US embassy cable - 05PARIS3878

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 PARIS 003878 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, ELAB, FR 
SUBJECT: FRANCE: NEW GOVERNMENT LINE UP 
 
REF: PARIS 3813 
 
Classified By: A/POL/MC Paul Mailhot for reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
Summary 
 
1.  (SBU) The new French government led by Prime Minister 
Dominique de Villepin, with Nicolas Sarkozy as Minister of 
the Interior (reftel) was formally announced by the Elysee 
palace the evening of Thursday, June 2.  The new government, 
significantly smaller than the one it replaces (31 versus 43 
members) is largely composed of Chirac loyalists, with the 
exception of Sarkozy and two of his long-time aides at 
Interior.  As Villepin put it, "a tight group, able to move 
quickly."  The appointment of Philippe Douste-Blazy as 
Foreign Minister in place of Michel Barnier puts a committed 
Chirac loyalist in charge of executing policies that will 
remain largely controlled by Chirac and Villepin and, in all 
liklihood, also by long-time Chirac public relations aide and 
Villepin associate Christine Colonna at European Affairs. 
The social and economic affairs ministers, who will be 
responsible for operationalizing Villepin's campaign against 
joblessless, have not been changed -- Thierry Breton at 
Economy, Finance and Industry; Jean-Louis Borloo at 
Employment, Social Cohesion and Housing, and Gerard Larcher 
at Employment and Work.  Michelle Alliot-Marie remains at 
Defense.  Eight members of the new government, including 
Nicolas Sarkozy, are International Visitor Program (IVP) 
alumni.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (U) Biographic sketches of the key members of the new 
government, drawn from post's biographic reporting, follow 
below.  Further reporting and analysis of new government will 
follow septels. 
 
Prime Minister Villepin 
 
3. (SBU) Dominique de Villepin was tapped by President Chirac 
to replace beleaguered Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin on 
May 31, 2005.  As a first priority Villepin must address 
France's enduring unemployment problem, a long-simmering 
issue that many believe contributed significantly to the 
rejection of the EU Constitution on May 29.  Villepin has 
given himself 100 days to "give the French people back their 
confidence" and vowed to make a monthly accounting of his 
progress.  Without going into details, Villepin has said he 
will seek new solutions to the unemployment problem and that 
"nothing is taboo."  Villepin is expected to announce a new 
employment program based mostly on state-funded programs and 
tax cuts. 
 
4. (C) Villepin will be initially hard pressed to win support 
from skeptical UMP parliamentarians, many of whom have little 
patience for his flamboyant public image and take-charge 
personality.  Nor will Villepin have free rein to formulate 
his new employment policy following President Chirac's 
request to Nicolas Sarkozy to rejoin the government. 
Numerous observers already dubbed the new Villepin-Sarkozy 
tandem "a cohabitation between declared rivals," fully 
expecting that Villepin's social-Gaullist ideology will 
inevitably conflict with Sarkozy's economic liberalism. 
Beyond their differing approaches to solving France's 
unemployment problem, both men share the same objective: 
election to the presidency of the republic in 2007.  Sarkozy 
has all but declared his candidacy and Chirac likely 
appointed Villepin to the prime minister's post as a final 
training ground before a Villepin presidential run in 2007. 
 
5. (U) Villepin served in the former Raffarin government as 
Minister of Interior, Internal Security and Local Liberties 
from March 31, 2004 to May 31, 2005.  He was also Foreign 
Minister from 2002-04 and Secretary General to the President 
from 1995-2002.  Villepin began his diplomatic career in 1980 
in the Bureau of African and Malagasy Affairs, working on 
Horn of Africa issues.  He then moved to the Ministry,s 
research and analysis section, where he covered a broader 
scope of African issues from 1981-84.  Villepin,s first 
overseas assignment was in the French Embassy in Washington 
(1984-89), where he worked as Middle East Watcher and press 
spokesman.  He next served as minister-counselor at the 
French Embassy in New Delhi (1989-92), before becoming deputy 
director of the Bureau of African and Malagasy Affairs 
(1992-93). Villepin next served as Chief of Staff to 
then-Foreign Minister Alain Juppe (1993-95). 
 
Sarkozy's Surprising Return to Government 
 
6. (SBU) Shortly after confirming the appointment of 
Dominique de Villepin as prime minister on May 31, President 
Chirac surprised almost everyone by announcing that UMP 
President Nicolas Sarkozy would be returning to the 
government as Minister of Interior.  Sarkozy had served as 
Finance Minister from March 2004 to November 2004, but 
"voluntarily" resigned his ministerial post in accordance 
with Chirac's hastily contrived rule banning simultaneous 
service as a minister and party president.  Sarkozy was 
elected president of Chirac's political party--the Union for 
a Popular Movement (UMP)--at a party congress in November 
2004.  Chirac's about-face on the simultaneous service issue 
is a tacit admission of his political vulnerability, and 
Sarkozy's growing influence, following the rejection of the 
EU Constitution on May 29. 
 
7. (U) Sarkozy will be number two in the official protocol 
order, holding the prestigious "Minister of State" title 
which enables him to attend government meetings beyond the 
scope of his normal ministerial duties.  Sarkozy formerly 
served as Minister of Interior from 2002-04 and won high 
praise for his efforts to reduce crime and delinquency. 
 
8. (C) If President Chirac does not seek reelection in 2007, 
then Villepin and Sarkozy are expected to fight it out for 
control of the party.  The UMP does not have an 
American-style primary system where party members vote for 
individual candidates, but Sarkozy has been pushing to 
establish one.  If he does, everyone expects he would win a 
face-to-face contest against Villepin, largely owing to 
Sarkozy's greater political experience, control of UMP party 
resources and his on-going popularity with the French 
electorate. 
 
9. (U) At the age of 21, Sarkozy was "discovered" by party 
leader Jacques Chirac at a Rally for the Republic (RPR) 
meeting in Nice.  Two years later, in 1977, Sarkozy was 
elected to the municipal council of Neuilly-sur-Seine, a 
wealthy suburb west of Paris.  A political protege of former 
RPR kingpin Charles Pasqua, Sarkozy supported Chirac,s 
failed 1981 presidential bid, serving as President of the 
RPR,s National Youth Committee.  In 1983, Sarkozy defeated 
former mentor Pasqua to become Mayor of Neuilly, a position 
he held until his appointment as Interior Minister in 2002. 
In 1993, he was elected as a National Assembly Deputy 
representing roughly the same area, the 6th district in the 
Hauts-de-Seine department.  In 1993, he resigned his seat to 
become both Minister of the Budget and government spokesman 
during the administration of Edouard Balladur; Sarkozy again 
represented the same district in the National Assembly from 
1995-2002. 
 
Douste-Blazy to the MFA 
 
10. (U) Philippe Douste-Blazy, 52, was appointed Minister of 
Foreign Affairs in the new Villepin government on June 2, 
replacing Michel Barnier.  Douste-Blazy is the first medical 
doctor to preside over France's foreign ministry, the "Quai 
d'Orsay."  Douste-Blazy is a fervent Chirac loyalist who is 
said to be a favorite of France's First Lady, Bernadette 
Chirac.  Douste-Blazy is a successful politician from the 
southern French city of Toulouse.  He does not have extensive 
foreign relations experience. 
 
11.  (U) Douste-Blazy served in the Raffarin government as 
Minister of Health and Social Protection from March through 
November 2004; at the latter date, his portfolio was expanded 
and his official title changed to Minister of Solidarity, 
Health and Families.  Douste-Blazy was responsible for 
leading a significant reform of the Social Security system 
that reduced expenses by 6-7 billion Euros annually. 
Douste-Blazy is a founding member of the majority, Union for 
a Popular Movement (UMP) and, since 2002, has been a 
perennial also-ran candidate for the prime minister's job. 
 
12.  (C) U.S. diplomats describe Douste-Blazy as smart and 
ambitious.  Unlike Prime Minister Villepin, Douste-Blazy does 
not project himself as an intellectual and strategic thinker. 
 Douste-Blazy has maintained good relations with embassy 
diplomats over the years and has often sought help arranging 
visits to the United States.  While cordial, however, he has 
been largely unresponsive on specific issues of interest on 
which the Embassy has approached him.  During his stint as 
Health Minister, Douste-Blazy worked closely with former 
Health Secretary Tommy Thompson on the Global Health Security 
Initiative, an international effort to fight the spread of 
the AIDS virus.  A relative new-comer to the foreign policy 
arena, Douste-Blazy is expected to take his marching orders 
directly from President Chirac.  He understands English but 
prefers to speak through an interpreter for official meetings. 
 
13. (SBU) As a rising local politician in the 1990's, 
Douste-Blazy was a leading advocate for devolving power to 
local governments.  Since his ascension to ministerial rank, 
he has quietly dropped his support for decentralization.  In 
recent months, Douste-Blazy has sought every opportunity to 
publicly express his loyalty to President Chirac, reportedly 
offering to support Chirac's third term candidacy against his 
presumed rival Nicolas Sarkozy.  During the campaign for the 
EU Constitution he allied himself with then Interior Minister 
Dominique de Villepin, trumpeting the successes of France's 
social model and attacking Nicolas Sarkozy's economic 
liberalism. 
 
14. (U) In 1976, Douste-Blazy began his career working as a 
medical intern at a major Toulouse hospital; from 1982-86 he 
served as the hospital's chief cardiologist.  He was elected 
mayor of Lourdes, his hometown, in 1989 and served 
continuously in that capacity until 2000 when he announced 
his intention to run for the top spot at Toulouse's city 
hall.  Meanwhile, Douste-Blazy served as a Member of the 
European Parliament from 1989-93; as Delegate Minister of 
Health in the government of Edouard Balladur from 1993-95; 
and as Minister of Culture in the government of Alain Juppe 
from 1995-97. 
 
Alliot-Marie Stays at Defense 
 
15. (U) Michele Alliot-Marie has been asked to stay on as 
Minister of Defense, after serving capably in the last three 
years in the Raffarin government.  Alliot-Marie is a 
long-time Chirac ally and, according to the press, is one of 
Chirac's few associates with whom he uses the familiar 
"tu-tois" form of address.  She was rumored to be a leading 
contender for the prime minister's job, but Dominique de 
Villepin got the nod instead. 
 
16. (C) Alliot-Marie's continued tenure at Defense is likely 
to represent an element of continuity in French defense 
policies, both domestically and within the EU.  She is 
well-liked and respected by the uniformed services and her 
staying on sends a message that the French military remains 
important to President Chirac.  Alliot-Marie has been a 
strong defender of a vigorous defense budget.  For her 
European partners, she supported the necessity for Europe to 
develop a strong defense (ESDP).  Alliot-Marie is a 
well-known quantity at the Pentagon as she has met several 
times with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, with whom she has a 
good working relationship although they do not always agree. 
 
17. (U) A political activist since the age of 24, 
Alliot-Marie served as Secretary of State for Education 
during the first cohabitation under then Prime Minister 
Chirac (1986-88), and as Minister for Youth and Sports under 
then PM Balladur (1993-95).  First elected to the National 
Assembly in 1986 representing the Pyrenees-Atlantic (in 
southwest France, essentially the Basque country), she always 
managed to regain her seat after each ministerial stint. 
Alliot-Marie also served as Mayor of St. Jean de Luz (near 
Biarritz) from 1995-2002.  During 1989-93, she was a Member 
of the European Parliament. 
 
Thierry Breton Remains at Finance 
 
18. (SBU) Former France Telecom CEO, Thierry Breton, was 
asked to continue as Minister of Finance, Economy and 
Industry.  He was first appointed to the position in February 
2005, replacing Herve Gaymard who was forced to resign in the 
wake of a scandal over his misrepresentations regarding 
government payment for a luxury apartment.  Breton is an 
admired and politically astute technocrat who, reportedly, 
would like to use his experience at Finance to further his 
budding political career. 
 
19. (SBU) As the fourth French Finance Minister in less than 
a year, Breton will need all of his political savvy and 
management skills.  Breton will play a key role in developing 
the new government's strategy to reduce unemployment while 
not dangerously increasing the budget deficit.  Breton is a 
political ally of both President Chirac and former PM 
Raffarin, having served with the latter on the 
Poitou-Charentes Regional Council during the 1990's.  The 
50-year-old Breton is experienced in international business 
circles and speaks excellent English. 
 
20. (SBU) Breton's professional experience has been mostly in 
the French corporate sector.  He did a stint at the Ministry 
of Education, where he served as technical adviser for 
information technologies between 1986 and 1988.  He is a 
political ally of both President Chirac and PM Raffarin, and 
served with the latter on the Poitou-Charentes Regional 
Council during the 1990's.  Prior to assuming leadership of 
France Telecom (FT) in October 2002, he was Chairman of the 
Board of Directors of Orange, FT's mobile unit.  At FT, he 
took over what was then regarded as the most indebted telecom 
firm in the world.  He undertook aggressive steps, selling 
off non-essential assets, negotiating a deal with the GOF to 
help pay off the debt, and shedding 7,500 jobs in FT's 
domestic operations, after difficult negotiations with the 
unions. 
 
Pascal Clement at Justice 
 
21. (SBU) Jurist and National Assembly Deputy Pascal Clement, 
60, was appointed Minister of Justice in the new Villepin 
government on June 2.  Clement was secretary general at the 
now-defunct Liberal Democracy (DL) political party and 
currently sits on the UMP's political bureau, an influential 
policy steering committee.  Earlier in his career Clement was 
allied with centrists and economic liberals including Valery 
Giscard d'Estaing, Raymond Barre and Alain Madelin.  Until 
his ministerial appointment, Clement was president of the 
Assembly's Constitutional Law Committee and was responsible 
for shepherding Raffarin's decentralization law through 
parliament in 2002. 
 
22. (SBU) Clement has represented the 6th district of the 
Loire department in the National Assembly from 1978-93, and 
again from 1995 until his appointment to the Villepin 
government.  He has maintained cordial relations with US 
diplomats over the years and is described as honest, warm and 
engaging.  He was a 1984 IVP grantee and speaks English.  A 
former Xerox executive early in his career, he has made 
several business trips to the United States.  In the mid 
1980's he led a parliamentary delegation to the US, seeking 
to sell France's high-speed train, the TGV, to local and 
state governments. 
 
23. (U) Clement was a Junior Minister for Relations with 
Parliament during the Balladur government from 1993-95.  He 
was secretary general to the now-defunct Liberal Democracy 
(DL) party from 1995-98.  (Note: Liberal Democracy championed 
American style labor market and tax reforms; in 2002, the 
party merged with the Chirac's neo-Gaullist RPR to create the 
Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).)  At the local level, he 
served as mayor of Saint-Marcel-de-Felines from 1977-2001. 
 
24. (SBU) Clement was born on May 12, 1945 in 
Boulogne-Billancourt on the western outskirts of Paris.  He 
attended the Institute for Political Studies in Paris and 
holds a degree in law.  He is also a practicing attorney.  He 
has written one book: "The Minority Political Parties of the 
United States" (2000).  Clement is married to the former 
Laure Choiseul-Praslin, a practicing judge.  The couple has 
four children. 
 
Jean-Louis Borloo Continues at Social Cohesion 
 
25. (U) Jean-Louis Borloo, 54, was appointed Minister for 
Employment, Labor and Social Cohesion following a government 
reshuffle on March 31, 2004; he was reconfirmed in the same 
position in the new Villepin government announced June 2. 
Borloo (pronounced Boar-loh) previously served in the former 
Raffarin government as Junior Minister for Towns and Urban 
Renewal from 2002-04. 
 
26. (SBU) Borloo's appointment symbolizes President Chirac's 
desire to put the accent on social affairs following the 
rejection of the EU Constitution on May 29.  Borloo is 
expected to work closely with Finance Minister Breton to 
develop an effective--and affordable--package of labor market 
and other reforms in order to significantly reduce France's 
unemployment rate.  Self-assured, frank, quick-to-action, 
Borloo believes himself to be a viable future candidate for 
the Prime Minister's slot, according to press reports. 
 
27. (U) Borloo gained his initial political fame as the 
activist mayor of Valenciennes, a decaying industrial town 
near the Belgian border.  Valenciennes underwent a turnaround 
under Borloo's 1989-2002 stewardship.  Borloo was reportedly 
approached by the Socialists and Greens, but decided to join 
the centrist UDF political party.  Borloo served in the 
National Assembly from 1993 until his ministerial appointment 
in 2002.  He is now a member of the UMP. 
 
28. (SBU) Borloo was born in Paris on April 7, 1951.  He 
graduated from the Institute of Higher Business Affairs (ISA) 
in 1976, and worked several years as a commercial and 
business lawyer in Paris. 
 
Gilles de Robien to Education 
 
29. (SBU) Gilles de Robien, 64, was appointed Minister of 
Education in the new Villepin government on June 2.  Robien 
served in the former Raffarin government as Minister for 
Equipment, Transport, Housing, Tourism, and Oceans from 
2002-2005.  Robien worked effectively with US government 
officials to upgrade airline and maritime security following 
the terrorist attacks in September 2001.  He was also 
involved in initial steps to privatize Air France and 
successfully implemented new regulations guaranteeing a 
"minimum level of service" during strikes on France's 
national rail transportation network. 
 
30. (SBU) An influential UDF politician with links to 
President Jacques Chirac and UDF President Francois Bayrou, 
Robien is the only UDF member in the government.  Robien is 
seen as an effective minister and seasoned politician whose 
participation helps cement the sometimes shaky ties between 
the UDF and UMP.  Robien understands some English but prefers 
to use an interpreter for official meetings. 
 
31. (SBU) Robien will be taking up duties at the Education 
Ministry at a delicate moment.  Teachers and students went on 
strike several times last spring to protest a series of 
education reforms introduced by Robien's predecessor, 
Francois Fillon.  Most of Fillon's proposals were either 
watered down or withdrawn in advance of the referendum on the 
EU Constitution.  Robien will likely be called upon to take 
up where Fillon left off.  Powerful unions, a large budget, 
and a hard-line socialist orthodoxy among educators all 
combine to make Education one of the most difficult 
portfolios in the French government. 
 
32. (U) Robien represented the 2nd district in the Somme 
department in the National Assembly from 1986-2002.  He was 
president of the fractious UDF parliamentary group from 
1995-97, and was also Francois Bayrou's campaign manager 
during the 2002 presidential race.  He continues to serve as 
vice-president of the UDF political party. 
 
Dominique Perben at Transportation 
 
33. (SBU) Dominique Perben, 59, a long time loyalist of 
President Jacques Chirac, was appointed Minister of 
Transportation, Equipment, Tourism and Oceans on June 2. 
Perben served as Justice Minister in the prior Raffarin 
government from 2002-05.  As Justice Minister, Perben worked 
effectively with US government officials to incarcerate and 
bring to trial terrorist suspects following the 2001 attacks 
in the United States.  A civil servant by training, Perben 
has no previous experience handling legal or justice-related 
issues; he did, however, serve as Minister of Civil Service, 
Reform, and Decentralization in the government of Alain Juppe 
(1995-97), and as Minister of Overseas Departments in the 
government of Edouard Balladur (1993-95). 
 
34. (U) Perben represented the Chalon-sur-Saone department in 
the National Assembly from 1986-93, and again from 1997-2002. 
 He was a founding member of the influential reform-oriented 
club "Dialogue and Initiatives," Perben has been in the 
forefront of the decentralization movement in France.  The 
club's objective, Perben has said, is not just to propose 
reforms in order to win the 2002 legislative elections, but 
to bring about a fundamental change in all French society. 
 
35. (SBU) Born in Lyon on August 11, 1945, Perben has 
traveled to the U.S. on numerous occasions, and was an IVP 
grantee in 1983.  Perben speaks little English, but does have 
a familial connection to the U.S. - his sister is married to 
an American.  Perben is married to the former Annick 
Demoustier; the couple has three children. 
 
Other Ministers in the Villepin Government 
 
36. (U) Xavier Bertrand, Minister for Health and Solidarity; 
Dominique Bussereau, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries; 
Christian Jacob, Minister of Public Administration; Renaud 
Donnedieu de Vabres, Minister of Culture and Communication; 
Nelly Olin, Minister for Ecology and Durable Development; 
Francois Baroin, Minister for Over-Seas; Renaud Dutreil, 
Minister for Small and Medium-sized Businesses; Jean-Francois 
Lamour, Minister for Youth and Sports. 
 
Junior Ministers in the Villepin Government 
 
37. (U) Henri Cuq, Junior minister for Relations with 
Parliament; Azouz Begag, Junior Minister for Promotion of 
Equal Opportunity; Jean-Francois Cope, Junior Minister for 
Budget and Government Spokesman; Gerard Larcher, Junior 
Minister for Employment, Labor and Professional Insertion of 
Youth; Catherine Vautrin, Junior Minister for Social Cohesion 
and Equality; Brigitte Girardin, Junior Minister for 
Cooperation, Development, and Francophony; Brice Hortefeux, 
Junior Minister for Territorial Collectives; Catherine 
Colonna, Junior Minister for European Affairs; Francois 
Goulard, Junior Minister for Higher Education and Research; 
Leon Bertrand, Junior Minister for Tourism; Philippe Bas, 
Junior Minister for Social Security, the Elderly and 
Handicapped, and Families; Francois Loos, Junior minister for 
Industry;  Christine Lagarde, junior Minister for Exterior 
Commerce; Hamlaoui Mekachera, Junior Minister for Veterans; 
Christian Estrosi, Junior Minister for Territorial 
Development. 
WOLFF