US embassy cable - 05PARIS2604

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002604 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/WE, EUR/ERA, EUR/PPD, DRL/IL AND INR/EUR 
AND EB 
DEPT OF LABOR FOR ILAB 
DEPT OF COMMERCE FOR ITA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ELAB, EU, FR, PINR, SOCI 
SUBJECT: EU CONSTITUTION: PRESIDENT CHIRAC TAKES HIS CASE 
TO THE PEOPLE; CLAIMS U.S. OPPOSED TO STRONG EUROPE 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. Please protect accordingly. 
 
SUMMARY 
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1. (SBU) Seeking to revive flagging support in France for the 
proposed EU Constitution, President Chirac, in a closely 
followed TV event the evening of April 14, made his case that 
the constitution's defeat in the May 29 referendum would 
isolate France, undermining its influence in Europe, and 
through Europe, in the world.  Notably, he used the occasion 
to assert, erroneously, that the U.S. opposes the goal of a 
strong Europe.  Chirac, taking questions from an audience of 
80 high school and university students, repeatedly emphasized 
that the proposed Constitution would protect "the European 
(read French) social model" -- a clear bid to convince 
undecided and center-left voters that they should vote in 
favor of the proposed charter.  Chirac ruled out the 
possibility that he would resign if French voters rejected 
the constitution.  Polls will chart the effect of the French 
President's direct intervention in the "yes" campaign.  First 
reactions were not promising:  an editorial in France's 
leading, center-right newspaper summed up Chirac's 
performance as a "missed opportunity."  END SUMMARY. 
 
CONTROVERSIAL TV APPEARANCE 
--------------------------- 
2. (SBU) Seeking to revive flagging support in France for the 
proposed EU Constitution, President Chirac took his "vote 
yes" message directly to the people last night, April 14, in 
a live prime-time television broadcast.  The event was 
arranged by the President's long-time media advisor and 
youngest daughter, Claude Chirac, and was billed as a 
"pedagogical debate" with 80 high school and college 
students.  Critics claimed Claude Chirac's orchestration of 
the affair as "spectacle politics" ensured that only softball 
questions would be asked of the President.  In fact, 
questions focused on participants' apprehensions about future 
employment, education reforms, etc. and other very domestic 
concerns -- a wide range of matters largely unrelated to the 
proposed Constitution. 
 
PROTECTING THE SOCIAL MODEL 
--------------------------- 
3. (SBU) Chirac opened the evening by stating that the defeat 
of the EU Constitution in a May 29 referendum would isolate 
France and weaken its influence within Europe.  "If France 
doesn't adopt it," Chirac said, "for a while we would cease 
to exist politically.  You'll have 24 countries voting yes 
and the black sheep (France) blocking everything."  Seeking 
to convince undecided and center-left voters that they should 
vote in favor of the proposed constitution, Chirac repeatedly 
emphasized that it would act as a rampart against the 
"ultraliberal Anglo-Saxon model."  He extended this line of 
argument -- to address concerns that the constitution would 
represent a step backward for social rights and protections 
-- by defending the treaty as a "humanist" model of 
capitalism, in contrast with the "model followed" in 
countries such as the U.S. and U.K.  Asked by one student to 
explain why unemployment in the U.K. was lower than in 
France, Chirac replied that Britain had social regulations 
that would not be acceptable to the French. 
 
MISREPRESENTING THE U.S. POSITION ON EUROPE 
------------------------------------------- 
4.  (SBU)  In a notable exchange, Chirac asserted the U.S. 
would prefer to see France reject the proposed treaty since 
that would result in a weaker Europe.  In doing so, Chirac 
went further than Socialist Party officials who have 
encouraged a yes vote as a means of creating a stronger 
Europe "able to stand up to the U.S."  In answer to a 
question about the consequences of voting no, Chirac said: 
"...what can we say is the interest of Anglo-Saxon nations, 
and primarily the United States?  It is naturally that we put 
a stop to the European construction which risks creating 
tomorrow a much stronger Europe."  Asked by a commentator 
whether this implied that the U.S. "would be pleased with a 
no vote," Chirac replied "absolutely." 
COMMENT 
5. (SBU) This event did not play to Chirac's strengths.  The 
confused, all-over-the-place nature of the questioning he got 
from the students -- who by their own admission knew little 
about the constitution -- made his own presentation seem to 
lack focus.  Whatever his and his supporter's conception of 
the encounter may have been, in the event it was not the 
silver bullet the yes side had hoped for.  Perhaps this 
explains why Chirac succumbed to the demagogic temptation to 
claim his opponents were in effect serving inimical U.S. 
interests.  An editorial in France's leading center-right 
newspaper summed up Chirac's performance as a "missed 
opportunity."  Opponents of the constitution, visibly tickled 
by Chirac's difficulties, appear to agree.  END COMMENT. 
 
LEACH