US embassy cable - 05PARIS3020

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003020 
 
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; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - EUROPE: MAY 5 UK ELECTIONS 
TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS 
PARIS - WEDNESDAY, MAY 04, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. EUROPE: MAY 5 UK ELECTIONS 
2. TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
TODAY'S HEADLINES ARE FOR THE MOST PART DEVOTED TO TONY BLAIR 
AND HIS "PROBABLE RE-ELECTION" (LE FIGARO). IN HIS EDITORIAL 
PIERRE ROUSSELIN WRITES ABOUT A "HISTORIC THIRD MANDATE" FOR 
BLAIR. INSIDE, A REPORT BY JACQUES DUPLUOICH IS TITLED: "BLAIR 
TORN BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE U.S." (SEE PART C) CATHOLIC LA 
CROIX HEADLINES "TONY BLAIR: HEADING FOR A WIN" WHILE 
COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE HEADLINES: "TONY BLAIR: THE IRON MAN." 
 
U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT PORTMAN IS PORTRAYED BY 
GILLES BIASSETTE IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX: "PROMOTING FREE TRADE 
IN THE U.S. AS WELL AS IN EUROPE HAS BECOME A DIFFICULT TASK. 
BUT PORTMAN'S POLITICAL EXPERIENCE IN THE U.S. AND HIS 
KNOWLEDGE OF HOW CONGRESS WORKS WILL BE USEFUL. BECAUSE 
NEGOTIATING FREE TRADE IS ALSO NEGOTIATING WITH LOCALLY 
ELECTED POLITICIANS. BESIDES TRADE CONFLICTS WITH CHINA, 
PORTMAN WILL BE DEALING WITH BRUSSELS OVER AIRLINE SUBSIDIES. 
ON MONDAY, ALONGSIDE HIS EUROPEAN COUNTERPART, PORTMAN 
REITERATED THAT `A NEGOTIATED SOLUTION REMAINS THE PREFERRED 
OPTION' IN THE AIRBUS-BOEING ISSUE." 
 
PRESIDENT CHIRAC'S TELEVISED INTERVIEW LAST EVENING TO PROMOTE 
THE `YES' FOR THE EU REFERENDUM IS WIDELY REPORTED. 
COMMENTATORS CALL HIS INTERVENTION "A REMEDIAL LESSON" AIMED 
AT CORRECTING THE NEGATIVE IMPACT MADE BY HIS PREVIOUS 
TELEVISED "SHOW" WITH 80 YOUNG PEOPLE IN APRIL. HIS 
AFFIRMATION THAT "ITER WILL BE BUILT IN FRANCE" IS REPORTED ON 
THE FRONT PAGE OF ECONOMIC LES ECHOS. IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE 
PARISIEN JEAN DARRIULAT COMMENTS: "IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE 
EUROPEANS' PERSEVERANCE IS PAYING OFF. NOT ONLY FINANCIALLY, 
BUT POLITICALLY. AFTER PRESIDENT BUSH'S RE-ELECTION, AND HIS 
DESIRE TO FIX RELATIONS WITH THE EUROPEANS AFTER THE IRAQI 
HORNETS' NEST, THE AMERICANS MADE IT KNOWN THAT THEY NO LONGER 
HAD A PREFERENCE FOR THE SITE AND WISHED FOR AN AGREEMENT TO 
BE REACHED BETWEEN THE EUROPEANS AND THE JAPANESE." 
 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO CARRIES AN OP-ED BY FORMER NEWSWEEK 
PARIS BUREAU CHIEF TED STANGER ON PRESIDENT CHIRAC AND 
TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS. (SEE PART C) 
 
ALEXANDRE ADLER WRITES A COLUMN IN LE FIGARO TITLED "BUSH, 
HISTORY AND ITS CHOICES." HE DEFINES THE STATE OF THE WORLD 
TODAY, PRESIDENT BUSH'S SUCCESSES IN THE MIDDLE EAST (IRAQ'S 
NEW GOVERNMENT, LEBANON, LIBYA'S DISARMING, PAKISTAN AND 
INDIA'S NEW DIALOGUE) BUT ALSO IRAN'S NUCLEAR TEMPTATIONS AND 
THE OPTIONS OPEN TO PRESIDENT BUSH. (SEE PART C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
EUROPE: MAY 5 UK ELECTIONS 
 
"BUSH TORN BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE U.S" 
JACQUES DUPLOUICH IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/04): 
"BEYOND THE WAR IN IRAQ AND THE ISSUE OF ITS LEGITIMACY, WHAT 
TRANSPIRED WAS THE NATURE OF TONY BLAIR'S FOREIGN POLICY, IN 
RELATION TO WASHINGTON, EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST. WHILE 
EUROPE IS ESSENTIAL IN BLAIR'S EYES, THE U.S. IS JUST AS 
IMPORTANT. THIS IS WHY HE HAS SUGGESTED HE SERVE AS A `BRIDGE' 
BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW CONTINENT. HE CANNOT AND DOES NOT 
WANT TO CHOOSE, BECAUSE GREAT BRITAIN'S VOCATION IS TO BE BOTH 
EUROPEAN AND ATLANTICIST. TONY BLAIR HAS DEFINED THREE 
OBJECTIVES RESULTING FROM THIS POSTULATE: TO ANCHOR GREAT 
BRITAIN AT THE CORE OF AN ENLARGED EUROPEAN UNION, TO RE- 
INSTATE ITS STRATEGIC INFLUENCE. AND TO PARTICIPATE IN 
EXPANDING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC LIBERTIES BY FAVORING 
DEMOCRATIC EXPANSION THROUGH THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY. BUT 
SOME SEE BLAIR AS THE `TROJAN MULE' OF U.S. INTERESTS ON THE 
OLD CONTINENT." 
TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS 
 
"CHIRAC IN THE MIDST OF A TRANSATLANTIC TEMPEST" 
TED STANGER IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/04): "FOR OVER 
TWO CENTURIES FRANCO-AMERICAN RELATIONS WERE BASED ON A VERY 
USEFUL HYPOCRISY: THE TWO COUNTRIES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE 
FRIENDS. CHIRAC AND BUSH HAVE TOGETHER DISPELLED THIS 
ILLUSION. THE TRUTH IS THAT WE ARE NO LONGER EVEN FALSE 
FRIENDS. CHIRAC IS ONLY SUPERFICIALLY INTERESTED IN THE 
ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE RELATIONS BETWEEN PARIS AND WASHINGTON. 
THE RAPPROCHEMENT ATTEMPTS ARE MORE VIRTUAL THAN REAL, WITH 
THE LESS THAN CONVINCING VISIT TO PARIS BY SECRETARY OF SATE 
RICE AND PRESIDENT BUSH'S TRIP TO BRUSSELS, WHERE HE AND 
CHIRAC MANAGED TO NEVER LOOK EACH OTHER IN THE EYE. IN SPITE 
OF FRANCE'S NUCLEAR ABILITY, IT STILL NEEDS WASHINGTON AS A 
MILITARY ALLY. THIS TRUTH IS EVEN GREATER TODAY THAN 50 YEARS 
AGO. FRANCE'S STANCE ON IRAQ HAS NOT PROTECTED IT FROM 
TERRORISM AND HOSTAGE TAKING. WHAT BETTER ALLY TO PROTECT 
FRANCE IS THERE THAN THE U.S.? BUT THE MONTHS AND YEARS TO 
COME ARE NOT PROMISING ONES FOR THE FRANCE-AMERICA DUO. WHILE 
BARNIER WAS ABLE TO PLAY THINGS DOWN WITH WASHINGTON, 
WASHINGTON IS AFRAID THAT DE VILLEPIN'S POSSIBLE NOMINATION AS 
PRIME MINISTER COULD TRIGGER A NEW CONFRONTATION. BETWEEN 
FRANCE AND THE U.S. THAT WOULD BE AS FRUITLESS AS THE LAST 
ONE. IT IS NOT EASY FOR CHIRAC TO DEAL WITH THE AMERICAN 
SUPERPOWER, ESPECIALLY SINCE BUSH'S ARRIVAL AT THE WHITE 
HOUSE. UNFORTUNATELY, IS PROBABLY ALREADY TOO LATE FOR CHIRAC 
TO LINK UP WITH THE OLD TRADITION OF FRENCH DIPLOMACY WHEN 
FRENCH LEADERS WERE ABLE TO DISCREETLY GIVE ADVICE TO THE MAN 
IN THE WHITE HOUSE." 
 
"BUSH AND THE HESITATIONS OF HISTORY" 
ALEXANDRE ADLER IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/04): 
"PRESIDENT BUSH CAN BE PROUD OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE MIDDLE 
EAST. EVEN IF DARK SPOTS REMAIN. BUT IRAN'S NUCLEAR 
ASPIRATIONS REPRESENT A DIFFICULT CRISIS THAT NEEDS TO BE 
ADDRESSED. MILITARILY SPEAKING, THE AMERICANS DO NOT POSSESS A 
CAPABILITY OF DETERRENCE VIS-A-VIS THEIR IRANIAN ADVERSARY AND 
PARTNER. THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION MUST MAKE A CHOICE IT HAS NOT 
PREPARED FOR. JUST AS IT MUST MAKE A CHOICE IN ITS TRADE 
RELATIONS WITH CHINA. IN LATIN AMERICA A DANGEROUS PHENOMENON 
IS BREWING. SECRETARY RICES' RECENT TRIP WAS AN ATTEMPT TO 
CONJURE THE TEMPEST. BUT A CONFRONTATION WITH VENEZUELA SEEMS 
TO BE IN THE WORKS. THE CHOICES FACING THE U.S. REMAIN IN THE 
REALM OF THE POSSIBLE EVEN IF THEY ARE PAINFUL CHOICES, 
BECAUSE THEY ARE IN OPPOSITION TO BUSH'S BASIC IDEOLOGY. BUT 
IF THE U.S. PRESIDENT, WITH THE HELP OF CONDOLEEZZA RICE, 
MANAGES TO SEPARATE THE ISSUES IN LATIN AMERICA, TO HELP IRAN 
FIND AN OUT FROM THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION AND HELP CHINA IN ITS 
TRANSITION. THEN THE PRECIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS REACHED THANKS TO 
THE PRESIDENT'S POLITICAL AND MILITARY COURAGE WILL BE 
PRESERVED. IF NOT, TODAY'S GLOBALIZATION IS PAVING THE WAY TO 
FRIGHTENING STORMS." ROSENBLATT