US embassy cable - 05PARIS2145

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002145 
 
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 - SYRIA - LEBANON KYRGYZSTAN 
AND RUSSIA'S INFLUENCE UN REPORT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 
PARIS - THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. SYRIA - LEBANON 
2. KYRGYZSTAN AND RUSSIA'S INFLUENCE 
3. UN REPORT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
EVERY FRONT PAGE AND NUMEROUS EDITORIALS ARE DEVOTED TO THE 
LAUNCHING OF FRANCE'S DIGITAL LAND TELEVISION NETWORK, WHICH 
WILL GIVE ACCESS TO 14 FREE CHANNELS, DOUBLE TODAY'S ACCESS. 
 
MANY ARTICLES AND COLUMNS CONTINUE TO DEBATE THE PROS AND CONS 
OF THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION. LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE CARRIES 
A FRONT PAGE OP-ED BY FM BARNIER IN WHICH HE EXPLAINS WHY 
VOTING `NO' TO THE MAY 29 REFERENDUM DOES NOT MEAN A `NO' VOTE 
TO THE BOLKENSTEIN DIRECTIVE OR A `NO' VOTE TO TURKEY'S 
MEMBERSHIP TO THE EU. 
 
LE MONDE'S EDITORIAL IS DEVOTED TO SYRIA, LEBANON AND THE UN 
REPORT ON HARIRI'S DEATH. (SEE PART C) 
 
CATHOLIC LA CROIX DEVOTES ITS LEAD STORY AND EDITORIAL TO 
KYRGYZSTAN AND RUSSIA'S GRADUAL LOSS OF INFLUENCE. (SEE PART 
C) 
 
PAUL WOLFOWITZ'S NOMINATION TO THE WORLD BANK AND HIS TRIP TO 
BRUSSELS ARE FEATURED IN A NUMBER OF ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS. 
IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO, PIERRE AVRIL WRITES: "ON THE 
ROAD THAT WILL LEAD HIM TO THE PRESIDENCY OF THE WORLD BANK, 
WOLFOWITZ HAD THE WISDOM TO MAKE A STOP-OVER IN BRUSSELS. 
WHILE HE DID LEAVE BEHIND HIS IMAGE OF NEO-CON, WOLFOWITZ DID 
NOT BRING A FIRM ANSWER TO THE TWO REQUESTS MADE BY THE 
EUROPEANS: THE CHOICE OF HIS DEPUTY AND THE NEED TO RESPECT 
THE GOALS OF THE MILLENNIUM ACCOUNT." 
 
IN POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR, FRANCE'S SOCIALIST 
EUROPEAN REPRESENTATIVE PIERRE MOSCOVICI IS INTERVIEWED: 
"WOLFOWITZ'S NEO-CONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGY IS NOT THE BEST 
GUARANTEE FOR A FUTURE AS A DEVELOPMENT BANKER. THE CHOICE IS 
A MISTAKE, FROM BUSH, BUT ALSO FROM CHIRAC AND ALL THOSE WHO 
ARE ACCEPTING THIS NOMINATION. I WOULD HAVE LIKED FOR THE 
FRENCH PRESIDENT AND THE EUROPEANS TO SHOW THEIR DISAGREEMENT 
WITH THIS NOMINATION A LITTLE MORE ACUTELY. BEING ON THE ROAD 
TO MENDING TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS DOES NOT EXCUSE SUCH 
COMPLACENCY." 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION ANNOUNCES ON ITS FRONT PAGE: 
"WOLFOWITZ IS SINKING HIS CLAWS IN THE WORLD BANK." INSIDE, 
THE ARTICLE IS TITLED "EUROPE, RESIGNED" AND IN AN INTERVIEW 
WITH ALEX WILKS, AN EXPERT ON INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL 
INSTITUTIONS, ONE CAN READ: "WHAT'S TO SAY THAT AFTER THE 
INITIAL TOKENS GIVEN HERE AND THERE, WOLFOWITZ WON'T, IN THE 
NAME OF THE WAR AGAINST TERROR, TAKE FROM CERTAIN SOCIAL 
PROGRAMS TO FAVOR OTHERS MORE TO WASHINGTON'S LIKINGS, OR TIE 
THE GRANTING OF CERTAIN FUNDS TO `OBJECTIONABLE' VALUES.?" 
 
THE UN REPORT ON THE ENVIRONMENT ELICITS A PESSIMISTIC 
EDITORIAL COMMENTARY IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION BY PATRICK 
SABATIER, WHO BELIEVES THAT "HUMANITY IS THREATENED WITH 
BANKRUPTCY" IF WE DO NOT "ANSWER THE CHALLENGE OF SUSTAINABLE 
DEVELOPMENT." (SEE PART C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
SYRIA - LEBANON 
 
"THE WEIGHT OF SYRIA" 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE IN ITS EDITORIAL (03/31): "WHILE THE 
PEOPLE OF LEBANON DEMONSTRATED IN FAVOR OF FREEDOM AND 
DEMOCRACY, THREE STREET BOMBINGS HIT THE CHRISTIAN SECTOR OF 
BEIRUT LAST WEEK. AT THE SAME TIME, THE CONCLUSIONS OF A UN 
INVESTIGATION INTO HARIRI'S ASSASSINATION, CALLING FOR AN 
INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION, ARE A FRONTAL ATTACK 
ON LEBANON'S SYRIAN NEIGHBOR. SYRIA'S POLITICAL LEADERS ARE 
CONVINCED THAT LEBANON AND SYRIA ARE TIED FOR LIFE. FOR BETTER 
OR WORSE. INDEED IT SEEMS THAT DAMASCUS IS NO LONGER ABLE TO 
CONCEIVE OF LEBANON AS AN INDEPENDENT NATION. SYRIA HAS BECOME 
ACCUSTOMED TO ORDER THIS `PROVINCE.' AMONG OTHER REASONS TO 
HAVE A TRUMP CARD IN THE REGION FOR ITS NEGOTIATIONS WITH 
ISRAEL AND TO HAVE A BETTER HOLD OVER OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES IN 
THE MIDDLE EAST. BAD HABITS DIE HARD. DAMASCUS HAS EXPORTED 
ITS FORM OF GOVERNMENT TO BEIRUT. LEBANON HAS BECOME A CLONE 
OF SYRIA. A PAGE NEEDS TO BE TURNED. LEBANON NEEDS TO LEARN 
ONCE AGAIN TO LIVE FREE OF ITS JEALOUS NEIGHBOR. THIS IS 
EASIER SAID THAN DONE. BUT THE TIME HAS COME FOR LEBANON TO BE 
FREED FROM ITS DICTATORIAL BIG BROTHER." 
 
KYRGYZSTAN AND RUSSIA'S INFLUENCE 
 
"RUSSIA'S LOST DIGNITY" 
FRANCOIS ERNENWEIN IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (03/31): "AN 
IRREPRESSIBLE WIND OF DEMOCRACY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN BLOWING IN 
GEORGIA, UKRAINE AND KYRGYZSTAN. WHILE SEEN FROM EUROPE THERE 
IS NO GOOD REASON TO CRY OVER THE LOSS OF UNITY WHICH RUSSIA 
HAS TRIED TO BUILD WITH THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT STATES, WE 
SHOULD BE CAREFUL NOT TO GO TOO FAR IN HUMILIATING RUSSIA. 
RUSSIA'S LOSS OF PRESTIGE, FROM THE YUKOS AFFAIR TO CHECHNYA, 
IS THE KEY TO PUTIN'S UNACCEPTABLE HARD-LINE POLICY SINCE THE 
BEGINNING OF HIS SECOND TERM. HE IS HAUNTED BY NOSTALGIA FOR 
AUTHORITARIANISM AND CONTEMPT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. WHILE THESE 
ARE TRENDS WHICH ARE WELL-INGRAINED IN THE HISTORY OF THE 
KREMLIN, THEY ARE NOT A FATALITY. WE CAN FIGHT THEM. EUROPE 
CAN PLAY A ROLE HERE, AS IT DID IN THE PAST. FACED WITH 
AMERICA'S TEMPTATION TO FIT RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA INTO A 
TRADITIONAL TUG OF WAR FOR POWER, EUROPE CAN OFFER AN 
ALTERNATIVE, WITHOUT COMPLACENCY TOWARDS PUTIN'S METHODS BUT 
ALSO WITHOUT PROVOCATION. IT IS A QUESTION OF HELPING RUSSIA 
REGAIN SOME OF ITS LOST DIGNITY. IF RUSSIA IS TO FORGET ITS 
DREAMS OF DOMINATION, WE MUST OFFER IT A LOYAL PARTNERSHIP. A 
POLITICAL EUROPE WILL ALSO BE BUILT IN THE EAST." 
 
UN REPORT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 
 
"BANKRUPCY" 
PATRICK SABATIER IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/31): "FOR 
THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH, OUR PLANET'S 
LONGEVITY IS IN QUESTION. SO MANY WARNING ALARMS HAVE BEEN 
SOUNDED THROUGH SO MANY REPORTS, THAT THE DANGER LIES ALSO IN 
OUR IGNORING THEM, BECAUSE WE ARE UNABLE TO PROJECT OURSELVES 
INTO THE FUTURE. YET, WE CANNOT AFFORD THE LUXURY OF 
IGNORANCE. WE MUST ANSWER THE CHALLENGE OF DURABLE 
DEVELOPMENT. THE FIRST STEP IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST. WE MUST 
RADICALLY CHANGE OUR METHOD OF CALCULATING WEALTH AND ACCEPT 
THE NOTION THAT IT AND DEVELOPMENT CANNOT BE MEASURED ONLY IN 
DOLLARS PER INHABITANT. WE MUST FACTOR IN THE PRICE OF 
NATURE'S SERVICES TO MANKIND. NATURE'S DESTRUCTION HAS A 
PRICE, AND SOONER OR LATER WE WILL HAVE TO PAY IT. AT THE RATE 
WE ARE GOING TODAY, HUMANITY IS THREATENED WITH BANKRUPTCY." 
LEACH