US embassy cable - 05PARIS1053

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001053 
 
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 - LEBANON - SYRIA, PRESIDENT 
BUSH IN EUROPE 
PARIS - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
  1.   LEBANON - SYRIA 
2.   PRESIDENT BUSH IN EUROPE 
 
(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
FRONT-PAGES IN THE FRENCH PRESS TODAY DEAL WITH A VARIETY OF 
SUBJECTS FROM THE RECORD PROFITS OF FRENCH COMPANIES, NAMELY 
OIL GIANT TOTAL THAT HAS SURPASSED ITS ALL-TIME RECORD, TO THE 
MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS OR THE LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS IN 
PORTUGAL. 
 
THE STORY OF FINANCE MINISTER HERVE GAYMARD'S 14000 EURO/MONTH 
GOVERNMENT-PAID APARTMENT CONTINUES TO DOMINATE EDITORIAL 
COMMENTARY IN THE REGIONAL (NON-PARIS) PRESS. THE REACTION OF 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SYRIA FOLLOWING THE 
ASSASSINATION OF FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER RAFIC HARIRI 
IS AGAIN THE TOP INTERNATIONAL STORY. IN POPULAR CENTER-RIGHT 
FRANCE SOIR, THE AUTHOR OF "FOUR YEARS TO CHANGE THE WORLD" 
BRUNO TERTRAIS, REMARKS THAT "PARIS AND WASHINGTON HAVE ALWAYS 
BEEN ON THE SAME WAVE-LENGTH CONCERNING THIS ISSUE." (SEE PART 
C) 
 
KEN WEINSTEIN, DIRECTOR OF THE HUDSON INSTITUTE, PENS AN OP-ED 
IN FRENCH ON "AMERICANS, EUROPEANS AND THE MIDDLE EAST" FOR 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO. "FOR DECADES, AMERICANS AND 
EUROPEANS HAVE EFFECTIVELY WORKED TOGETHER TO SETTLE CONFLICTS 
IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD. TODAY, WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE 
ELECTIONS IN IRAQ AND THE WORSENING SITUATION BETWEEN SYRIA 
AND LEBANON, EUROPE NEEDS TO RALLY TO THE [U.S.] POSITION IN 
ORDER TO SOLVE THE MOST URGENT PROBLEMS." 
 
SOME EDITORIALS BEGIN TO FOCUS ON THE VISIT NEXT WEEK OF 
PRESIDENT BUSH TO EUROPE. A REPORT IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE 
FIGARO HIGHLIGHTS EU COMMISSIONER JOSE MANUEL BARROSO'S 
"ENTHUSIASM" AT THE IDEA OF HOSTING PRESIDENT BUSH IN BRUSSELS 
NEXT WEEK. LE FIGARO CALLS BARROSO THE "APOSTLE OF 
RECONCILIATION" ADDING THAT HE "CONSIDERS BUSH II TO BE MUCH 
MORE MODERATE THAN BUSH I, THANKS NAMELY TO THE ABILITY OF 
CONDOLEEZZA RICE." (SEE PART C) 
 
JOHN NEGROPONTE'S APPOINTMENT AS THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE IS REPORTED IN SEVERAL DAILIES. RIGHT-OF-CENTER 
LE FIGARO'S WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT PHILIPPE GELIE NOTES THAT 
NEGROPONTE "WILL HAVE TO START PRACTICALLY FROM SCRATCH. AND 
IMPOSE ORDER IN A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AND OPAQUE ENVIRONMENT." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
LEBANON - SYRIA 
 
"WASHINGTON INCREASES THE PRESSURE TO ISOLATE SYRIA" 
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION PASCAL 
RICHE COMMENTS (02/18):  "SINCE IRAQ OFFICIALLY JOINED THE 
RANKS OF THE `GOOD GUYS' THERE WAS A VACANCY TO FILL IN THE 
RANKS OF THE `AXIS OF EVIL.' SINCE THE ASSASSINATION OF RAFIC 
HARIRI, DAMASCUS HAS COME TO THE FOREFRONT TO FILL THAT SPOT. 
BUSH INTENDS TO MAKE THE ISSUE OF SYRIA THE `MAIN COURSE' WHEN 
HE HAS DINNER WITH JACQUES CHIRAC IN BRUSSELS NEXT MONDAY. IN 
THE PAST, BUSH HAS OPENLY PRAISED CHIRAC'S ANALYSES ON THE 
LEBANO-SYRIAN QUESTION, PERHAPS FRANCO-AMERICAN RECONCILIATION 
WILL TAKE PLACE AT DAMASCUS' EXPENSE." 
 
PRESIDENT BUSH IN EUROPE 
 
"TRANS-ATLANTIC D ENTE" 
BERNARD GUETTA TOLD LISTENERS ON STATE-RUN FRANCE INTER RADIO 
THIS MORNING (02/18): "GEORGE BUSH HAS CHANGED. EUROPE HAS 
CHANGED. THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION HAS CONSIDERABLY EVOLVED 
OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND THE EU-U.S. SUMMIT NEXT WEEK IN 
BRUSSELS SHOULD UNDERSCORE THE SCOPE OF THE TRANS-ATLANTIC 
D ENTE. GEORGE BUSH HAS CHANGED BECAUSE. HIS AGENDA IS NO 
LONGER DOMINATED BY WAR BUT BY STABILIZATION AND SETTLEMENT. 
THIS IS THE CASE FOR IRAQ, BUT ALSO FOR THE ISRAELI- 
PALESTINIAN CONFLICT. GEORGE BUSH'S OBJECTIVE IS TO LEAVE THE 
WHITE HOUSE IN 2009 WITH THESE TWO CRISES SETTLED. THIS IS 
WHAT HE WANTS TO LEAVE FOR POSTERITY. AND TO ACHIEVE THIS HE 
NEEDS EUROPE, ON A FINANCIAL AND ON A DIPLOMATIC LEVEL. SINCE 
HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE REPEATED 
OVERTURES TO THE UNION. A SMILING CONDOLEEZZA RICE HIGHLIGHTED 
THIS CHANGE OF TONE LAST WEEK IN PARIS. ON THE EUROPEAN SIDE, 
THE EU IS MUCH MORE UNIFIED THAN IT ITSELF REALIZED ON THE 
NECESSITY TO FIND A DIPLOMATIC SETTLEMENT TO THE CONFLICTS IN 
THE MIDDLE EAST.  AND ON IRAQ, THE EU, AND FRANCE THE FIRST, 
ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE QUESTION IS NO LONGER TO FIGURE OUT 
WHETHER THE INTERVENTION WAS JUSTIFIED BUT TO FIND A WAY OUT. 
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND EUROPE TODAY ARE NO 
LONGER STRATEGIC BUT TACTICAL, AND THAT MAKES ALL OF THE 
DIFFERENCE." LEACH