US embassy cable - 05PARIS3857

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003857 
 
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 - EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDA 
FALLOUT 
PARIS - FRIDAY, JUNE 03, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDA FALLOUT 
 
(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
THE CABINET CHANGES FOLLOWING DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN'S 
APPOINTMENT AS PRIME MINISTER DOMINATE A MAJORITY OF 
HEADLINES. LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION NOTES THAT "DE VILLEPIN 
VERSUS SARKOZY WILL BE A FIGHT TO THE DEATH." LIBERATION'S 
EDITORIAL MOCKS: "IN THE M AGE-A-TROIS THAT NOW GOVERNS OUR 
COUNTRY [CHIRAC, VILLEPIN, SARKOZY] IT IS NICOLAS SARKOZY WHO 
WEARS THE PANTS." 
 
WEEKLY STANDARD'S EDITORIALIST CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL PENS AN OP- 
ED ENTITLED: "MR. DE VILLEPIN AS SEEN BY THE AMERICANS" 
TRANSLATED FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE. "DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN 
IS ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN MEMBERS OF A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT IN 
AMERICA. UNFORTUNATELY THOSE WHO REMEMBER HIM BEST ARE ABOVE 
ALL THOSE WHO CONSIDER HIM TO BE A SYMBOL OF FRENCH TREACHERY 
AND EGOISM. MR. DE VILLEPIN MAY CONTINUE TO HAVE A HAND IN 
FRENCH FOREIGN POLICY, BUT IT IS MR. CHIRAC WHO IS AT THE 
COMMANDS, GUIDED BY AN ERRONEOUS IDEA OF AMERICAN INTERESTS IN 
EUROPE." 
 
IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO, IVAN RIOUFOL COMMENTS: "DE 
VILLEPIN'S PACIFISM AND ANTI-BUSH STANCE HAVE WON HIM, SINCE 
THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ, THE FAVOR OF A LARGE PART OF THE PUBLIC 
OPINION. BUT HE WILL HAVE TO PUT A LID ON HIS CALL FOR A 
`PLURAL' EUROPE AND THE BENEFITS THAT ISLAM COULD BRING TO IT. 
IS THIS `OPEN-MINDEDNESS' A HARBINGER FOR THE WESTERNIZATION 
OF ISLAM OR THE ISLAMIZATION OF EUROPE? WE CANNOT TOLERATE 
THIS UNCERTAINTY." 
 
PRIME MINISTER DE VILLEPIN'S DECISION TO NAME FORMER HEALTH 
MINISTER PHILIPPE DOUSTE-BLAZY AS THE NEW FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
MINISTER, REPLACING MICHEL BARNIER WHO IS OUSTED FROM THE 
GOVERNMENT, PROMPTS COMMENTARY IN POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE 
PARISIEN: "DOUSTE-BLAZY'S APPOINTMENT IS GREETED WITH 
TREPIDATION BY THE EMPLOYEES OF THE MINISTRY. A NUMBER OF 
DIPLOMATS REGARD HIM AS A MINISTER `FOR SHOW' WITH NO REAL 
COMPETENCE IN TERMS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS." 
 
DAILIES SPECULATE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE FOLLOWING THE 
REFUSAL TO RATIFY THE EU CONSTITUTIONAL TREATY BY FRANCE AND 
THE NETHERLANDS. LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION HEADLINES: "EUROPE 
LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT," LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE: "EUROPE: ONE 
MORE STEP TOWARDS CATASTROPHE," RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO'S 
HEADLINE: "EUROPE: AFTER TWO NO'S, THE MACHINE IS OFF-KILTER" 
AND IN ITS ARTICLE LE PARISIEN CALLS THE CONSTITUTION: 
"MORIBUND." THE EDITORIAL IN LIBERATION PUTS FORWARD THAT: 
"ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE UNION HAVE DIAGNOSED THE CLINICAL 
DEATH OF THE CONSTITUTION, BUT NONE OF THEM WANT TO TAKE THE 
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SIGNING THE DEATH CERTIFICATE." (SEE PART 
C) 
 
THE DIFFICULTIES THAT FACE TURKEY IN NEGOTIATIONS FOR EU 
MEMBERSHIP FOLLOWING THE REFERENDA RESULTS ARE OUTLINED IN LE 
FIGARO. THIERRY OBERLE WRITES FROM ANKARA: "IN ANKARA, THE 
GOVERNMENT NOTES THAT JACQUES CHIRAC'S GROWING POLITICAL 
ISOLATION IS A HANDICAP THAT WEAKENS HIS CREDIBILITY IN 
PROMOTING EU MEMBERSHIP FOR TURKEY." IN A SEPARATE ARTICLE, LE 
FIGARO'S WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT REMARKS: "WASHINGTON IS 
CONCERNED THAT THE EU WILL SEE NEW MEMBERS AS A BURDEN, 
JEOPARDIZING THE ADHESION OF TURKEY - AMERICA'S STRATEGIC 
PARTNER WITHIN NATO." 
 
DAILIES REPORT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF FRANCO-LEBANESE 
JOURNALIST SAMIR KASSIR WHO WAS "IN THE LINE OF SIGHT OF BOTH 
THE SYRIAN REGIME AND HEZBOLLAH" ACCORDING TO LE FIGARO. 
LIBERATION REMARKS THAT KASSIR "CONTINUALLY CROSSED THE RED 
LINE OF WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE WRITTEN. HE ATTACKED, 
DENOUNCED, ACCUSED. HE BORE WITNESS TO THE SITUATION 
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ARAB WORLD." 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE CARRIES AN EXTENSIVE PROFILE OF AL 
QAIDA LEADER ABU AL ZARKAWI BY PATRICE CLAUDE. "ZARKAWI 
INVENTED AND SYSTEMATIZED TERROR THROUGH VIDEOS, BROADCASTING 
A MULTITUDE OF SLAUGHTERS ON INTERNET. HE IS A MASTER OF 
CHAOS, AND SINCE JUNE 2004 IS WORTH AS MUCH AS OSSAMA BIN 
LADEN ON AMERICA'S MOST WANTED LIST." 
 
PRESIDENT BUSH'S APPOINTMENT OF CHRISTOPHER COX TO REPLACE 
WILLIAM DONALDSON AT THE HEAD OF THE SECURITY EXCHANGE 
COMMISSION RECEIVES COVERAGE PRIMARILY IN THE ECONOMIC PRESS. 
LE MONDE CALLS DONALDSON "THE MAN WHO WAS ABLE TO RESTORE THE 
CREDIBILITY OF THE AMERICAN MARKET" BUT ECONOMIC LES ECHOS AND 
LE FIGARO'S ECONOMIC SUPPLEMENT NOTE THAT COX, "WHO IS ONE OF 
THEIR OWN"."IS A BETTER FRIEND TO CORPORATE AMERICA THAN 
DONALDSON." (LE FIGARO, LES ECHOS RESPECTIVELY) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDA FALLOUT 
 
"FALLING APART" 
THE EDITORIAL IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION BY JEAN-MICHEL 
THENARD (06/03): "[PREOCCUPATION WITH]`NATIONAL INTERESTS' IS 
BACK AND THIS IS WHAT MOTIVATED VOTERS IN FRANCE TO VOTE `NO' 
IN ORDER TO DEFEND THEIR `SOCIAL MODEL' AND VOTERS IN HOLLAND 
TO IMITATE THE FRENCH IN ORDER TO DEFEND THEIR `IDENTITY.' IN 
LUXEMBURG, CITIZENS ARE WORRIED ABOUT PRESERVING THEIR TAX 
HAVEN AND THE GERMANS HAVE STARTED DREAMING ABOUT THE RETURN 
OF THE GERMAN MARK. THESE ARE ALL SIGNS THAT CONFIRM THE WOES 
OF EUROPE ARE FUELING A NATIONALISTIC RETREAT AND VICE-VERSA. 
AS FOR THE FRANCO-GERMAN COUPLE, IT IS LEFT WITHOUT PLAYERS. 
BECAUSE OF THE REFERENDUM, CHIRAC HAS JUST FALLEN FLAT AND 
SCHROEDER MAY BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME FATE IN THE FALL. A 
POLITICAL EUROPE IS TRAGICALLY WITHOUT A FUTURE." 
 
"THE DEATH OF PLAN B" 
THE UNSIGNED EDITORIAL IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE (06/03): 
"JUST THREE DAYS AFTER THE REFERENDUM IT HAS BECOME APPARENT 
THAT THERE IS NO `PLAN B' PERMITTING A RE-NEGOTIATION OF THE 
TEXT OF THE CONSTITUTION. EVEN IF THE UNION CONTINUES TO 
FUNCTION WITH THE TREATY OF NICE, THE REJECTION OF THE 
CONSTITUTION SHATTERS THE POLITICAL MOMENTUM [OF EUROPE] THAT 
WAS ALREADY SINGULARLY LACKING IN DYNAMISM." 
 
"WASHINGTON WORRIES OVER A DISUNITED EUROPE" 
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO, 
PHILIPPE GELIE, EDITORIALIZES (06/03): "THE AMERICAN 
GOVERNMENT WAS SLOW TO REACT, AS MUCH BECAUSE OF A LACK OF 
INTEREST AS A DESIRE FOR DIPLOMATIC PRUDENCE, BUT THE 
POLITICAL CRISIS IN EUROPE HAS STARTED TO BE A SUBJECT OF 
CONCERN IN WASHINGTON WHICH UNDERSCORES, A CONTRARIO, THE 
IMPORTANCE OF THE U.S.'S PARTNERSHIP WITH EUROPE ON THE WORLD 
SCENE." WOLFF