US embassy cable - 05PARIS3895

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003895 
 
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: AFTERMATH OF THE EU 
 
REFERENDUM - LEBANON AND SYRIA - DARFUR 
 
PARIS - MONDAY, JUNE 06, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
EUROPE: AFTERMATH OF THE EU REFERENDUM 
LEBANON AND SYRIA 
DARFUR 
 
(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT BY BRITISH FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER JACK 
STRAW TO POSTPONE A REFERENDUM IN THE UK ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL 
TREATY IS WIDELY REPORTED. WEEKLY NEWSPAPER LE JOURNAL DU 
DIMANCHE REPORTS: "PARIS, BERLIN AND LUXEMBURG WOULD HAVE 
PREFERRED THAT TONY BLAIR'S GOVERNMENT WAIT UNTIL THE EU 
SUMMIT IN BRUSSELS ON JUNE 16 AND 17 TO MAKE THIS DECISION." 
POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN, FOR ITS PART, NOTES: 
"TONY BLAIR COULD NOT HAVE DECIDED OTHERWISE, BEING AS HE IS, 
AT THE HEAD OF THE MOST EURO-SKEPTIC COUNTRY AMONG THE TWENTY- 
FIVE. NOW THAT HE WILL TAKE ON THE PRESIDENCY OF THE EU IT 
WILL BE UP TO HIM TO OFFICIALLY PRONOUNCE THE DEATH OF THE 
CONSTITUTION." CATHOLIC LA CROIX, HOWEVER, REPORTS THAT: "THE 
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN B APPEARS TO BE INCREASINGLY LIKELY WITH A 
POSSIBLE RE-WORKING OF THE TEXT OF THE CONSTITUTION AND A NEW 
VOTE IN FRANCE AND IN THE NETHERLANDS." (SEE PART C) 
 
DAILIES MENTION THE "FAADE OF HUGS AND SMILES FOR THE CAMERA" 
BETWEEN JACQUES CHIRAC AND GERHARD SCHROEDER THAT DO NOT ALTER 
THE "DISARRAY THAT HAS TAKEN HOLD OF THE FRANCO-GERMAN 
COUPLE." (LIBERATION) 
 
WITH ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT UNTIL THE ELECTION IN IRAN, FRENCH 
DAILIES REPORT THE CONCERN OVER "GROWING ABSTENTION." LEFT-OF- 
CENTER LIBERATION NOTES THAT THE "ISLAMIC REPUBLIC CANNOT 
AFFORD TO SEE ITS LEGITIMACY CALLED INTO QUESTION BECAUSE OF A 
LOW VOTER TURNOUT PRECISELY AT A TIME WHEN IT IS UNDERGOING 
CONSIDERABLE INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE BECAUSE OF ITS NUCLEAR 
ACTIVITIES." 
 
MOST DAILIES REPORT ON THE SECOND ROUND OF THE LEGISLATIVE 
ELECTIONS IN LEBANON LAMENTING THE VICTORY OF AMAL-HEZBOLLAH 
THAT LA CROIX CALLS AN ALLIANCE "AGAINST NATURE". THE FUNERAL 
OF FRANCO-LEBANESE JOURNALIST SAMIR KASSIR ELICITS SOME 
REPORTS AND COMMENTARIES, COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE SAYS THE 
FUNERAL WAS MARKED BY "ANGER AND TEARS." THE SYRIAN 
PRESIDENT'S PROPOSED REFORMS, WHICH HE INTENDS TO ANNOUNCE AT 
THE TENTH BAATH PARTY CONGRESS IN DAMASCUS TODAY, IS SEEN BY 
LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE'S EDITORIALIST AS A SERIES OF "BOGUS 
REFORMS INTENDED TO. MASK A SYSTEM OF TERROR THAT HAS BEEN IN 
PLACE FOR THE LAST FORTY-TWO YEARS." (SEE PART C) 
 
CATHOLIC LA CROIX DEVOTES ITS FRONT-PAGE AND FIVE-PAGE MAIN 
STORY TO DARFUR OUTLINING THE CONSEQUENCES OF TWO YEARS OF 
CIVIL WAR FOR MILLIONS OF SUDANESE. (SEE PART C) 
 
POPULAR DAILY FRANCE SOIR EXPLAINS THE REASONS FOR THE STRONG 
ANTI-FRENCH SENTIMENT IN COTE D'IVOIRE AND PRESIDENT LAURENT 
DGAGBO GIVES A TWO-PAGE INTERVIEW IN WHICH HE STATES "CHIRAC 
LET ME DOWN." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
EUROPE: AFTERMATH OF THE EU REFERENDUM 
 
"TWO TURBULENT WEEKS FOR EUROPE" 
ON PRIVATE RTL RADIO, ISABELLE DATH NOTED (06/06): "THE HOUSE 
IS ON FIRE. EVEN IF THE SMOKE CLEARED A LITTLE YESTERDAY WITH 
THE SWISS "YES," IT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO STOP THE SPREAD OF EURO- 
SKEPTICISM. ESPECIALLY SINCE TODAY GREAT BRITAIN INTENDS TO 
GIVE THE COUP DE GRACE TO THE TREATY. JACK STRAW WILL 
CAREFULLY WEIGH EACH WORD IN ORDER NOT TO APPEAR LIKE THE 
CONSTITUTIONS' GRAVEDIGGER, BUT THE RESULT IS THE SAME." 
 
"BLAIR AT THE HEART OF EUROPE" 
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (06/06): 
"EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE "NO" VOTES IN FRANCE AND IN THE 
NETHERLANDS HAVE CHANGED THE OUTLOOK. NOW, THE REMAINDER OF 
THE COUNTRIES THAT WILL BE VOTING WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE TO 
SUPPORT OR REJECT A TEXT THAT IS ALREADY DOOMED AND THE 
PROPONENTS OF THE `YES' VOTE ARE IN THE SURREALIST POSITION OF 
HAVING TO DEFEND A LOST CAUSE. BETWEEN THEORY AND REALITY A 
CLEAR CHOICE WILL HAVE TO BE MADE AND TONY BLAIR IS THE MAN 
FOR THIS TASK. FOR HIM THE CRISIS IN EUROPE HAS A REAL 
ADVANTAGE, IT ENABLES HIM TO AVOID CERTAIN DEFEAT IN THE 
REFERENDUM THAT HE HAD PLANNED FOR 2006. NOW, IN ORDER TO 
PROVE THAT THE UNION CAN STILL FUNCTION, AN AGREEMENT ON THE 
2007-2013 BUDGET NEEDS TO BE FOUND. ON THIS POINT TONY BLAIR 
IS ON THE DEFENSIVE. HE HOLDS THE KEY THAT COULD START UP 
EUROPEAN MACHINE ONCE AGAIN BECAUSE FRANCE AND GERMANY ARE 
MUCH TOO WEAK TO SERVE AS THE MOTOR FOR EUROPE TODAY." 
 
LEBANON AND SYRIA 
GILLES DELAFON IN SUNDAY NEWSPAPER LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE 
(06/05): "YESTERDAY IN BEIRUT, THE COURAGEOUS SAMIR KASSIR WAS 
BURIED. HE WAS THE VICTIM OF MURDER. OBVIOUSLY ORCHESTRATED BY 
THE SYRIAN REGIME. WASHINGTON HAS MEASURED THE SCOPE OF THE 
THREAT POSED BY DAMASCUS, WHICH IN RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL 
DISAPPROVAL, TEST FIRED SCUD MISSILES MADE IN NORTH KOREA. THE 
REGIME IS DAMASCUS IS DETERMINED NOT TO YIELD. AND THE UNITED 
STATES SEEMS TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER DOING AWAY WITH THIS 
REGIME. PARIS AND WASHINGTON [ARE WORKING TOGETHER] ON THIS 
ISSUE AND GEORGE W. BUSH SURPRISED THE FRENCH BY INVITING 
MICHEL BARNIER TO WASHINGTON IN ORDER TO HEAR HIS ASSESSMENT 
OF THE SITUATION IN LEBANON. THE PENTAGON DOES NOT HIDE THE 
FACT THAT IT WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE END OF THIS REGIME THAT 
FINANCES THE SUNNI GUERILLAS IN IRAQ. AND AT THE STATE 
DEPARTMENT, THE THOUGHT IS THAT THE CURRENT ANARCHY IN BAGHDAD 
COULD BE THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO PROVOKE A SURPRISE REGIME 
CHANGE IN DAMASCUS. FOR THE FRENCH IT IS THE SYRIAN 
INTERFERENCE IN LEBANON THAT IS A SUBJECT OF CONCERN. PARIS 
AND WASHINGTON WILL HAVE TO ONCE AGAIN WAVE THE THREAT OF 
SANCTIONS AGAINST DAMASCUS IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE KILLERS OF 
THIS HAVEN OF TERROR FROM CONTINUING TO ACT WITH COMPLETE 
IMPUNITY." 
 
"DAMASCUS ACCUSED" 
THE SUNDAY-MONDAY EDITION OF LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE CARRIES 
AN UNSIGNED EDITORIAL (06/05-06): "DESPITE DAMASCUS' DENIALS, 
EVERYTHING POINTS TO SYRIA'S IMPLICATION IN THE MURDER OF 
SAMIR KASSIR. THE MOTIVE IS CLEAR: TO INTIMIDATE BY STRIKING 
CIVIL SOCIETY. THE JOURNALIST WAS AN EASY TARGET, BUT THE 
LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE UNDER THE WATCHFUL 
EYES OF HUNDREDS OF FOREIGN OBSERVERS SHOULD HAVE PROVIDED HIM 
WITH A CERTAIN DEGREE OF PROTECTION. JUST AS THE PRESENCE OF 
UN OBSERVERS IN LEBANON TO FIND OUT THE `TRUTH' BEHIND RAFIK 
HARIRI'S ASSASSINATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN A DETERRENT. INSTEAD, 
THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE MURDERS STRUCK WHEN THEY WERE 
THOUGHT TO BE WEAKENED, AND THEY DID SO WITH AN EASE THAT 
ACCOMPANIES A FEELING OF TOTAL IMPUNITY." 
 
DARFUR 
 
"THE ICC: PART I" 
 
RADIO COMMENTATOR ON STATE-RUN FRANCE INTER BERNARD GUETTA 
NOTED THIS MORNING: "DESPITE THE SCOPE OF THE HUMANITARIAN AID 
TO THE REGION, DESPITE PRESSURE ON THE PART OF THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON THE GOVERNMENT OF KHARTOUM, DESPITE 
THE CEASE-FIRE THAT WAS SIGNED TWO MONTHS AGO, THE NUMBER OF 
VICTIMS OF ILLNESS AND MALNUTRITION CONTINUE TO RISE. THIS IS 
WHY THE SECURITY COUNCIL HAS TURNED TO THE ICC. AND TO 
UNDERSCORE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION, THE U.S. HAS 
AGREED TO THIS RESOLUTION EVEN WHILE CONTINUING TO OPPOSE THE 
VERY EXISTENCE OF THIS COURT." WOLFF