US embassy cable - 05PARIS1143

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 001143 
 
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 - PRESIDENT BUSH IN EUROPE THE 
EU, IRAQ, SYRIA AND LEBANON 
PARIS - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
PRESIDENT BUSH IN EUROPE: THE EU, IRAQ, SYRIA AND LEBANON 
 
(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
DESPITE ONGOING ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND EDITORIAL FOCUS ON 
PRESIDENT BUSH'S VISIT TO EUROPE THERE ARE FEWER FRONT-PAGE 
PRINT HEADLINES TODAY. FRONT-PAGES ARE DEVOTED TO DOMESTIC 
SOCIAL ISSUES SUCH AS PLANNED STRIKES COINCIDING WITH THE 
OLYMPIC COMMITTEE'S TOUR OF PARIS TO DETERMINE ITS POTENTIAL 
FOR HOSTING THE 2012 OLYMPICS. LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION 
REMINDS READERS THAT IT HAS BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE THE FRANCO- 
COLOMBIAN POLITICAL FIGURE, INGRID BETANCOURT, WAS TAKEN 
HOSTAGE IN COLOMBIA BY THE FARC. 
 
COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE'S FRONT-PAGE ANNOUNCES THAT: "AMERICAN 
CONSERVATIVES ARE OVERJOYED AT THE IDEA OF HAVING A DRAFT 
CONSTITUTION THAT WOULD BIND EUROPE" UNDER THE HEADLINE: "THE 
EUROPE THAT BUSH DREAMS OF." (SEE PART C) 
 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO HEADLINES:"BUSH REAFFIRMS THE 
`VITAL' ROLE OF NATO" ON ITS FRONT-PAGE AND THE REPORT BY 
PHILIPPE GELIE PUTS FORWARD THAT: "IF SOME EUROPEANS QUESTION 
THE USEFULNESS OF THE ATLANTIC ALLIANCE, FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER 
THE END OF THE COLD WAR, GEORGE W. BUSH GAVE THEM AN ANSWER 
YESTERDAY. 
 
CATHOLIC LA CROIX'S EDITORIALIST OPINES: "GEORGE BUSH'S VISIT 
TO EUROPE HAS CAREFULLY AVOIDED FRANCE BUT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE 
TO AVOID THE FRENCH PRESIDENT. `IRAQ IS BEHIND US' THE 
AMERICAN PRESIDENT DECLARED. INVITING HIS INTERLOCUTORS TO 
FORGET THEIR PAST SCRUPLES AND FILE THEM IN THE PROFITS AND 
LOSSES CATEGORY." (SEE PART C) 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION CALLS PRESIDENT BUSH'S VISIT: "FOUR 
DAYS TO LISTEN TO EUROPE" BUT ADDS THAT "RATHER THAN 
LISTENING, BUSH CAME ESPECIALLY TO EXPLAIN HIS POLITICS TO HIS 
ALLIES WHO ARE INCREASINGLY SKEPTICAL OF HIS WILLINGNESS TO 
COOPERATE DURING TIMES OF CRISIS WHEN `FREEDOM IS AT STAKE'. 
FOR THEIR PART, EUROPEANS UNDERTOOK A HOMERIC BATTLE FOR THE 
HONOR OF BEING HEARD BY THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT." 
 
THE HEADLINE STORY IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE: "BUSH AND 
CHIRAC ENJOIN SYRIA TO LEAVE LEBANON" AND THE EDITORIAL 
UNDERSCORE THE COMMON OBJECTIVE OF THE U.S. AND FRANCE TO 
PRESSURE DAMASCUS TO PULL ITS TROOPS OUT OF LEBANON, WHILE 
NOTING THE DIFFERENCE IN APPROACHES. (SEE PART C) 
 
LE MONDE ALSO CARRIES AN OP-ED BY KING ABDALLAH II OF JORDAN 
ON "A HOPE FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST" "HISTORY HAS SHOWN 
THAT WORDS ARE ONLY A BEGINNING. TODAY. THE HOPE FOR PEACE 
MUST BE GIVEN CONCRETE EXPRESSION. THOSE WHO STRIVE FOR PEACE 
NEED THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND FRANCE HAS AN IMPORTANT 
ROLE TO PLAY BECAUSE OF ITS HISTORIC INFLUENCE AND ITS SENSE 
OF JUSTICE AND RESPECT FOR OTHER NATIONS." 
 
COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE CARRIES AN INTERVIEW OF PALESTINIAN 
INTELLECTUAL ELIAS SANBAR ON THE HOPE FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE 
EAST: "WHAT HAS REALLY CHANGED IS PRESSURE FROM THE OUTSIDE, 
AND FOREMOST FROM THE U.S. THERE HAS BEEN A CLEAR CHANGE IN 
THE AMERICAN POSITION. THE U.S. HAS A VESTED INTEREST IN PEACE 
IN THE MIDDLE EAST. GEORGE BUSH WOULD LIKE EUROPE TO BE A 
PARTNER IN FINDING A SOLUTION AND THIS IS NOT AT ALL TO ARIEL 
SHARON'S TASTE. IT IS SORT OF A GIFT THAT THE AMERICANS ARE 
READY TO GIVE THE EUROPEANS SO THAT THEY DECIDE TO BECOME MORE 
INVOLVED IN IRAQ." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
PRESIDENT BUSH IN EUROPE 
"TIME TO LEAVE BRUSSELS" 
CORRESPONDENT JEAN-BERNARD CADIER TOLD LISTENERS THIS MORNING 
ON EUROPE 1 RADIO (02/23): "IT IS DEFINITELY TIME FOR 
PRESIDENT BUSH TO LEAVE BRUSSELS. THE FIRST DAY OF THE SUMMIT 
WAS MARKED BY GRAND DECLARATIONS AND BIG SMILES, BUT ON 
TUESDAY THE SMILES SEEMED TO BE INCREASINGLY FORCED WHEN THE 
FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES WERE BROUGHT UP. NOT ONLY WERE DEEP 
DIVERGENCES STILL APPARENT, BUT IT ALSO APPEARED THAT IT IS 
ALWAYS THE SAME COUNTRIES THAT STAND UP TO THE U.S." 
 
"THE FRANCO-GERMAN COUPLE WANTS TO IMPOSE ITSELF AGAINST THE 
U.S." 
ALEXANDRINE BOUILHET IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (02/23): 
"GEORGE BUSH MET A LOT OF PEOPLE, SAW MANY HEADS OF STATE, 
NUMEROUS FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTERS, BUT EVERYWHERE HE WENT TWO 
HEADS STOOD OUT OF THE CROWD, JACQUES CHIRAC AND GERHARD 
SCHRODER. AND THE MESSAGE THAT WAS ADDRESSED TO PRESIDENT BUSH 
BY THE EU YESTERDAY WAS IMMINENTLY CLEAR. IF HE WANTS TO 
STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH EUROPE, AS HE SAYS HE DOES, 
HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET AROUND FRANCE AND GERMANY." 
 
"GEORGE W. BUSH, GODFATHER OF EUROPE DESPITE HIMSELF" 
ALAIN DUHAMEL OPINED IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (02/23): 
"GEORGE BUSH HAS DISCOVERED THE EUROPEAN UNION. HE HAS 
OBVIOUSLY NOT GIVEN UP THE IDEA OF CONVERTING IT TO HIS WAY OF 
THINKING. HE DEFINITELY INTENDS TO USE NATO AS THE TOOLBOX OF 
THE PENTAGON. HE WOULD LIKE TO SWAY THE EUROPEANS TO GET ON 
BOARD WITH HIS STRATEGY FOR THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST. HE 
CONTINUES TO PURSUE THE DREAM OF A UNIVERSAL AMERICAN 
LEADERSHIP. NONETHELESS, WHILE GEORGE BUSH 1 IGNORED EUROPE OR 
TRIED TO BREAK IT BY TREATING IT AS THOUGH IT WERE A DECLINING 
CONTINENT. GEORGE BUSH 2 HAS REDISCOVERED EUROPE, HAS PAID 
TRIBUTE TO IT AND FORESEES TO TREAT IT SOME DAY LIKE A REAL 
PARTNER. BUSH 1 BROUGHT ABOUT THE BIRTH OF A EUROPEAN PUBLIC 
OPINION, BUSH 2 INCITES EUROPE TO ACT INDEPENDENTLY." 
 
"EUROPE EXISTS: BUSH SAW IT" 
PIERRE LAURENT IN COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE (02/23): "IN SHORT, THE 
U.S. LIKES EUROPE ESPECIALLY WHEN IT BEHAVES ITSELF AND IS 
ALIGNED WITH ITS POSITIONS. WITH THIS IN MIND IS IT DIFFICULT 
NOT TO SEE THE FINAL DECLARATION AT THE NATO SUMMIT AS A 
TROUBLING LIMITATION OF EUROPE'S MARGIN OF MANEUVER? WITH THE 
CONFLICT IN IRAQ CONTINUING AND THE AMERICAN SWORD OF DAMOCLES 
HANGING OVER SYRIA AND IRAN. IS IT REALLY THE RIGHT TIME FOR 
EUROPE TO HAND ITS FATE OVER TO GEORGE W. BUSH?. EUROPE SHOULD 
HAVE ANOTHER DESTINY THAN TO BE THE ARMED GUARD DOG OF 
AMERICAN SECURITY POLICIES." 
 
"CHIRAC WANTS TO BELIEVE IN BUSH" 
MYRIAM LEVY IN POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN (02/23): 
"YESTERDAY THE EUROPEANS APPEARED TO BE GIVING GEORGE BUSH A 
REMEDIAL COURSE BY IMPOSING ON HIM NO LESS THAN TEN SPEECHES 
TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS EUROPE!" 
 
"FORGET IRAQ?" 
BRUNO FRAPPAT WRITES IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (02/23): "TO SAY 
THAT `IRAQ IS BEHIND US' IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING THAT NOTHING 
EVER HAPPENED. THAT WE SHOULD SIMPLY FORGET THAT THE LIES 
CONCERNING THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION THAT CONSIDERABLY 
UNDERMINED GEORGE W. BUSH'S CREDIBILITY. HAD HE EXPRESSED JUST 
ONE OUNCE OF REMORSE ON THIS SUBJECT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A 
POSITIVE STEP. BUT WE SHOULD NOT DREAM TOO MUCH. IN THESE 
TIMES OF BENEVOLENT DOMINATION, THE LEAST WE CAN ASK OF THOSE 
WHO ASK FOR OUR FRIENDSHIP IS TO LET THEIR FRIENDS BE FREE." 
 
"HOPE FOR BEIRUT" 
THE UNSIGNED EDITORIAL IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE (02/23): 
"[BUSH AND CHIRAC] HAVE A COMMON STANCE ON THE ISSUE OF SYRIA 
AND LEBANON. HOWEVER THE U.S. IS MORE CONCERNED WITH PUTTING 
PRESSURE ON SYRIA IN VIEW OF A NEW GEOPOLITICAL ORDER IN THE 
MIDDLE EAST WHILE FRANCE IS CONCERNED, ABOVE ALL, WITH RE- 
ESTABLISHING LEBANON'S INDEPENDENCE." LEACH