US embassy cable - 05PARIS1828

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001828 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY; BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU; AF/PA; 
EUR/WE /P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA; INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA 
FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR 
AND PASS USTR/PA; 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 ALASKA OIL DRILLING 
PUTIN TO FRANCE 
PARIS - FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. IRAQ 
2. ALASKA OIL DRILLING 
3. PUTIN TO FRANCE 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
TODAY'S FRONT PAGES CARRY A VARIETY OF STORIES, WHICH INCLUDE 
PUTIN'S VISIT TO PARIS, WITH LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION 
HEADLINING "PUTIN, THE COLD-SHOULDER FRIEND," AND POPULAR 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN'S POLL ON THE EU CONSTITUTION 
REFERENDUM, WHICH INDICATES THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME THE `NOS' 
LEAD, WITH 51% OF THE PEOPLE POLLED SAYING THEY WOULD VOTE 
`NO' TO THE REFERENDUM. 
 
TWO LEFT-OF-CENTER DAILIES, LE MONDE AND LIBERATION, CRITICIZE 
IN THEIR EDITORIALS PRESIDENT BUSH'S DECISION TO DRILL IN 
ALASKA. (SEE PART C) 
 
IVAN RIOUFOL CREDITS PRESIDENT BUSH FOR "THE ARAB SPRING" IN 
HIS WEEKLY WRAP-UP COLUMN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO. (SEE 
PART C) 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE STAGES A FULL-PAGE DEBATE BETWEEN 
FRANCOIS HEISBOURG OF THE FOUNDATION FOR STRATEGIC RESEARCH, 
AND BRITISH HISTORIAN TIMOTHY GARTON ASH ON THE FUTURE OF EU - 
AMERICAN RELATIONS. HEISBOURG: "WE ARE IN ONE OF THOSE PERIODS 
WHERE THE DECK OF CARDS IS BEING RESHUFFLED VERY RAPIDLY. THE 
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICANS WILL BE AN `A LA CARTE' 
PARTNERSHIP, NOT A FIXED MENU. IF WE DO NOT AGREE WITH THE 
AMERICANS ON SUCH AND SUCH SUBJECT, IT WILL NOT BE THE END OF 
THE WORLD. IT WOULD BE BETTER IF THE AMERICANS AGREED WITH US, 
BUT I DON'T SEE WHY I SHOULD THROW MYSELF INTO THE SEA JUST TO 
PLEASE JOHN BOLTON, THE NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UN, WHO IS 
THERE TO DESTROY THE UN. THE NEW QUESTION AT HAND IS: CAN THE 
EUROPEAN UNION HAVE, ON CERTAIN ISSUES, A FOREIGN POLICY TAKE 
DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE U.S.?" 
 
CATHOLIC LA CROIX DEVOTES ITS FRONT PAGE TO AN INTERVIEW WITH 
EXILED LEBANESE GENERAL AOUN: "I WORKED HARD TO CONVINCE THE 
EUROPEANS THAT THE AMERICANS WERE ADOPTING A NEW POLITICAL 
STRATEGY. MY EXPECTATIONS HAVE BEEN MET." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
IRAQ 
 
"IRAQ, TWO YEARS LATER" 
IVAN RIOUFOL IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (03/18): "ONE MORE 
WORD ABOUT THE STATUS QUO, THIS POLICY OF WAITING WHICH 
CHARACTERIZES FRANCE'S POLICY. IT IS THIS SAME CAUTIOUS STANCE 
WHICH HAS INSPIRED FRANCE'S POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST. SO MUCH 
SO THAT IT HAS MADE FRANCE APPEAR AS AN ALLY OF DESPOTS LIKE 
SADDAM HUSSEIN AND YASSER ARAFAT. THE IRAQIS, WITH THEIR VOTE, 
HAVE ALREADY ANSWERED CHIRAC'S BELIEF THAT `DEMOCRACY CANNOT 
BE IMPORTED.' THE `ARAB SPRING,' WHICH HAS REACHED PALESTINE 
AND LEBANON SO SPECTACULARLY. IS DUE TO GEORGE BUSH, AND THE 
PEOPLE OF THE REGION KNOW IT. FRANCE CAN NO LONGER DECENTLY 
CONTINUE TO PICK THE WRONG ADVERSARY. ITS PLACE IS ALONGSIDE 
THOSE WHO IN THE MIDDLE EAST REJECT ISLAMIC IDEOLOGY AND ITS 
IMPERIALISM. THE FIRST SIGNS THAT FRANCE MAY BE REVISING ITS 
TOO `INDULGENT' ARAB POLICY COULD BE READ IN FM BARNIER'S AND 
PM RAFFARIN'S LATEST REMARKS ABOUT LEBANON AND ISRAEL. THIS 
MAY BE THE BEGINNING OF A NEW REVELATION." 
 
ALASKA OIL DRILLING 
 
"`W' IN ALASKA" 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE IN ITS EDITORIAL (03/18): "CAN THE 
ENVIRONMENT CONTINUE TO BE SACRIFICED IN THE NAME OF 
ECONOMICS? . EVEN IF PRESIDENT BUSH'S VICTORY IS NOT 
DEFINITIVE. IT IS RAISING THE HACKLES OF ENVIRONMENTALISTS. WE 
ALREADY KNEW, BECAUSE OF WASHINGTON'S OBSTINATE REJECTION OF 
THE KYOTO PROTOCOL, THAT THE U.S. WAS SET ON PURSUING ITS OWN 
LOGIC. THIS SAME U.S. POSITION WAS REITERATED ON WEDNESDAY AT 
THE G20. FOR HOW LONG WILL THE U.S. BE ABLE TO CONTINUE ON THE 
ROAD OF `ALWAYS MORE,' ENERGY AND POLLUTION? EUROPE, WHICH IS 
TRYING TO IMPLEMENT MORE ECONOMICAL POLICIES, CANNOT LET THE 
U.S. DO AS IT WISHES IN THIS SECTOR." 
 
"DOUBLY NEFARIOUS" 
GERARD DUPUY IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/18): "THE 
QUESTION OF OIL DEPENDENCY. IS TAKING THE APPEARANCE IN 
WASHINGTON OF A PRIORITY SECURITY ISSUE. RATHER THAN TRYING TO 
REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION, PRESIDENT BUSH HAS DECIDED TO DO 
AWAY WITH THE BARRIERS PROTECTING OIL DRILLING. THIS IS 
EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE. THE 
AMERICAN DECISION IS DOUBLY NEFARIOUS FOR THE ALASKAN BEARS: 
THEY WILL BE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE OIL DRILLING AND BY THE 
HOUSEWARMING EFFECTS. AND THE TRUTH IS THAT WE ARE ALL BEARS." 
PUTIN TO FRANCE 
 
"SPEAKING OPENLY" 
PATRICK SABATIER IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/18): "A 
STABLE, DEMOCRATIC AND PROSPEROUS RUSSIA, IS OBVIOUSLY A 
STRATEGIC GOAL FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION. BUT IS PUTIN ON THAT 
ROAD? WE CAN WONDER ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHIRAC'S OPEN 
HAND TO HIS RUSSIAN FRIEND, IF HE MUST, AS HE EXTENDS HIS 
HAND, ALSO CLOSE HIS NOSE AND EARS AND TURN HIS FACE AWAY. 
CHIRAC CAN NO LONGER PRETEND THAT THE STATE OF DEMOCRACY IN 
RUSSIA AND THE IMAGE PUTIN HAS OF DEMOCRACY ARE NOT A SOURCE 
OF `CONCERN,' AS PRESIDENT BUSH HAS VERY APTLY SAID. IS NOT 
SPEAKING OPENLY THE BEST GUARANTEE OF A TRUE FRIENDSHIP?" 
LEACH