US embassy cable - 05PARIS3465

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003465 
 
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 - MIDDLE EAST - RENEWED TENSION 
UZBEKISTAN ARREST OF LUIS POSADA CARRILES 
PARIS - FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. MIDDLE EAST - RENEWED TENSION 
2. UZBEKISTAN 
3. ARREST OF LUIS POSADA CARRILES 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
WHILE EUROPEAN ISSUES DOMINATE FRONT PAGES AND EDITORIALS ON D- 
9 BEFORE THE VOTE ON THE REFERENDUM, THE MIDDLE EAST AND 
RENEWED REGIONAL TENSION ELICIT COMMENTARY FROM CATHOLIC LA 
CROIX (SEE PART C) WHICH ALSO CARRIES AN INTERVIEW WITH 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY UMP REPRESENTATIVE PIERRE LELLOUCHE: 
"BECAUSE BILATERAL TALKS ARE NOT PROGRESSING, WE HAVE PROPOSED 
NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN REPRESENTATIVES FROM BOTH PARLIAMENTS 
UNDER THE AEGIS OF NATO WHO WILL SERVE AS FACILITATOR. THE 
FIRST MEETING WILL BE IN JUNE IN NAPLES. THE ADVANTAGE OF AN 
INTERVENTION UNDER THE NATO STRUCTURE IS THAT NATO IS 
COMPRISED OF AMERICANS AND EUROPEANS. IDEALLY WE NEED A STRONG 
EURO-AMERICAN INITIATIVE TO BRING THE TWO SIDES BACK TO THE 
NEGOTIATING TABLE AND THE TABA AGREEMENT." 
 
IN HIS WEEKLY WRAP-UP COLUMN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO IVAN 
RIOUFOL COMMENTS BRIEFLY ON THE GUANTANAMO KORAN INCIDENT, 
COMMENDING NEWSWEEK FOR ITS RETRACTION, ADDING: "THE USE OF 
THIS SOLE PRETEXT (FOR DEMONSTRATIONS) PROVES TO WHAT EXTENT 
THE AMERICANS ARE HATED IN THE MUSLIM WORLD BECAUSE OF THEIR 
CLUMSINESS IN IRAQ, WHERE THEIR INTERVENTION IS NOT YET 
BEARING FRUIT." 
 
THE CRISIS IN UZBEKISTAN LEADS BORIS EISENBAUM, AN EXPERT ON 
POST-SOVIET STRATEGY, TO PEN AN OP-ED IN LE FIGARO ON THE 
"BATTLE FOR INFLUENCE BETWEEN THE U.S. AND RUSSIA IN CENTRAL 
ASIA." (SEE PART C) 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE ANALYZES THE ARREST OF LUIS POSADA 
CARRILES IN THE U.S., "WHICH EMBARRASSES THE AMERICAN 
AUTHORITIES." (SEE PART C) 
 
THE ECONOMIC PRESS REPORTS EXTENSIVELY ON A REQUEST FROM 
AIRBUS TO FINANCE THEIR A350. ACCORDING TO LES ECHOS "THE 
BRITISH WILL ANNOUNCE AT THE PARIS AIR SHOW THAT THEY WILL 
ADVANCE 582 MILLION EUROS. FRANCE IS ALSO CONSIDERING A 
SIMILAR REQUEST FROM AIRBUS." ALL REPORTS INDICATE THAT 
"WASHINGTON IMMEDIATELY REACTED TO THE AIRBUS REQUEST WITH A 
THREAT OF GOING BEFORE THE WTO." LIBERATION'S SHORT ITEM IS 
TITLED: "AIRBUS ANNOYS WASHINGTON." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
MIDDLE EAST - RENEWED TENSION 
 
"EXTREMIST PRESSURE" 
FRANCOIS ERNENWEIN IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (05/20): "SHARON'S 
WITHDRAWAL PLAN WAS A SHOW OF GREAT AMBITION AND COURAGE. 
SINCE THEN A TRUCE HAS SETTLED IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES. 
THIS IS WHY THE RENEWED TENSION THAT HAS ERUPTED SINCE 
WEDNESDAY IN GAZA MUST BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. BECAUSE IT 
COULD BE USED AS A PRETEXT BY ALL THOSE WHO FEAR THAT PEACE IN 
THE MIDDLE EAST HARMS THEIR STRATEGY OF THE WORST. THE AURA OF 
HAMAS BEGAN WITH THE CRISIS AND THE END OF THE CRISIS 
THREATENS IT. BECAUSE VIOLENCE IS ITS OXYGEN, A PEACEFUL 
OUTCOME COULD SMOTHER IT. ON THE ISRAELI SIDE NOT EVERYONE 
WANTS TO SEE AN AUTONOMOUS PALESTINIAN STATE. AGAINST THIS 
EXTREMIST PRESSURE FROM BOTH SIDES, WHO PROMOTE A POLICY OF 
THE WORST, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO WORK TO SAVE THE PEACE." 
 
UZBEKISTAN 
 
"AFTER ANDIJAN, WHAT IS THE WAY OUT OF THE CRISIS?" 
BORIS EISENBAUM IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/20): "THE 
EVENTS IN ANDIJAN ARE PART OF THE POWER PLAY FOR INFLUENCE 
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND RUSSIA IN CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS. 
THE WAVE OF DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTIONS IN FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS, 
SUPPORTED AND FINANCED BY AMERICAN FOUNDATIONS, IS PERCEIVED 
BY MOSCOW AS AN ADDITIONAL MEANS TO REDUCE THE KREMLIN'S 
INFLUENCE. YET THIS DESTABILIZATION OF UZBEKISTAN DOES NOT 
SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE U.S., WHICH HAS BEEN SUPPORTING 
PRESIDENT KARIMOV. THIS IS WHY THE EVENTS IN ANDIJAN REPRESENT 
A THORNY PROBLEM FOR THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND UNDERSCORE 
THE LIMITATIONS OF ITS POLICY FOR PROMOTING DEMOCRACY IN THE 
REGION." 
 
ARREST OF LUIS POSADA CARRILES 
 
"ARREST OF LUIS POSADA CARRILES IN MIAMI EMBARRASSES U.S." 
ERIC LESER IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE (05/20): "THE BUSH 
ADMINISTRATION WHICH IS WAGING A MERCILESS WAR AGAINST 
TERRORISM AND A POLICY OF UNFLINCHING DETERMINATION TOWARDS 
THE CUBAN REGIME IS FACING A DILEMMA. TO ACCEPT CARRILES'S 
DEMAND FOR ASYLUM MEANS HARBORING A TERRORIST; TO EXTRADITE 
HIM TO VENEZUELA AS CASTRO HAS ASKED MEANS GRANTING A VICTORY 
TO TWO ADVERSARIES OF THE U.S. THERE IS ANOTHER PROBLEM OF A 
LEGAL NATURE: WASHINGTON IS NOT IN THE HABIT OF EXTRADITING 
INMATES TOWARDS CUBA OR `INTERMEDIARY' COUNTRIES. CARRILES 
ENTERED THE U.S. ILLEGALLY, BUT WAS NEVER BOTHERED BY FEDERAL 
AGENTS UNTIL HE GAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE AND AN INTERVIEW TO 
THE MIAMI HERALD. WASHINGTON MAY WELL TRY TO FIND A PRETEXT TO 
KEEP CARRILES IN JAIL. CONSIDERING THE LITTLE SUPPORT HE IS 
GETTING FROM EXILED CUBANS IN FLORIDA THIS SHOULD NOT BE TOO 
DIFFICULT." WOLFF