
EUROPE, AND PROBABLY LATER PRESIDENT CHIRAC WILL TRAVEL TO 
WASHINGTON: SIGNS OF A NEW ERA? AT ANY RATE THESE ARE SIGNS OF 
A MORE BENEVOLENT AMERICA TRYING TO CONVINCE THE WORLD THAT 
ITS GOALS ARE JUST. A DIFFICULT TASK." 
"EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE POINTING TO PEACE, BUT." 
BERNARD GUETTA IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY L'EXPRESS (01/18): 
"PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST COULD BE ACHIEVED IN THE NEXT TWO 
YEARS. THE CHANCES FOR THIS TO HAPPEN HAVE NEVER BEEN SO 
TANGIBLE. BUT WITHOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE U.S. AND EUROPE, 
IF NEITHER GRASPS THE OPPORTUNITY, EVERYTHING COULD FALL 
APART. THE PALESTINIANS ARE FEELING IMPATIENT. THEY NEED TO 
BELIEVE THAT PEACE IS POSSIBLE. AND ONLY THE U.S. AND EUROPE 
CAN DO THIS. THEIR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY IS GREAT. THEY 
MUST REAFFIRM THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE `ROADMAP.' 
CAUGHT IN THE IRAQI QUAGMIRE, THE U.S. HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO 
BOUNCE BACK IN JERUSALEM. EVERYTHING POINTS TO PEACE, BUT NOT 
WITHOUT THE U.S. AND EUROPE." 
 
AIRBUS VERSUS BOEING 
 
"KING SIZE" 
JEAN-MICHEL THENARD IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (01/18): "THE 
CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE A380 SEEM TO BE SAYING THAT BIG IS 
BEAUTIFUL. TO COMPETE WITH THE AMERICANS, OLD EUROPE IS 
LAUNCHING A KING SIZE AIRCRAFT. IF AIRBUS'S BET TURNS OUT TO 
BE A WINNING BET, WHICH IS NOT GUARANTEED, EUROPE'S AEROSPACE 
INDUSTRY WILL BE THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE LEADER. THROUGH THE 
AIRBUS-BOEING RACE, EUROPEANS AND AMERICANS ARE FIGHTING FOR 
THE LEAD IN WORLD TRADE. BUT AIRBUS STILL NEEDS TO WIN ITS 
WAGER. AT A TIME WHEN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY IS BESIEGED BY 
TERRORISM AND NATURAL DISASTERS." 
 
"THE CHALLENGE" 
GILLES SENGES IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES ECHOS (01/18): "THE 
CHALLENGE OF THE A380 IS NO MORE AND NO LESS THAN AN ATTEMPT 
TO INSURE THE PREDOMINANCE OF THE EUROPEAN CONSORTIUM IN THE 
SKIES, AND THE ACQUISITION OF LARGE PROFITS, EQUAL TO THOSE 
ACHIEVED BY BOEING WITH THE 747." LEACH