US embassy cable - 05PARIS1714

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001714 
 
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 - SYRIA 
KAREN HUGHES NOMINATION - U.S. IMAGE ABROAD CHINA - TAIWAN 
RELATIONS 
PARIS - TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. MIDDLE EAST - LEBANON - SYRIA 
2. KAREN HUGHES NOMINATION - U.S. IMAGE ABROAD 
3. CHINA - TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
THE NOMINATION OF KAREN HUGHES AS UNDERSECRETARY FOR PUBLIC 
DIPLOMACY IS PROMINENTLY ANNOUNCED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF LE 
FIGARO, UNDER THE HEADING: "PRESIDENT BUSH WANTS TO IMPROVE 
AMERICA'S IMAGE," A TITLE REPEATED ON PAGE TWO ABOVE THE 
ARTICLE BY CORRESPONDENT PHILIPPE GELIE. (SEE PART C) 
SEPARATELY, LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION DEVOTES A REPORT TO THE 
"HIDDEN PROPAGANDA" FOR THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IN PAID-FOR 
REPORTS, AS REVEALED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES LAST SUNDAY. 
 
"IN BEIRUT, A TIDE OF ANTI-SYRIAN PROTEST" IS THE HEADLINE IN 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO, WHILE CATHOLIC LA CROIX TITLES ITS 
FRONT-COVER: "RE-ENFORCED LEBANESE OPPOSITION IN THE STREETS." 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION REPORTS ON "BEIRUT, THE ANTI- 
SYRIAN," AND IN HIS EDITORIAL GERARD DUPUY APPLAUDS THE 
"FALLEN INTERNAL BARRIERS" WHICH HAVE BROUGHT TOGETHER ONE OUT 
OF FOUR LEBANESE. BUT DUPUY ALSO WARNS THAT HEZBOLLAH CANNOT 
BE EXCLUDED FROM LEBANON'S POLITICAL LIFE. IN HIS ANALYSIS, 
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT PASCAL RICHE SUGGESTS "A SOFTENING IN 
WASHINGTON TOWARDS HEZBOLLAH." (SEE PART C) 
 
IN AN INTERVIEW IN LE FIGARO, MOSTLY DEVOTED TO THE FRENCH 
PHILOSOPHER RAYMOND ARON, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVE 
PIERRE LELLOUCHE MAKES THE FOLLOWING REMARK: "BEFORE 9/11, THE 
BUSH ADMINISTRATION, LIKE OTHERS BEFORE, EASILY ACCEPTED THE 
STATUS QUO IN THE MIDDLE EAST. SINCE 9/11, THE BUSH 
ADMINISTRATION HAS CLEARLY GIVEN UP ON ITS ISOLATIONIST STANCE 
AND OPTED FOR A STRATEGY OF `DEMOCRATIC EVANGELISM' AIMED AT 
THIS SAME STATUS QUO IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THE ADOPTION OF 
WAHHABISM IN WIDE REGIONS OF THE ARAB WORLD IS NOT SOMETHING 
TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. ISLAMIC EXTREMISM CARRIES THE SAME 
INTELLECTUAL AND POLITICAL DEVICES AS THOSE OF NAZI TERRORISM, 
FOCUSING ITS ANIMOSITY ON THE WEST AND THE JEWS." 
 
THE CHINESE PARLIAMENT'S VOTE ON AN ANTI-SECESSION LAW VIS-A- 
VIS TAIWAN IS REPORTED IN LA CROIX, WHILE REGIONAL LES 
DERNIERES NOUVELLES D'ALSACE DEVOTES ITS FRONT PAGE EDITORIAL 
TO "ONE CHINA." (SEE PART C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
MIDDLE EAST - LEBANON - SYRIA 
 
"INTERNAL BORDERS" 
GERARD DUPUY IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/15): "THE 
IMMENSE CROWD IN BEIRUT BROUGHT TOGETHER ONE LEBANESE OUT OF 
FOUR. THEY ALL ASPIRE TO BECOME LEBANESE. LAST WEEK'S COUNTER 
DEMONSTRATION BY HEZBOLLAH HAS CHANGED NOTHING. IT IS CLEAR 
TODAY WHERE THE HEARTS OF THE LEBANESE PEOPLE LIE. THIS NEW 
MAJORITY SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT THE LEBANESE HAVE FINALLY 
ACKNOWLEDGED THE FACT THAT TO PUSH THE OCCUPIER OUTSIDE ITS 
BOUNDARIES, THEY ALSO NEEDED TO BRING DOWN THE INTERNAL 
BORDERS SEPARATING THEM. IF SYRIA CANNOT DIVIDE, IT CANNOT 
REIGN. BUT THE HEZBOLLAH DEMONSTRATION ALSO SHOWS THAT THIS 
MINORITY MUST HAVE ITS PLACE IN LEBANESE SOCIETY. THE 
OPPROBRIUM, WHICH THE U.S. HAS HEAPED ON HEZBOLLAH IN THE NAME 
OF ITS FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM, WILL NOT MAKE THIS EASY. BUT 
HOW CAN LEBANON BE REBUILT WHILE EXCLUDING A FOURTH OR A THIRD 
OF ITS POPULATION? A MOBILIZATION OF THIS MAGNITUDE ANYWHERE 
ELSE WOULD BE A CAUSE FOR CONCERN. BUT IN LEBANON, THIS 
PEACEFUL MOVEMENT GIVES ONE THE FEELING THAT A NEW FUTURE IS 
POSSIBLE, WHICH IS NEITHER WAR NOR OCCUPATION." 
KAREN HUGHES NOMINATION - U.S. IMAGE ABROAD 
 
"BUSH WANTS TO IMPROVE AMERICA'S IMAGE" 
PHILIPPE GELIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (03/15): "KAREN 
HUGHES WILL HAVE TO TIGHTEN WASHINGTON'S MESSAGE . WITH THE 
MAIN TARGET THE ARAB-MUSLIM WORLD. HER SECOND IN COMMAND, 
DIANA POWELL. SPEAKS ARABIC. HUGHES LINE OF ATTACK WILL BE TO 
FOLLOW THE NEW POLITICAL ORIENTATION GIVEN TO FOREIGN 
DIPLOMACY IN THE BUSH II ADMINISTRATION. THE TIME HAS COME AND 
GONE FOR WORDS LIKE `CRUSADE.' THE SIGNAL SENT FROM WASHINGTON 
TODAY IS MORE ONE WHERE DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION ARE 
SUGGESTED, AS WELL AS SELF-DETERMINATION AND PROMOTION OF 
DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM. AS HIS SECOND TERM BEGINS, IT SEEMS 
THAT PRESIDENT BUSH IS ALIGNING HIS ACTIONS WITH HIS WORDS. 
THE CHANGE OF METHOD WITH EUROPE IS SPECTACULAR. LAST MONTH, 
PRESIDENT BUSH TRAVELED TO EUROPE TO STRENGTHEN THE ATLANTIC 
ALLIANCE AND RENEW HIS TIES WITH THE LEADERS OF THE ANTI-WAR 
CAMP. BUSH IS INVOLVED IN A TRULY JOINT POLICY WITH FRANCE ON 
LEBANON AND SYRIA. EVEN WHEN IT COMES TO CHINA AND THE ARMS 
EMBARGO, WHICH IS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR WASHINGTON, THE TONE IS 
CONCILIATORY. WHAT IS MOST SURPRISING IS THAT THESE NEW 
SIGNALS ARE COMING FROM PRACTICALLY THE SAME TEAM, THERE HAS 
JUST BEEN A LITTLE GAME OF MUSICAL CHAIRS." 
 
CHINA - TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
"ONE CHINA" 
OLIVIER PICARD IN REGIONAL LES NOUVELLES D'ALSACE (03/15): 
"THE EXPECTED OBJECTION FROM THE UNITED STATES MATTERS LITTLE: 
IT WAS ANTICIPATED, AND THE AMERICAN SECRETARY OF STATE, 
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, WHO ARRIVES SUNDAY IN THE CHINESE CAPITAL 
KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT. WITH THIS SPECTACULAR AND TRULY 
THREATENING INITIATIVE, CHINA WANTS TO STRENGTHEN ITS POSITION 
INTERNATIONALLY.  GLARING AT TAIWAN IS ONE WAY TO TELL AMERICA 
THAT (CHINA) HAS DECIDED SOON TO BECOME THE ONLY OTHER WORLD 
POWER CAPABLE OF STANDING UP TO AMERICA. THE RISK OF IMMINENT 
WAR IS CERTAINLY NOT HIGH, BECAUSE THE MOST POPULATED COUNTRY 
IN THE WORLD CANNOT AFFORD TO WEAKEN ITS DOUBLE-DIGIT ECONOMIC 
GROWTH, WHICH IT NEEDS FOR SEVERAL MORE YEARS TO REACH A LEVEL 
OF DEVELOPMENT EQUAL TO ITS GLOBAL AMBITIONS. CHINA IS A 
PATIENT STRATEGIST WHO HAS WAITED A LONG TIME TO TAKE REVENGE 
AND SHOW HER TRUE STRENGTH, AND NEVER WILL SHE ALLOW HERSELF 
TO LOSE FACE." 
 
"CHINA ALLOWS ITSELF THE OPTION OF WAR" 
DORIAN MALOVIC IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (03/15): "BEIJING'S 
BELLICOSE VERBAL THREATS ARE NOTHING NEW. BUT BY INCLUDING 
THEM INTO A LAW, CHINA INCREASES ITS PRESSURE ON TAIWAN'S 
INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT, WHICH WILL HAVE TO TONE DOWN, AT LEAST 
PUBLICLY, ITS ASPIRATIONS FOR EMANCIPATION. BUT WE ARE STILL 
VERY FAR FROM A SCENARIO OF WAR IN THE STRAIGHT OF TAIWAN." 
LEACH