US embassy cable - 05PARIS2456

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002456 
 
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 - MIDDLE EAST - ARIEL SHARON TO 
WASHINGTON EU DEFENSE 
PARIS - TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. MIDDLE EAST - ARIEL SHARON TO WASHINGTON 
2. EU DEFENSE 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION AND EU MATTERS ARE VERY MUCH IN THE 
NEWS. THE LATEST POLL CONDUCTED JOINTLY BY EUROPE ONE RADIO 
AND RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO SHOWS THAT PROPONENTS OF THE 
`NO' FOR THE REFERENDUM ON THE EU CONSTITUTION ARE GAINING 
GROUND, WITH 53%, AGAINST 47% FOR THE `YES.' IN AN INTERVIEW 
IN POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR, INTERIOR MINISTER DE 
VILLEPIN EXPLAINS WHY "A `NO' WOULD RENDER EVERYTHING MORE 
DIFFICULT. FRANCE WOULD NO LONGER CARRY THE SAME WEIGHT ON 
EUROPEAN ISSUES." IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO, GENERAL JEAN 
COT PENS AN OP-ED ON THE REASONS WHY HE WILL VOTE `YES,' 
TITLED "FOR A EUROPEAN DEFENSE." (SEE PART C) 
 
A CONTROVERSY IS GROWING OVER PRESIDENT CHIRAC'S TELEVISED 
DEBATE ON TF 1 WITH A PANEL OF 80 PRE-SELECTED STUDENTS ON 
THURSDAY ON THE EU CONSTITUTION. DETRACTORS, WHICH INCLUDE 
JOURNALISTS FROM OTHER TELEVISION STATIONS, OBJECT TO THE 
PARTIALITY OF THE DEBATE, WHICH THEY ALLEGE IS MORE OF A 
TELEMARKETING OPERATION THAN A POLITICAL DEBATE. 
 
THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PRESS DEVOTES ITS LEAD TO THE 
AIRBUS-BOEING SUBSIDY BATTLE. FOR RIGHT-OF-CENTER ECONOMIC LES 
ECHOS, "THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE TURNING INTO A TUG-OF-WAR." IN 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO ECONOMIE, PIERRE AVRIL EXPLAINS THAT 
THE DELAY IN REACHING AN AGREEMENT "IS TAKING THE AIRBUS A 350 
HOSTAGE. THE REQUEST FOR ADVANCE LOANS FROM THE FOUR EUROPEAN 
PARTNERS IS ON HOLD, BUT AS THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION SAID, 
`THIS WAITING PERIOD CANNOT GO ON FOREVER.' EU COMMISSIONER 
MANDELSON HAS CRITICIZED THE AMERICANS FOR THEIR `PARTIALITY': 
`THEY DENOUNCE THE SUBSIDIES WHICH IN THEIR VIEW AIRBUS IS 
RECEIVING, BUT THEY EXONERATE BOEING.'" 
 
THE MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT BUSH AND ARIEL SHARON IS WIDELY 
REPORTED, WITH EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES IN THE REGIONAL PRESS. 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN TITLES ITS ARTICLE "BUSH, THE 
SPONSOR OF PEACE," WHILE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO PHILIPPE 
GELIE REPORTS THAT "PRESIDENT BUSH IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE NEW 
SETTLEMENTS." (SEE PART C) RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO 
INTERVIEWS AVI PAZNER, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO PARIS AND 
SPOKESMAN FOR THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT: "IN EUROPE, YOU DO NOT 
UNDERSTAND THE TRAGEDY THAT WILL UNFOLD IN ISRAEL WITH THIS 
WITHDRAWAL. POLITICALLY, SHARON COULD LOSE HIS MAJORITY, AND 
ON THE GROUND THERE IS THE RISK OF CONFRONTATION. EVERYTHING 
MUST BE DONE TO AVOID A BLOODBATH." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
MIDDLE EAST - ARIEL SHARON TO WASHINGTON 
 
"BUSH CONCERNED ABOUT NEW SETTLEMENTS" 
PHILIPPE GELIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (04/12): "LAST 
YEAR, THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER LEFT WASHINGTON WITH HIS 
POCKETS FULL, HAVING RECEIVED NOT ONLY THE PRESIDENT'S 
APPROVAL FOR HIS WITHDRAWAL PLANS FROM GAZA, BUT ALSO WRITTEN 
`GUARANTEES' REGARDING A GLOBAL SETTLEMENT. SINCE THEN A 
MISUNDERSTANDING PERSISTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE U.S. 
AND ISRAEL. WHAT SHARON SEES AS A UNILATERAL SOLUTION, IS FOR 
PRESIDENT BUSH A FIRST STEP THAT CAN PUT THE PEACE PROCESS 
BACK ON TRACK. YESTERDAY'S TALKS MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO CLARIFY 
THIS AMBIGUITY." 
 
"BUSH, SHARON. AND EUROPE" 
JULES CLAUWAERT IN REGIONAL NORD  LAIR (04/12): "IS GEORGE W. 
BUSH FINALLY CONVINCED THAT A PEACE AGREEMENT IN THE MIDDLE 
EAST MUST BE COMPREHENSIVE, AND THAT IT RESTS ON AN EQUITABLE 
SOLUTION TO THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT? BY RECEIVING ARIEL 
SHARON AT HIS TEXAS RANCH, AN HONOR AND FAMILIARITY RESERVED 
TO THOSE HE CONSIDERS THE BEST FRIENDS OF THE U.S., ONE CAN 
IMAGINE THAT BUSH IS PUTTING `FRIENDLY' PRESSURE ON HIS GUEST 
TO PERSIST IN HIS DECISION TO LIBERATE (SIC) THE GAZA STRIP, 
AND TO CONFIRM HIS AGREEMENT ON THE COEXISTENCE OF A VIABLE 
PALESTINIAN STATE.    EUROPE IS ALREADY A MAJOR ECONOMIC 
POWER. THAT IT HAS ACQUIRED A NEW POLITICAL DIMENSION CAN ONLY 
FACILITATE ITS INFLUENCE. ON CONDITION THAT THE EUROPEANS 
THEMSELVES ARE CAPABLE OF RAISING THEIR EYES ABOVE THEIR 
MOLEHILLS, WHEN THEY CONSOLIDATE THEIR OWN UNION." 
 
"SHARON CALLS ON BUSH FOR RESCUE" 
SERGE DUMONT IN REGIONAL LA VOIX DU NORD (04/12): "ACCORDING 
TO MEMBERS OF HIS ENTOURAGE, ARIEL SHARON INTENDS TO PROFIT 
FROM HIS TENTH MEETING WITH GEORGE W. BUSH, WHO IS RECEIVING 
HIM AT HIS RANCH IN TEXAS, TO ASK HIM TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED 
IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN RELATIONS. .(SHARON) IS LETTING THINGS 
DRAG ON, BUT HE CAN'T BRUSH ASIDE FOREVER THE `FRIENDLY' 
SUGGESTIONS OF THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION, ESPECIALLY SINCE 
HE ALSO CAME TO TEXAS TO ASK HIS ALLIES TO FINANCE THE COST OF 
THE RETREAT FROM GAZA AS WELL AS THE RESETTLEMENT OF 8,000 
COLONISTS EVACUATED TO INSIDE THE JEWISH STATE. ACCORDING TO 
ESTIMATES, THE COST WILL EXCEED 1.8 BILLION EUROS, TWO-THIRDS 
OF WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE PAID BY WASHINGTON." 
 
EU DEFENSE 
 
"FOR EU DEFENSE, I WILL VOTE YES" 
GENERAL JEAN COT IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (04/12): "OUR 
CITIZENS ARE WAY AHEAD OF THEIR POLITICAL LEADERS. FOR EUROPE, 
THEY WANT GREATER STRATEGIC INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND 
MORE INTEGRATED COMMAND STRUCTURES. WHAT ARE OUR CHOICES? DO 
WE WANT EUROPE TO BE AN ECONOMIC ECTOPLASM WITH A LITTLE DAB 
OF SECURITY? OR DO WE WANT EUROPE TO WIDEN ITS SPACE OF PEACE 
AND ASSUME ITS ROLE FOR BETTER GOVERNANCE? WE MUST HAVE THE 
COURAGE TO SAY THAT EUROPE, WHICH IS TODAY A GREAT ECONOMIC 
POWER, REMAINS WITHOUT POLITICAL INFLUENCE AROUND THE WORLD, 
INCLUDING IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ITS NEIGHBOR. EUROPE SITS ON THE 
JUMP SEATS, WHICH THE U.S. DEIGNS TO LEAVE FOR HER, IN ITS 
IMPERIAL APPROACH TO WORLD GOVERNANCE. THE EUROPEANS KNOW THAT 
THE FINAL OBJECTIVE IS TO REACH COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE IN 
EUROPE'S DEFENSE, BECAUSE FOR THEM IT IS INCONCEIVABLE TO HAVE 
500 MILLION EUROPEANS DEPEND, FOR THEIR DEFENSE AND TO SUCH AN 
EXTENT, ON 280 MILLION AMERICANS." LEACH