US embassy cable - 05PARIS2287

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002287 
 
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 - CHINA ARMS EMBARGO - DEPUTY 
SECRETARY ZOELLICK TO BRUSSELS IRAQ - ELECTION OF PRESIDENT 
 
 
SIPDIS 
PARIS - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 06, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. CHINA ARMS EMBARGO - DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK TO BRUSSELS 
2. IRAQ - ELECTION OF PRESIDENT 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
AS MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE POPE'S DEATH BEGINS TO WANE, FRONT- 
PAGES AND EDITORIALS ARE TODAY DEVOTED TO A VARIETY OF 
STORIES, RANGING FROM LIBERATION'S STORY ON THE LOUVRE'S 
RELOCATION OF THE MONA LISA, TO THE ECONOMIC NEWS OF PERNOD 
RICARD'S ACQUISITION OF BRITAIN'S ALLIED DOMECQ, "WITH AN 
AMERICAN ALLY, FORTUNE BRANDS, WHICH WILL SHARE THE ENORMOUS 
BURDEN OF THE ACQUISITION, ESTIMATED AT 15 BILLION EUROS." 
(LES ECHOS AND LA TRIBUNE). 
 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO CARRIES A FULL-PAGE REPORT ANNOUNCED 
ON ITS FRONT PAGE, ON AMERICAN NGOS AND THEIR ACTIVE 
INVOLVEMENT IN PROMOTING DEMOCRACY IN FORMER SOVIET BLOCK 
NATIONS. MOSCOW CORRESPONDENT LAURE MANDEVILLE WRITES: "WHILE 
BRUSSELS WAS SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR ITS CUMBERSOME 
AND INEFFECTIVE AID PROGRAMS, AMERICAN NGOS, SUCH AS FREEDOM 
HOUSE AND OPEN SOCIETY, WHICH ARE MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE, WERE 
HARD AT WORK ON CONCRETE ISSUES. THE WEB OF HUMAN RELATIONS 
WHICH THESE NGOS HAVE BUILT IN THESE COUNTRIES PLAYS A 
DECISIVE ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY." 
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT PHILIPPE GELIE NOTES THE "REVOLVING 
DOOR" INFLUENCE OF THINK TANKS IN AMERICAN DIPLOMACY. LE 
FIGARO ALSO PROFILES BRUCE JACKSON, HEAD OF THE PROJECT ON 
TRANSITIONAL DEMOCRACIES, AS A MISSIONARY FOR DEMOCRACY. 
 
DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK'S VISIT TO BRUSSELS AND THE CHINA 
ARMS EMBARGO ARE REPORTED IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO IN AN 
ARTICLE TITLED: "BUSH THREATENS." IN HER REPORT, ALEXANDRINE 
BOUILHET WRITES ABOUT "TRADE BLACKMAIL." (SEE PART C) 
 
THE ELECTION OF JALAL TALABANI AS IRAQ'S PRESIDENT IS ANALYZED 
IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION. (SEE PART C) 
 
 
PM MINISTER RAFFARIN PENS AN OP-ED IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX IN 
HONOR OF JOHN PAUL II, "THE PILGRIM FOR FREEDOM." RAFFARIN 
NOTES THE POPE'S ACTIVISM FOR FREEDOM IN EASTERN EUROPE AND 
HIS CALL DURING A VISIT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FOR FREE 
INSTITUTIONS "SO THAT EUROPE MIGHT ONE DAY GROW TO THE 
DIMENSIONS DEFINED BOTH BY GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
CHINA ARMS EMBARGO - DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK TO BRUSSELS 
 
"SELLING ARMS TO BEIJING: BUSH THREATENS" 
ALEXANDRINE BOUILHET IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (04/06): 
"THE U.S., WHICH IS SET ON KEEPING THE EUROPEANS FROM LIFTING 
THE CHINESE ARMS EMBARGO, INCREASED ITS PRESSURE YESTERDAY ON 
BRUSSELS. FOR THE FIRST TIME DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK 
BRANDISHED THE THREAT OF ECONOMIC REPRISAL. IF EUROPE WERE TO 
LIFT THE EMBARGO, AS PARIS AND BERLIN HAVE SAID, `IT WOULD 
AFFECT TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION IN MATTERS OF DEFENSE' SAID 
THE DEPUTY SECRETARY. WASHINGTON'S MESSAGE HAS NOW BEEN MADE 
CLEAR. UNTIL NOW ONLY CONGRESS HAD DARED TO SPEAK OF REPRISAL. 
NOW IT HAS BECOME WASHINGTON'S OFFICIAL LINE. FOR THE 
AMERICANS, THIS NEW STRATEGY IS SUPPOSED TO BRING ABOUT THE 
FRANCO-GERMAN COUPLE IN ITS STUBBORNNESS. `UNLESS,' SAYS AN 
AMERICAN DIPLOMAT, `PARIS AND BERLIN ARE READY TO TRIGGER A 
NEW TRANSATLANTIC CRISIS.' DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK IS USING 
TRADE BLACKMAIL WITHOUT ANY COMPUNCTION, ESPECIALLY WITH 
EUROPEAN PARTNERS HE HAS ALREADY CONFRONTED IN THE AIRBUS- 
BOEING CONFLICT. HIS THREATS ARE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY THE 
DEFENSE INDUSTRY. IN FACT, SIMILAR THREATS HAVE ALREADY BORN 
FRUIT: LONDON HAS ALREADY STEPPED AWAY FROM THE FRANCO-GERMAN 
TANDEM. AND EUROPEAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY CAPTAINS ARE CALLING ON 
THE EU TO GET ALONG WITH WASHINGTON ON THIS ISSUE. EADS 
EXECUTIVE MANFRED BISCHOFF CONTENDS THE GROUP'S TRADE 
RELATIONS SHOULD NOT BE ENDANGERED, CONSIDERING THAT TRADE 
WITH THE U.S. IS MUCH GREATER THAN WITH CHINA." 
IRAQ - ELECTION OF PRESIDENT 
 
"TALABANI, IRAQ'S FUTURE PRESIDENT" 
CHRISTOPHE BOLTANSKI IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (04/06): 
"TALABANI, A VETERAN OF IRAQI POLITICS CANNOT HAVE MISSED THE 
IRONY. THE LEADER OF ONE OF IRAQ'S TWO MAIN KURDISH PARTIES, 
HE IS ABOUT TO BECOME THE HEAD OF A NATION WHICH, SINCE ITS 
CREATION, HAS CONSTANTLY REPRESSED HIS PEOPLE. HE WILL BECOME 
THE FIRST NON-ARAB PRESIDENT OF AN ARAB NATION, AND THE FIRST 
ELECTED PRESIDENT FOR IRAQ. WHILE HIS ROLE WILL ESSENTIALLY BE 
HONORARY, HE SHOULD NEVERTHELESS WEIGH IN ON THE 
CONSTITUTIONAL DEBATE OVER KURDISH DEMANDS." LEACH