US embassy cable - 05PARIS2016

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002016 
 
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 - KYRGYZSTAN REVOLUTION 
WOLFOWITZ TO WORLD BANK THE UN - DARFUR 
PARIS - FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. KYRGYZSTAN REVOLUTION 
2. WOLFOWITZ TO WORLD BANK 
3. THE UN - DARFUR 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
THE REVOLUTION IN KYRGYZSTAN IS TODAY'S MAJOR FRONT-PAGE 
STORY. FOR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO IT IS "THE NEW QUIET 
REVOLUTION;" FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION "PUTIN IS LOSING 
HIS PALS" AND FOR CATHOLIC LA CROIX IT IS "A NEW REVOLUTION ON 
RUSSIA'S DOORSTEP." COMMENTATORS APPLAUD THE PEOPLE OF 
KYRGYZSTAN FOR THEIR "QUIET DEMONSTRATIONS," NOTE "PUTIN'S 
GRADUAL LOSS OF INFLUENCE IN THE REGION" AND EMPHASIZE 
WASHINGTON'S ROLE. (SEE PART C) 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE CARRIES AN OP-ED BY UNIVERSITY 
PROFESSOR CHRISTIAN COMELIAU, TITLED: "WOLFOWITZ, SOMETHING 
BAD FOR SOMETHING GOOD?" IN ECONOMIC RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES 
ECHOS, A COMMENTARY BY PAUL FABRA IS TITLED "HAIL TO 
WOLFOWITZ!" (SEE PART C) 
 
ON THE OCCASION OF HIS VISIT TO PARIS YESTERDAY, EGYPTIAN 
PRESIDENT MUBARAK IS INTERVIEWED IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO: 
"THE QUESTION OF LEBANON'S OCCUPATION BY SYRIA LEADS ME TO 
RETORT THAT PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ARE SAYING THAT OTHER 
OCCUPATIONS EXIST: PALESTINE IS OCCUPIED, IRAQ IS OCCUPIED. 
BUT THESE ARE EXTREMELY COMPLEX ISSUES. IF I SAID WHAT I 
REALLY THOUGHT, MANY PEOPLE WOULD BECOME ANGRY. THE ELECTIONS 
IN IRAQ WERE A VERY GOOD THING. BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT 
DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN A SUCCESS." 
 
THE UN RESOLUTION ON DARFUR, THE LATEST POINT OF CONTENTION 
BETWEEN PARIS AND WASHINGTON, IS REPORTED. (SEE PART C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
KYRGYZSTAN REVOLUTION 
 
"A MUCH SOUGHT-OUT LITTLE COUNTRY" 
LORRAINE MILLOT IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/25): "A 
CHOICE MORSEL SHIFTED YESTERDAY ON THE GEO-STRATEGIC 
CHESSBOARD. THE U.S. SAW IT COMING. SINCE OPENING ITS MILITARY 
BASE THERE IN 2000, THE U.S. HAS INVESTED MASSIVELY TO PROMOTE 
DEMOCRACY IN THIS COUNTRY. WITHOUT THE POPULATION'S REBELLION, 
NOTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. BUT THE EXTRAORDINARY 
SUCCESS OF THE `REVOLUTION OF THE TULIPS' IS ALSO DUE TO THE 
LONG DRAWN-OUT PREPARATIONS AND TECHNIQUES WHICH LOOK VERY 
MUCH LIKE THOSE USED IN GEORGIA AND UKRAINE. THESE THREE 
REVOLUTIONS HAVE IN COMMON THE FACT THAT THE REGIMES WERE TORN 
BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND MOSCOW, AND IN EXCHANGE FOR FINANCIAL 
OFFSETS, THEY ALLOWED THE U.S. TO INOCULATE THE POPULATION 
WITH A TASTE FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY. THE EASE WITH WHICH 
THE REVOLUTION CAME ABOUT IS A CLEAR WARNING SIGNAL FOR ALL 
NEIGHBORING DICTATORS. IT IS ALSO A NEW WARNING FOR PUTIN, WHO 
IS HAUNTED BY THESE POPULAR REBELLIONS IN HIS FORMER EMPIRE." 
 
"INFLUENCE AND OIL IN A MUSLIM LAND" 
DOMINIQUE BROMBERGER ON GOVERNMENT-RUN FRANCE INTER (03/25): 
"THE U.S. EMBASSY (IN KYRGYZISTAN) SUPPORTS THE REVOLUTION. 
THE RUSSIANS CAN'T HELP BUT SHOW THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT. 
WASHINGTON AND MOSCOW, WITH BOTH THEIR ARMIES PRESENT, ARE NOW 
ENGAGED IN A FEROCIOUS WAR OF INFLUENCE, ON CHINA'S BORDER, IN 
A MUSLIM LAND, IN THE MIDST OF OIL FIELDS WHICH LEAVE NO ONE 
INDIFFERENT." 
 
WOLFOWITZ TO WORLD BANK 
 
"WOLFOWITZ, SOMETHING BAD FOR SOMETHING GOOD?" 
UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR CHRISTIAN COMELIAU IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE 
MONDE (03/25): "SHOULD WE BE WORRIED ABOUT WOLFOWITZ'S 
NOMINATION? OF COURSE, CONSIDERING HIS BACKGROUND. THIS IS A 
NEW PROVOCATION FROM THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. WHICH UNDOES THE 
EFFECTS OF THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP TO EUROPE. ALSO, ONCE AGAIN, 
IT PROVES FRANCE AND GERMANY'S LACK OF FIGHTING POWER. STILL, 
THE PROTEST ARISING FROM NGOS INDICATE A MISUNDERSTANDING OF 
THE INSTITUTION. THE WORLD BANK AND THE IMF HAVE ALWAYS BEEN 
FINANCING INSTITUTIONS, BUT ALSO PLACES WHERE IDEAS ON HOW TO 
INFLUENCE ECONOMIES HAVE TAKEN SHAPE. IT IS WITH THIS 
PERSPECTIVE THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT WOLFOWITZ'S NOMINATION. 
HIS PRESIDENCY WILL NOT LEAD TO PROGRESSIVE CHANGES. BUT IT 
MAY BE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CLARIFICATION. WOLFOWITZ, WHO IS 
BOTH INTELLIGENT AND BRILLIANT, IS NEITHER A DEMAGOGUE NOR 
INCLINED TOWARDS COMPLACENCY. HIS CYNICISM AND PRAGMATISM WILL 
SOON PREVAIL. AND THE WORLD BANK'S IMAGE WILL LOOK LESS 
PATERNALISTIC AND MORE IN TUNE WITH REALITY." 
 
"HAIL TO WOLFOWITZ!" 
PAUL FABRA IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES ECHOS (03/25): "THE CHOICE 
OF WOLFOWITZ TO RUN THE WORLD BANK IS REASSURING. WHY SHOULD 
THE EUROPEANS GET UPSET? BUSH DID NOT MAKE HIS CHOICE IN ORDER 
TO EXPRESS DISDAIN EITHER FOR THE EUROPEANS OR THE WORLD BANK. 
HIS DECISION WAS A RATIONAL ONE. IT FITS WITH THE NOTION THAT 
WASHINGTON IS EAGER TO GIVE A DIFFERENT IMAGE OF ITSELF. WITH 
THIS GESTURE, PRESIDENT BUSH IS SAYING HE IS TAKING THE WORLD 
BANK SERIOUSLY. AND SO MUCH HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT HIS 
NOMINATION, THAT WOLFOWITZ WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE TAKING 
DECISIONS. HIS NOMINATION MAY ALSO INDICATE THAT IT IS THROUGH 
THIS NEW CHANNEL THAT WASHINGTON EXPECTS TO SCORE IN AFRICA, 
THE MIDDLE EAST AND LATIN AMERICA." 
 
THE UN - DARFUR 
 
"PARIS AND WASHINGTON TRY TO AVOID NEW CONFRONTATION" 
JEAN-LOUIS TURLIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (03/25): "THE 
UNSC HAS MANAGED TO DEFUSE A POTENTIAL DIPLOMATIC BOMB BY 
POSTPONING THE VOTE ON THE FRENCH RESOLUTION ON CRIMES AGAINST 
HUMANITY IN DARFUR. THE U.S. WILL NOT HAVE TO IMMEDIATELY 
CHOOSE BETWEEN A VETO AND ABSTENTION." 
 
"FRANCE AND U.S. OPPOSE EACH OTHER OVER DARFUR" 
FABRICE ROUSSELOT IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/25): "IN 
SPITE OF WEEKS NEGOTIATING, WASHINGTON AND PARIS HAVE NOT 
MANAGED TO AGREE ON A COMPROMISE OVER TRYING THOSE RESPONSIBLE 
FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN DARFUR. WASHINGTON HAS 
REITERATED ITS INTENTION OF OPPOSING THE FRENCH POSITION AND 
THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMES COURT, WHICH IS 
NOT RECOGNIZED BY WASHINGTON. THE U.S. IS FACING A DILEMMA: TO 
ABSTAIN MEANS A DE-FACTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE COURT; TO USE 
ITS VETO POWER MEANS OPENING OLD WOUNDS. APPARENTLY, `HIGH 
LEVEL DISCUSSIONS' ARE UNDERWAY BETWEEN PARIS AND WASHINGTON." 
WOLFF