US embassy cable - 05PARIS3504

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 003504 
 
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 - MUSLIM WORLD: ANTI-AMERICAN 
DEMONSTRATIONS - KORAN DESECRATION - AFGHANISTAN - LAURA BUSH 
TO MIDDLE EAST EUROPEAN ISSUES - REFERENDUM - NATO AND DARFUR 
PARIS - MONDAY, MAY 23, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. MUSLIM WORLD: ANTI-AMERICAN DEMONSTRATIONS - KORAN 
DESECRATION - AFGHANISTAN - LAURA BUSH TO MIDDLE EAST 
2. EUROPEAN ISSUES - REFERENDUM - NATO AND DARFUR 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
WHILE EUROPEAN ISSUES DOMINATE FRONT PAGES, EDITORIALS AND 
COMMENTARIES AS THE MAY 29 VOTE ON THE EU REFERENDUM NEARS, 
REPORTS AND COMMENTS ON ANTI-AMERICAN PROTEST ABOUND, LINKED 
TO THE NEWSWEEK ARTICLE BUT ALSO TO THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORT 
ON INCIDENTS IN BAGRAM. ARTICLES ABOUT PRESIDENT KARZAI'S TRIP 
TO WASHINGTON WEIGH HIS NEED TO "WALK A FINE LINE" BETWEEN 
DOMESTIC POLITICS AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH "HIS AMERICAN 
ALLIES." (SEE PART C) THE POPPY INDUSTRY IN AFGHANISTAN AND 
THE DIFFICULTY IN REDUCING THE COUNTRY'S OUTPUT IS THE BASIS 
FOR A MAJOR ARTICLE IN LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE TITLED: "THE 
OPIUM WAR HAS BEGUN." CORRESPONDENT ERIC DE LAVARENE WRITES: 
"WHILE THE AFGHAN AUTHORITIES ARE BENT ON PUTTING AN END TO 
DRUG TRAFFICKING, THE TASK IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE FARMERS DEPEND 
ON THE OPIUM INDUSTRY FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD AND THOSE FIGHTING 
THE ANTI-DRUG WAR ARE ALSO ACCOMPLICES OF THE DRUG 
TRAFFICKERS." A DOUBLE PAGE PHOTOGRAPH IN WEEKLY L'EXPRESS 
SHOWS A "HAPPY AFGHAN" AMIDST HIS POPPY FIELDS. 
 
TWO POLLS ON THE FRENCH EU REFERENDUM SHOW THE `NO' STILL IN 
THE LEAD WITH 52 PERCENT (IFOP- JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE AND LOUIS- 
HARRIS/ LIBERATION). WASHINGTON'S ATTITUDE TO THE REFERENDUM 
IS THE BASIS FOR A REPORT IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO. (SEE 
PART C) A SEPARATE ARTICLE ON DARFUR REITERATES THE 
CONTROVERSIAL APPROACH TO NATO'S INVOLVEMENT IN AFRICA, 
WHETHER SEEN FROM BRUSSELS OR FROM WASHINGTON. (SEE PART C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
MUSLIM WORLD: ANTI-AMERICAN DEMONSTRATIONS - KORAN DESECRATION 
- AFGHANISTAN - LAURA BUSH TO MIDDLE EAST 
 
"CONTROVERSY OVER U.S. BEHAVIOR IN AFGHANISTAN GROWS" 
MARIE-FRANCE CALLE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/23): "THE 
REPORT IS DAMNING FOR THE U.S. . WHILE PRESIDENT KARZAI WAS 
PUTTING THE LAST TOUCHES TO HIS TRIP TO WASHINGTON. THE REPORT 
COULD HAVE DARKENED WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN A CLOUDLESS 
VISIT. BUT THERE WILL BE NO DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT. KARZAI REALLY 
HAS VERY LITTLE CHOICE. HE IS THE ENDURING AMERICAN ALLY AND 
HE KNOWS WHAT HE OWES THE AMERICANS: IN SHORT HE OWES THEM 
EVERYTHING. HE ALSO KNOWS THAT WITHOUT THE AMERICANS, 
AFGHANISTAN WOULD QUICKLY GO BACK TO CHAOS. WITH LEGISLATIVE 
ELECTIONS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER, CHAOS WOULD BE THE WORST 
POSSIBLE SCENARIO. AND WITH VIOLENCE ERUPTING ONCE AGAIN IN 
AFGHANISTAN, PRESIDENT KARZAI WILL HAVE TO WALK A FINE LINE." 
 
"THE AFGHAN GREAT GAME" 
JACQUES HUBERT-RODIER IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES ECHOS (05/23): 
"IS NEWSWEEK'S RETRACTION ENOUGH? THE CONTROVERSY, WHICH ITS 
ARTICLE TRIGGERED, IS FAR FROM HAVING BEEN QUELLED. IN 
AFGHANISTAN AND IN THE MUSLIM WORLD IN GENERAL, THE INCIDENT 
HAS RE-IGNITED ANTI-AMERICAN SENTIMENTS WHICH ARE BEING 
EXPLOITED BY EXTREMISTS. IN KABUL, DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF 
INTERNATIONAL TROOPS, THE SITUATION REMAINS VOLATILE. WARLORDS 
REMAIN AT THE CENTER OF AFGHANISTAN'S SECURITY CONCERNS. 
MEANWHILE OPIUM PRODUCTION PROSPERS. YET THERE ARE AREAS WHERE 
THINGS HAVE IMPROVED. BUT ONLY A FRACTION OF THE POPULATION 
CAN ENJOY THESE IMPROVEMENTS, AND THE SLIGHTEST SPARK, LIKE 
THE NEWSWEEK ARTICLE, IS ENOUGH TO SET THINGS AFIRE. TODAY'S 
QUICK SPREAD OF INFORMATION, WHETHER PROVEN OR NOT, TRIGGERS 
DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD, WHERE MANY OF THE FAITHFUL 
HAVE THE FEELING THAT THEIR RELIGION HAS BECOME THE TARGET OF 
WESTERN ATTACKS. AFGHANISTAN, WHICH HAS GIVEN SANCTUARY TO BIN 
LADEN UNDER THE TALIBAN, IS AT THE HEART OF THE REGION'S POWER 
GAME." 
 
"THE U.S. ANGERS MUSLIM WORLD" 
THIERRY DE ROCHECHOUART IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR 
(05/23): "DESECRATED KORAN, PHOTOS OF SADDAM. AND TORTURE IN 
AFGHANISTAN: EVERY TIME, STORIES REVEALED BY THE WESTERN PRESS 
IGNITE THE MUSLIM WORLD. AND THE MOVEMENT KEEPS GROWING. ON 
FRIDAY, THE GREAT IMAM OF MECCA DEMANDED THAT WASHINGTON 
APOLOGIZE FOR THE ALLEGED DESECRATION OF THE KORAN. BUT THE 
WHITE HOUSE APPEARS TO BE HELPLESS IN ITS ATTEMPTS TO DOUSE 
THE FIRES. THE FIRST LADY'S TRIP WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF 
THE WHITE HOUSE CHARM OFFENSIVE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. 
UNFORTUNATELY SHE WAS HECKLED IN JERUSALEM. FURTHER PROOF THAT 
WASHINGTON HAS BEEN CAUGHT IN A WIND OF PANIC IS THE FACT THAT 
IT HAS CALLED FOR AN IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION FURTHER TO THE 
PUBLICATION OF SADDAM'S PHOTOGRAPHS. NUMEROUS ARAB PAPERS ON 
SATURDAY WONDERED ABOUT THE AMERICAN MILITARY TROOPS' DESIRE 
TO `HUMILIATE' ARAB SOCIETY IN GENERAL." 
 
"LAURA BUSH HECKLED IN JERUSALEM" 
PHILIPPE GELIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/23): "LAURA 
BUSH TOOK HER FIRST STEPS AS A DIPLOMAT IN A MINEFIELD. AS SHE 
VISITED JERUSALEM, SHE WAS SUCCESSIVELY HECKLED BY JEWISH 
DEMONSTRATORS AT THE WAILING WALL AND LATER BY MUSLIMS AT THE 
DOME MOSQUE. HER WELCOME GIVES THE MEASURE OF THE DIFFICULTIES 
WHICH THE WHITE HOUSE IS FACING IN THE MIDDLE EAST. LAURA BUSH 
CAN NO LONGER IGNORE THE TENSION IN THIS REGION AND THE LEVEL 
OF RESENTMENT WHICH AMERICA TRIGGERS HERE. THIS TRIP, HER 
SECOND OF THIS NATURE, IS CLEARLY POLITICAL. THE GOAL IS TO 
IMPROVE HER COUNTRY'S IMAGE AND TO ENCOURAGE REFORMS IN HOST 
COUNTRIES. WHILE THE IDEAS SHE IS PROMOTING HAVE BEEN HERS FOR 
A LONG TIME, THE FACT THAT SHE IS EXPRESSING THEM ON THE 
INTERNATIONAL ARENA IS SOMETHING NEW. LAURA BUSH HAS ADOPTED 
THE PRESIDENT'S CAUSE TO DEMOCRATIZE THE MIDDLE EAST AND IS 
FAST BECOMING HIS NUMBER ONE EMISSARY." 
 
EUROPEAN ISSUES - REFERENDUM - NATO AND DARFUR 
 
"THE EU CONSTITUTION: WASHINGTON'S INTEREST AND MISTRUST" 
PHILIPPE GELIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/23): "SEEN 
FROM THE U.S., EUROPE IS AN ILL-DEFINED ENTITY. WHICH IS NOT 
OVERLY PROFILED IN THE U.S. MEDIA. WHILE SECRETARY RICE HAS 
REITERATED WASHINGTON'S SUPPORT FOR EUROPE'S CONSTRUCTION, THE 
TERMS USED ARE OFTEN VAGUE, POSSIBLY BY DESIGN. WASHINGTON IS 
ESSENTIALLY WONDERING WHERE THE EUROPEAN ADVENTURE WILL LEAD. 
THE ATTITUDE OF THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION IS DETERMINED BY TWO 
MAJOR QUESTIONS: CAN THE EUROPEAN PROJECT CHALLENGE AMERICA'S 
POWER AND CAN IT HARM NATO. IN A CAPITAL WHERE OPPOSITION TO 
MULTIPOLARITY DOMINATES, EUROPE'S JOINT FOREIGN POLICY IS 
PERCEIVED AS BEING `HOSTILE TO AMERICA'S VISION OF THE WORLD,' 
AND EUROPE'S DEFENSE INITIATIVE AS A WAR MACHINE AGAINST THE 
ATLANTIC ALLIANCE. FRANCE IN PARTICULAR IS ACCUSED OF 
NURTURING PLANS FOR A `EUROPE POWER' MEANT TO RIVAL THE U.S. 
RATHER THAN BE ITS PARTNER." 
 
"EUROPE, NATO AND DARFUR" 
ALEXANDRINE BOUILHET IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/23): 
"WHILE NATO IS ABOUT TO SET FOOT IN AFRICA FOR THE FIRST TIME 
IN ITS HISTORY, THE EU IS REFINING ITS STRATEGY. THE EU, WHICH 
HAS BEEN PRESENT IN DARFUR FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS, DOES NOT 
WANT TO SEE NATO, THE NEWCOMER, STEAL ITS THUNDER. EUROPE'S 
ALL-OUT EFFORTS TO HELP DARFUR COMES DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING 
OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL WHICH PLANS TO GIVE THE GREEN 
LIGHT TO THE FIRST NATO SUPPORT MISSION IN AFRICA. URGED BY 
WASHINGTON, THIS INTERVENTION, EVEN IF IT IS A DISCREET ONE, 
IS CLEARLY A DIPLOMATIC VICTORY FOR SECRETARY RICE. FRANCE 
FINALLY GAVE ITS OWN GREEN LIGHT, EAGER AS IT IS NOT TO MAKE 
DARFUR A NEW CAUSE OF CONFLICT WITH WASHINGTON. BUT THE 
SHARING OF RESPONSIBILITIES WILL BE A MAJOR HEADACHE: THE 
BATTLE WITH THE EU WILL MAINLY BE FOUGHT BETWEEN THE AMERICANS 
AND THE FRENCH OVER AIR SURVEILLANCE. THIS NEW EAGERNESS BY 
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP DARFUR REVEALS THE RIVALRY 
BETWEEN MAJOR POWERS WHICH ALL WANT TO REVAMP THEIR IMAGE 
AFTER THE RWANDA GENOCIDE AS MUCH AS THEY WANT TO SECURE THEIR 
OWN PROFITS FROM SUDAN'S OIL RESERVES." WOLFF