US embassy cable - 05PARIS4843

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004843 
 
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 - SECRETARY RICE TO ASIA: NORTH 
KOREA G-8: CLIMATE 
PARIS - TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. SECRETARY RICE TO ASIA: NORTH KOREA 
2. G-8: CLIMATE 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
A VARIETY OF DOMESTIC STORIES ARE FEATURED ON TODAY'S FRONT 
PAGES, EXCEPT FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE, WHICH HEADLINES: 
"IRAQ BEHIND `JIHAD' IN EUROPE." IN CONNECTION WITH THE LONDON 
BOMBINGS, LE MONDE INTERVIEWS CHRISTOPHE CHABOUD, A FRENCH 
TERRORISM EXPERT WHO EXPLAINS: "THE WAR HAS RE-LAUNCHED A 
`TOTAL WAR' AGAINST THE WEST. THE WAR IN IRAQ IS CENTRAL TO 
THIS WORLDWIDE JIHAD. ZARKAWI HAS DECIDED TO GIVE A RELIGIOUS 
IMAGE TO HIS RHETORIC, RATHER THAN A BLOOD-COVERED WAR-TYPE 
IMAGE. THUS HE HAS BECOME A MODEL FOR JIHADDISTS WHO DREAM OF 
DOING IN EUROPE WHAT HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED IN IRAQ." POPULAR 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR CARRIES A DOUBLE PAGE REPORT 
TITLED: "TERRORIST GROUPS BEHIND LONDON BOMBINGS LINKED TO 
IRAQ." ACCORDING TO JEAN-CHARLES BRISARD, ALSO AN EXPERT ON 
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM AND THE AUTHOR OF A BOOK ON ZARKAWI: 
"THE TWO MAIN SUSPECTS, NASAR AND GUERBOUZI GO WAY BACK; THEY 
BOTH WORKED ON THE NEWSPAPER AL-ANSAR IN THE 90S. THEY BELONG 
TO A GROUP LINKED TO IRAQ, AND FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS 
TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN IRAQ HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT THE TIME 
HAS COME TO EXPORT THE CONFLICT OUTSIDE IRAQ." 
 
SECRETARY RICE'S TRIP TO ASIA IS REPORTED IN LE FIGARO AND LE 
 
SIPDIS 
MONDE, WITH BOTH OUTLETS NOTING THE RETURN OF PYONGYANG TO THE 
NEGOTIATING TABLE. (SEE PART C) 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION DEVOTES A ONE-PAGE REPORT TO THE 
CONCLUSIONS OF THE G-8 ON GLOBAL WARMING TITLED "G-8 POSTPONES 
PRECIPITATION TO THIS FALL" (SEE PART C) AND INTERVIEWS JEAN 
JOUZEL, A CLIMATOLOGIST WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY GROUP AT 
THE UN: "THE POSITIVE U.S. RESPONSE, OR MORE TO THE FACT 
PRESIDENT BUSH'S POSITIVE RESPONSE, REFERS TO THE 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT HUMAN ACTIVITY HAS A BEARING ON CLIMATE 
PROBLEMS. A MONTH AGO THIS ADVANCE WAS NOT A GIVEN. THEREFORE 
THIS CAN LOOK LIKE REAL PROGRESS. BUT THERE CONTINUES TO BE A 
REAL LACK OF COMMITMENT FROM THE U.S. IN THE POST-KYOTO 
NEGOTIATIONS. IN THIS REGARD WE CANNOT SAY THE U.S. HAS REALLY 
ANSWERED THE CALL FROM THE ACADEMY OF SCIENTISTS." 
 (C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
SECRETARY RICE TO ASIA: NORTH KOREA 
 
SIPDIS 
 
"PYONGYANG RETURNS TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE" 
PHILIPPE GELIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (07/12): "FROM THE 
START OF HER TRIP TO ASIA, SECRETARY RICE GOT WHAT SHE CAME 
FOR: NORTH KOREA HAS ACCEPTED TO RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING 
TABLE. ALTHOUGH WASHINGTON CONTINUES TO HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT 
PYONGYANG'S COMMITMENT TO GIVE UP ON ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL, 
REGARDLESS OF THE CONCESSIONS OFFERED, IT HAS NO OTHER OPTION 
AT THE READY. WHILE SOME U.S. OFFICIALS PROPOSE THE IDEA OF 
SANCTIONS TO ISOLATE THE REGIME, SEOUL AND BEIJING OPPOSE THIS 
OPTION. A MILITARY ESCALATION IS OUT OF THE QUESTION 
CONSIDERING THE PENTAGON'S INVOLVEMENT IN IRAQ. AS A RESULT, 
WASHINGTON HAS HAD TO MODERATE ITS APPROACH IN THE LAST FEW 
MONTHS AND RESUMED RELATIONS WITH PYONGYANG, ALBEIT 
UNOFFICIALLY. IT HAS ALSO UNOFFICIALLY ACCEPTED THE AID 
`PACKAGE' OFFERED BY SOUTH KOREA TO ITS NORTHERN NEIGHBOR." 
 
"WASHINGTON AND RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN SEOUL AND PYONGYANG" 
PHILIPPE PONS IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE (07/12): "SEOUL HAS 
CONCOCTED A VAST AID PLAN FOR NORTH KOREA IN EXCHANGE FOR ITS 
RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. THE POSITION THAT SECRETARY 
RICE WILL ADOPT IN SEOUL WILL BE AN INDICATION OF WASHINGTON'S 
POSITION VIS-A-VIS PYONGYANG. IN THE PAST WEEKS WASHINGTON HAS 
ADOPTED A RELATIVELY MODERATE APPROACH, WELL RECEIVED BY 
PYONGYANG. AND DURING HER TRIP SECRETARY RICE SAID THAT `THE 
U.S. HAD NO INTENTION OF INVADING NORTH KOREA.' IS THIS 
`VERBAL DISARMAMENT' A SIGN THAT THE U.S. IS ADOPTING A MORE 
MODERATE APPROACH? THE IMPASSE WITH NORTH KOREA ANNOYS 
WASHINGTON, WHICH HAS MADE COERCION THE AXIS OF ITS DIPLOMACY. 
IN THE SPAN OF TWO YEARS, WASHINGTON'S CRISIS MANAGEMENT 
METHOD WITH NORTH KOREA HAS MADE THINGS WORSE. PYONGYANG'S 
RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE HAS FOCUSED EVERY ATTENTION, 
BUT IT DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT A SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS IS 
IMMINENT. THE NEW FACTOR IN THE EQUATION IS THE LEVEL OF 
`CONSULTATION' BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH AND THE 
PROSPECT OF A `NATIONAL RE-CONCILIATION.'" 
 
G-8: CLIMATE 
 
"G-8 POSTPONES PRECIPITATION TILL NOVEMBER" 
SYLVESTRE HUET IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (07/12): "FOR 
CHIRAC THE RESULTS OF THE G-8 ON THE CLIMATE ARE 
`SUBSTANTIAL.' PRESIDENT BUSH'S SENIOR ADVISOR, FARYAR 
SHIRZAD, SAID: `WE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH THE FINAL RESULT.' BUT 
FOR NGO'S IT IS `A RESULT DEVOID OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE.' WHAT 
DOES THIS LACK OF CONSENSUS MEAN AND WHAT DOES ONE FIND BEHIND 
THE RHETORIC OF CIRCUMSTANCE? THE `PROGRESS' INVOKED RELATES 
EXCLUSIVELY TO THE INITIAL POSITION ADOPTED BY THE U.S. 
PRESIDENT. IT COULD BE SUMMARIZED AS `CLIMATE, NO PROBLEM,' A 
DENIAL OF THE ANALYSES MADE BY THE ACADEMY OF SCIENTISTS IN 
1992. HENCE, THE SIMPLE MENTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE DUE TO GAS 
EMISSIONS BY MAN BECOMES THE EQUIVALENT OF `PROGRESS' FROM THE 
U.S. BUT THE CONFERENCE IN LONDON SCHEDULED FOR NEXT NOVEMBER 
WILL SIGNAL INCREASED PRESSURE FOR THE U.S. IT WILL DE FACTO 
SHED LIGHT ON THE HUGE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE U.S. . AND POINT 
AN ACCUSING FINGER AT WASHINGTON... IN TIME THE DIPLOMATIC 
PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS WILL MAKE THE AMERICAN 
POSITION INCREASINGLY DELICATE." STAPLETON