US embassy cable - 05PARIS4219

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004219 
 
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 - IRAN EU ISSUES: CHIRAC-BLAIR 
MEETING/EUROPE AS U.S. `COUNTERWEIGHT' 
PARIS - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. IRAN 
2. EU ISSUES: CHIRAC-BLAIR MEETING/EUROPE AS U.S. 
`COUNTERWEIGHT' 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
COVERAGE TODAY IS OVERWHELMINGLY DEVOTED TO YESTERDAY'S 
MEETING BETWEEN CHIRAC AND BLAIR, TO THE RIFT BETWEEN THE TWO 
LEADERS OVER THE EUROPEAN BUDGET AND THE UK'S REQUEST FOR A 
REBATE. THE HEADLINE IN LA TRIBUNE, "THE CLASH BETWEEN CHIRAC 
AND BLAIR OVER THE EUROPEAN BUDGET" IS AN APT ILLUSTRATION OF 
THE REST OF TODAY'S MEDIA COVERAGE. THE EDITORIAL IN LE FIGARO 
CHARACTERIZES THE DISCUSSION AS "PETTY" ALTHOUGH IT AGREES 
WITH BLAIR THAT "A FUNDAMENTAL DEBATE ON THE EUROPEAN BUDGET 
IS NEEDED." (SEE PART C) 
 
TONY BLAIR IS INTERVIEWED IN LE FIGARO ON THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL 
MODEL: "WE ARE VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF A EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL. 
IN FACT WE HAVE OUR OWN. WE SPEND MORE MONEY TO FIGHT 
UNEMPLOYMENT THAN ANY OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRY. IT IS A 
MISUNDERSTANDING TO SPEAK OF AN `ANGLO-SAXON LIBERAL MODEL.' 
WE ARE FOR A VERY STRONG SOCIAL DIMENSION. BUT THIS DIMENSION 
MUST CORRESPOND TO TODAY'S WORLD. CHINA AND INDIA REPRESENT 
MAJOR CHALLENGES, INCLUDING FOR THE U.S. THE TIME FOR INTRA- 
EUROPEAN COMPETITION HAS PASSED. THE QUESTION TODAY IS HOW ARE 
WE GOING TO DEAL WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD?" 
 
AN ANALYSIS IN LE FIGARO ABOUT THE TWO DIFFERENT VISIONS OF 
THE WORLD, CHIRAC'S AND BLAIR'S, RECALLS THEIR DIFFERENCES 
OVER IRAQ AND HOW THEY SEE EUROPE. BLAIR IS QUOTED: "I DO NOT 
WANT TO SEE EUROPE BUILT AS A RIVAL OF THE U.S." (SEE PART C) 
 
TODAY'S SECOND MAJOR STORY REVOLVES AROUND THE PRESS 
CONFERENCE GIVEN YESTERDAY BY FLORENCE AUBENAS, THE FORMER 
FRENCH HOSTAGE, THE "NAGGING QUESTION" OF THE ROLE PLAYED BY 
THE FRENCH PARLIAMENTARIAN JULIA IN HER LIBERATION, AND THE 
ISSUE AT STAKE FOR EDITORIAL BOARDS ABOUT SENDING JOURNALISTS 
TO IRAQ. IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION, AUBENAS'S EMPLOYER, 
ANTOINE DE GAUDEMAR WRITES IN HIS EDITORIAL: "WE AT LIBERATION 
DO NOT EXCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF SENDING JOURNALISTS TO IRAQ. 
BUT THIS DECISION WILL BE TAKEN ONLY AFTER A CLOSE LOOK AT THE 
SECURITY CONDITIONS IN BAGHDAD. IT IS CLEAR THAT TO ABANDON 
IRAQ MEANS HANDING THE VICTORY TO ALL THOSE WHO WANT TO KEEP 
IRAQ ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD AND WHO ARE TAKING 
THAT COUNTRY HOSTAGE." 
 
THE LATEST POLL CONDUCTED BY IFOP AND PARIS MATCH REVEALS THAT 
PRESIDENT CHIRAC'S POPULARITY HAS GONE DOWN BY 18 POINTS IN A 
MONTH, TO A 28 PERCENT APPROVAL RATING. IN REGIONAL L'EST 
REPUBLICAIN, EDITORIALIST PIERRE TARIBO COMMENTS: "YESTERDAY, 
PEOPLE SAID THAT IT WAS PM RAFFARIN THAT WAS BRINGING DOWN 
CHIRAC'S APPROVAL RATE. IF ONE IS TO GO BY THE LATEST 
POPULARITY RATING, IT IS CHIRAC HIMSELF WHO NO LONGER HAS THE 
APPROVAL OF THE PEOPLE. THE CITIZENS ARE WAVING DIVORCE PAPERS 
AND TURNING HIS BALANCE SHEET INTO FAILURE." 
 
AN OP-ED IN LE FIGARO CALLS FOR AN INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO 
KEEP IRAN FROM ACHIEVING ITS NUCLEAR ASPIRATIONS. (SEE PART C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
IRAN 
 
"SHOULD TEHRAN HAVE THE BOMB?" 
GEORGES LE GUELTE FROM IRIS (INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND 
STRATEGIC RELATIONS) IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (06/15): 
"THE NON PROLIFERATION TREATY HAS FOR THE MOST PART REACHED 
ITS OBJECTIVES, EVEN IF THE MAJOR POWERS HAVE NOT DONE THEIR 
BEST TO CONVINCE INDIA, ISRAEL AND PAKISTAN TO SIGN IT. TODAY, 
ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE MADE THE COMMITMENT NOT TO SEEK 
WEAPONS, AND IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ENFORCE THIS ENGAGEMENT. THE 
OUTCOME OF THE NORTH KOREAN AND IRANIAN CRISES WILL BE 
DECISIVE: IF THESE TWO COUNTRIES ARE FORCED TO ABANDON THEIR 
MILITARY NUCLEAR AMBITIONS, IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT OTHER 
CANDIDATES, TEMPTED BY THESE SAME AMBITIONS, WILL HESITATE TO 
INVEST IN A COSTLY ADVENTURE VOWED TO FAIL. IF ON THE OTHER 
HAND THEY ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS, OTHERS WILL SAY THAT THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS INCAPABLE OF IMPLEMENTING THE RULES 
IT HAS SET AND THAT THEY MUST ENSURE THEIR OWN SECURITY BY ANY 
MEANS POSSIBLE. A WORLD WITH TWENTY OR THIRTY NATIONS WITH A 
NUCLEAR ARSENAL CANNOT BE CONTROLLED. IF IRAN ACHIEVES ITS 
GOALS, IT WILL BE BECAUSE THE OTHER COUNTRIES COULD NOT OR DID 
NOT WANT TO STOP IT. THOSE POLITICIANS WHO WILL HAVE DONE 
NOTHING TO AVOID THIS SITUATION WILL BEAR A HEAVY 
RESPONSIBILITY." 
 
EU ISSUES: CHIRAC-BLAIR MEETING/EUROPE AS U.S. `COUNTERWEIGHT' 
 
"TWO VISIONS OF THE WORLD" 
JACQUES DUPLOUICH IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (06/15): 
"DURING THE CRISIS OVER IRAQ TONY BLAIR BELIEVED, UNTIL THE 
END, THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO `TURN' CHIRAC. LONDON BELIEVED 
THAT FRANCE'S POSITION WAS MERE `POSTURING.' THE FACT THAT 
CHIRAC, IN THIS EPISODE, WAS RIGHT BOTH ABOUT FORM AND CONTENT 
HAS NOT HELPED RELATIONS BETWEEN FRANCE AND BRITAIN. 
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OTHER POINTS OF DISSENSION EXIST: WHEN 
CHIRAC TALKS ABOUT BUILDING A EUROPE-POWER TO DEAL WITH THE 
CHALLENGES OF A MULTIPOLAR WORLD, TONY BLAIR GOES TO BATTLE 
IMMEDIATELY: FOR HIM, EUROPE-POWER EQUATES AN ANTI-AMERICAN 
EUROPE. HIS COMMENT IS HARSH: `I DO NOT WANT A EUROPE BUILT TO 
RIVAL THE U.S.'" 
 
"BLAIR AND THE `FAIR RETURN'" 
NICOLAS BARRE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (06/15): "LONDON IS 
STICKING TO THE NOTION OF `FAIR RETURN' ON THE MONEY POURED 
INTO THE EU BUDGET. THIS IS WHERE EUROPE IS TODAY, AND 
EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT BREAKDOWNS THESE PETTY QUARRELS CAN LEAD 
TO. THE IDEA OF A `JUST RETURN' IS NOT ECONOMICALLY SOUND. BUT 
THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER IS NOT WRONG WHEN HE CALLS FOR A 
FUNDAMENTAL DISCUSSION OF THE EUROPEAN BUDGET. THE LISBON 
AGENDA CALLED FOR `AN ECONOMY BASED ON THE MOST COMPETITIVE 
UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD BY 2010.' YET THE DISCUSSION OVER 
OUR BUDGET IS A MERE ACCOUNTING FIGHT OVER `THE NATIONAL 
BENEFITS' ALREADY ACQUIRED. SEEN FROM WASHINGTON AND BEIJING 
THIS FIGHT MUST SURELY LOOK OUT OF SYNC." 
WOLFF