US embassy cable - 05PARIS1283

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001283 
 
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 - LEBANON 
U.S. - EU RELATIONS 
PARIS - TUESDAY, MARCH 01, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
MIDDLE EAST - LEBANON 
U.S. - EU RELATIONS 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
THE ATTACK IN HILLA, WHICH LEFT 114 PEOPLE DEAD, IS A FRONT 
PAGE STORY ONLY IN COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE WHICH HEADLINES 
"BAGHDAD UNDER SHOCK" AND TITLES ITS INSIDE REPORT "MASSACRE 
ON A GRAND SCALE." THE STORY MAKES THE INSIDE PAGES ELSEWHERE 
WITH SIMILARLY GRIM HEADLINES: "THE MOST DEADLY ATTACK IN A 
YEAR" TITLES POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR, AN OPINION 
SHARED BY THIERRY OBERLE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO. "A DAY 
OF CARNAGE IN THE HEART OF HILLA" REPORTS LEFT-OF-CENTER 
LIBERATION. DOMINIQUE THOMAS, A MIDDLE EAST EXPERT, IS 
INTERVIEWED IN FRANCE SOIR: "THIS IS A MESSAGE TO THE 
AMERICANS COVERED IN BLOOD. THIS ATTACK IS NO COINCIDENCE. 
DURING THE ELECTIONS, SECURITY WAS TOO TIGHT. NOW THE MESSAGE 
IS THAT STABILITY WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE UNLESS THE COALITION 
LEAVES IRAQ. BUT BY HITTING THE IRAQI FORCES, THE MESSAGE SAYS 
ALSO THAT THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT WILL NOT SURVIVE THE DEPARTURE 
OF THE AMERICANS." 
 
TODAY'S NUMBER ONE FRONT-PAGE STORY IS LEBANON AND THE "WIND 
OF FREEDOM" (LE FIGARO) SWEEPING THE NATION. LEFT-OF-CENTER 
LIBERATION HEADLINES "LEBANON'S PEACEFUL INTIFADA" WHILE FOR 
CATHOLIC LA CROIX "BEIRUT STANDS UP TO SYRIA." THE EDITORIAL 
IN LIBERATION SUGGESTS THAT "DEMOCRATIZATION IS ON THE MOVE 
AFTER IRAQ" AND LA CROIX COMMENTS ON THE "DOMINO EFFECT" WHICH 
IS PLAYING IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRACY AND AGAINST DICTATORSHIPS. 
(SEE PART C) 
 
THE AFTERMATH OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S TRIP TO EUROPE CONTINUES TO 
ELICIT COMMENTARIES. IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY L'EXPRESS 
BERNARD GUETTA PENS AN UP-BEAT COMMENTARY TITLED "A TRUE 
REUNION" IN WHICH HE EMPHASIZES THAT "BOTH THE U.S. AND THE EU 
HAD A PRESSING INTEREST IN EASING THE TENSION." (SEE PART C) 
IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO PIERRE ROUSSELIN REPORTS ON THE 
CLUB DE MONACO, A MEETING BETWEEN FORMER INTERNATIONAL 
DIPLOMATS, TITLED "TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION UNDER DURESS." 
 
THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE CONFERENCE IN LONDON IS ALSO REPORTED. 
IN LE FIGARO PATRICK SAINT-PAUL SUGGESTS IT MAY ACHIEVE 
"LIMITED GOALS CONSIDERING ISRAEL'S ABSENCE." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
MIDDLE EAST - LEBANON 
 
"A WIND OF FREEDOM" 
PATRICK SABATIER IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/01): "THERE 
IS A TEMPTATION TO SEE LEBANON'S PEACEFUL INTIFADA AS THE 
DOMINO EFFECT OF THE `DEMOCRATIC CONTAGION' WHICH IS 
TRANSFORMING THE MIDDLE EAST. IS THIS WIND OF FREEDOM TRULY 
THE RESULT OF THE SHOCKWAVE INITIATED BY THE U.S. INTERVENTION 
IN IRAQ, AS PRESIDENT BUSH SAYS? U.S. DETERMINATION. IS 
ENCOURAGING NATIONAL OPPONENTS TO DICTATORSHIPS EVERYWHERE. 
DICTATORS ARE MORE HESITANT TO TURN TO REPRESSION. THE 
EUROPEANS WILL NOT OPPOSE THE AMERICANS WHEREVER DEMOCRATIC 
MOVEMENTS ARISE. THE FRENCH AND THE AMERICANS ARE WORKING HAND 
IN HAND IN LEBANON FOR SYRIA'S WITHDRAWAL." 
 
"LEBANON'S VELVET REVOLUTION" 
RENAUD GIRARD IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (03/01): "IN 
LEBANESE HISTORY YESTERDAY WILL BE REMEMBERED AS A MILESTONE 
OF LEBANON'S VELVET REVOLUTION. FREED FROM FEAR, THE PEOPLE IN 
THE STREETS AS WELL AS THE POLITICIANS DARED TO OPENLY OPPOSE 
LEBANON'S HOUNDED PRO-SYRIAN GOVERNMENT." 
U.S. - EU RELATIONS 
 
"A TRUE REUNION" 
BERNARD GUETTA IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY L'EXPRESS (03/01): 
"LAST WEEK MANY HEADLINES REPORTED ON THE PROFOUND 
DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE U.S. THEY ARE INDEED 
NUMEROUS, BUT THIS IS NOT THE ESSENTIAL POINT. WHAT COUNTS IS 
THAT IN SPITE OF KYOTO, OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT, 
OF THE LIFTING OF THE CHINESE ARMS EMBARGO, OR OF THE LACK OF 
U.S. SUPPORT TO PARIS, LONDON AND BERLIN'S EFFORTS WITH IRAN, 
AMERICA AND EUROPE HAD A PRESSING INTEREST IN LESSENING 
TRANSATLANTIC TENSION. WHAT MADE THIS A TRUE REUNION IS THAT 
IT WAS BASED ON REALITY. ON THE ONE HAND THE U.S. NEEDED TO 
FIND NEW FRIENDS BECAUSE AMERICA'S LACK OF POPULARITY HAS 
NEVER BEEN SO GREAT. AND NOT ONLY IN THE ARAB MUSLIM WORLD. 
THE U.S. NEEDED TO ENHANCE ITS IMAGE AND TO STRENGTHEN THE 
TRANSATLANTIC ALLIANCE. THIS IS WHY PRESIDENT BUSH COMMITTED 
TO THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS, THUS GIVING SATISFACTION TO 
THE EUROPEANS. THE EUROPEANS WERE JUST AS KEEN ABOUT THIS 
D ENTE. AS FOR CHIRAC, HE HAS MANAGED TO ACHIEVE FRANCE'S 
CONSECRATION: AFTER ALL PRESIDENT BUSH'S FIRST RECONCILIATION 
WAS WITH FRANCE, BEFORE HIS RECONCILIATION WITH EUROPE. CHIRAC 
IS THUS ACHIEVING HIS DREAM FOR FRANCE: TRANSATLANTIC 
RELATIONS ON AN EQUAL BASIS, DEVOID OF MASTER-VASSAL TIES, 
WITH THE FREEDOM OF AGREEING, BUT NOT NECESSARILY ON 
EVERYTHING." LEACH