US embassy cable - 05PARIS1589

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001589 
 
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 - IRAQ LEBANON-SYRIA 
PARIS - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. IRAQ 
2. LEBANON-SYRIA 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
FRONT PAGES AND EDITORIALS, DEVOTED TO TODAY'S DAY OF SOCIAL 
PROTEST, SINGLE OUT SALARIES AND A DETERIORATING BUYING POWER 
AS THE MAJOR REASON FOR THE PROTEST, AHEAD OF CONCERNS FOR 
CHANGES TO THE 35-HOUR WORKWEEK. 
 
LEBANON, SYRIA'S PULLOUT PLANS, AND DISARMING HEZBOLLAH ARE 
PART OF TODAY'S INTERNATIONAL STORIES. IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE 
FIGARO ALEXANDRINE BOUILHET REPORTS ON WALID JUMBLATT'S VISIT 
TO THE EU, WHERE "HE IS PLAYING EUROPE AGAINST THE U.S." SHE 
QUOTES A EUROPEAN DIPLOMAT: "THE U.S. WANTS TO IMPOSE A NEW 
REGIME IN DAMASCUS. WE ONLY WANT LEBANON'S SOVEREIGNTY." A 
SEPARATE REPORT IN LEFT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR 
REPORTS A SIMILAR STANCE ON BEHALF OF A FRENCH DIPLOMAT. (SEE 
PART C) IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY LE POINT, GENERAL AOUN, 
EXILED IN FRANCE, SAYS IN AN INTERVIEW: "WE CANNOT TRUST 
SYRIA. IT DOES NOT WANT TO WITHDRAW FROM LEBANON AND PREFERS A 
CONFRONTATION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. SYRIA'S REGIME 
IS INCAPABLE OF EITHER DIALOGUE OR NEGOTIATIONS." 
 
THE QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE ATTACK ON THE CONVOY CARRYING 
GIULIANA SGRENA IN IRAQ CONTINUE. IN POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER 
PARIS MATCH, EDITORIALIST ALAIN GENESTAR, WHO " LOVES 
AMERICA," IS NEVERTHELESS CHAGRINED BY "THE FEAR THAT LEADS 
AMERICAN SOLDIERS TO SHOOT WITHOUT REASON OR WARNING. SIMPLY 
BY PRECAUTION. AMERICA'S WAR IN IRAQ, AND BEYOND THAT, HOW IT 
CONDUCTS THAT WAR, TARNISHES AMERICA'S REPUTATION." (SEE PART 
C) 
 
THE ASSASSINATION OF ASLAN MASKHADOV AND THE SITUATION IN 
CHECHNYA ARE THE SUBJECTS CHOSEN BY BRUNO FRAPPAT IN LA CROIX 
FOR HIS EDITORIAL: "OF ALL THE BLACK HOLES ON THIS EARTH 
HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD, . THE WORST IS CHECHNYA, WHERE FOR THE 
PAST ELEVEN YEARS A HORRIBLE WAR HAS BEEN WAGED. RUSSIA IS NOT 
LETTING GO OF ITS PREY. AND TODAY, RUSSIA IS PROCLAIMING ITS 
VICTORY WITHOUT SHAME. MASKHAROV WAS NO LONGER IN CONTROL OF 
MUCH. HIS RELATIVE MODERATION PUT HIM IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE 
POSITION, BETWEEN TWO TYPES OF RADICALISM: RUSSIA'S AND THE 
ISLAMISTS', LIKE BASSAIEV. THE KREMLIN HAS HUNTED HIM WITHOUT 
MERCY, AND IS NOW STANDING PROUDLY BESIDES ITS TROPHY." 
 
POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN CARRIES A REPORT ON THE 
RECENTLY RELEASED FRENCH GUANTANAMO DETAINEES. CHRISTOPHE 
DUBOIS, WHO TITLES HIS STORY: "THE FRENCH SAID TO HAVE 
SUFFERED ABUSE IN GUANTANAMO," REPORTS THAT ONE OF THE 
DETAINEES, PATEL, HAS BEEN RELEASED BY THE FRENCH POLICE, AND 
THAT BENCHALLALI, RELEASED LAST JULY FROM GUANTANAMO, CLAIMS 
TO HAVE SUFFERED ABUSE WHILE DETAINED BY THE U.S. 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
IRAQ 
 
"WAR AND AMERICA'S REPUTATION" 
ALAIN GENESTAR IN POPULAR WEEKLY PARIS MATCH (03/10): 
"INVESTIGATIONS (INTO SHOOTING ACCIDENTS IN IRAQ) LEAD 
NOWHERE. THEY EXONERATE THE SHOOTER OR TONE DOWN MILITARY 
RESPONSIBILITY IN ORDER NOT TO AFFECT SOLDIER MORALE. THESE 
REPEATED BLUNDERS REVEAL WHAT THIS WAR IS ALL ABOUT. IT IS A 
BLIND DISORGANIZED WAR, WHOSE PURPOSE IS NOT TO HERALD THE 
RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO SELF-DETERMINATION, BUT TO HERALD 
`GOOD.' WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT IN BUSH'S MIND, THIS IS A 
`CRUSADE' IN THE NAME OF `GOOD' OVER `EVIL.' A SOLDIER WHO 
BELIEVES HE IS INHABITED BY GOOD, WHOSE PRESIDENT SPEAKS OF 
GOD TO JUSTIFY HIS WAR, DOES NOT ACT LIKE OTHER SOLDIERS. HE 
ACTS LIKE A RIGHTER OF WRONGS ON A MISSION. WE CAN UNDERSTAND 
THE SOLDIERS' FEAR. BEING TARGETS OF BLIND ATTACKS, THEY SHOOT 
AT ANYTHING THAT MOVES. AMERICANS, WHETHER SHERIFFS OR THE 
FBI, HAVE ALWAYS EXERCISED THEIR POWER WITH COLD EFFICIENCY. 
THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT, INCLUDING THAT OF SHOOTING WITHOUT 
PRIOR WARNING. AND THE RIGHT TO KILL OUT OF PRECAUTION. I LOVE 
AMERICA, ITS PEOPLE, ITS CREATIVITY, ITS LOVE OF FREEDOM. 
AMERICA'S WAR IN IRAQ, AND BEYOND THAT, HOW IT CONDUCTS THAT 
WAR, TARNISHES AMERICA'S REPUTATION. TO LOVE AMERICA IS ALSO 
TELLING AMERICA, IN ANSWER TO ITS USE OF VIOLENCE, TO CONTROL 
ITS FEAR." 
 
LEBANON-SYRIA 
 
"JUMBLATT PLAYING EUROPE AGAINST THE U.S." 
ALEXANDRINE BOUIHLET IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (03/10): 
"WALID JUMBLAT AND HIS DELEGATION ARE ASKING THE EU TO 
SEPARATE ITSELF FROM AMERICA'S POLICY IN LEBANON. HE FAVORS 
SYRIA'S PULLOUT, BUT NOT DISARMING HEZBOLLAH. THE LEBANESE 
OPPOSITION IS ASKING EUROPE TO SHOW CLEMENCY TOWARDS 
HEZBOLLAH. THE EU SEEMS TO HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE MESSAGE ABOUT 
THE TAIEF AGREEMENT, WHICH GIVES DAMASCUS THE OPPORTUNITY TO 
WITHDRAW FROM LEBANON WHILE SAVING FACE. AFTER SHARING 
WASHINGTON'S STANCE ON THE LEBANESE QUESTION, EUROPE IS 
BEGINNING TO TAKE ITS DISTANCE, INCLUDING ON THE 
INTERPRETATION OF RESOLUTION 1559. SAYS A EU DIPLOMAT: `WE, AS 
OPPOSED TO THE U.S., DO NOT WANT TO ISOLATE SYRIA. THE U.S. 
WANTS TO IMPOSE A NEW REGIME IN DAMASCUS. WE JUST WANT LEBANON 
TO REGAIN ITS SOVEREIGNTY, NOT A CRISIS WITH SYRIA.' JUMBLATT 
HOPES TO BE ABLE TO INFLUENCE FRANCE'S ANTI-SYRIA AND PRO-U.S. 
POSITION WHEN IN PARIS TOMORROW." 
 
"SLOW PULLOUT" 
FARID AICHOUNE IN LEFT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR 
(03/10): "WHAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN IS WHETHER THE AMERICANS AND 
THE SYRIANS ARE SPEAKING ONLY ABOUT LEBANON. AND IF PARIS AND 
WASHINGTON HAVE THE SAME REASONS FOR RE-ACTIVATING RESOLUTION 
1559. A FRENCH DIPLOMAT BELIEVES THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION 
IS MORE CONCERNED WITH SECURING THE IRAQI-SYRIAN BORDER THAN 
WITH GIVING LEBANON BACK ITS SOVEREIGNTY. WILL THE LEBANESE 
ONCE AGAIN BE HOSTAGE TO THE MAJOR POWERS AND THE VICTIMS OF A 
FOOL'S BARGAIN?" LEACH