US embassy cable - 05PARIS4909

UNCLAS PARIS 004909 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIRC, KPAO, OIIP, OTRA, FR, NATO, EUN 
SUBJECT: French Journalist NATO Tour to Norfolk Virginia 
June 13-17, 2005 
 
1. SUMMARY:  Paris Public Affairs nominated senior foreign 
editor Alain Louyot from weekly center-right news magazine 
l'Express [circulation 548,195] for the June 13-17 NATO Tour 
to Norfolk Virginia. Louyot's article, "Norfolk: The 
Antiterrorist Armada" appeared in the July 11-17 issue of 
the magazine. The very positive piece highlighted the 
transformation of NATO's capabilities in order to respond to 
new threats, and the impressive number of military officers 
from all of the NATO countries working at the Norfolk 
command. Louyot's feedback about the Tour's organization and 
logistics also was extremely positive.  Embassy Paris 
appreciates the opportunity to nominate participants for 
these tours.  END SUMMARY 
 
2. After more than thirty years of reporting on foreign 
affairs, this was not Louyot's first NATO Tour, nor was it 
his first visit of a military installation. However, in a 
note addressed to the Press Office, Louyot noted that, 
contrary to previous visits, the fact that this tour was 
organized by the US Mission to NATO within the context of 
NATO Transformation made the experience more rewarding. 
 
3. He observed that the need for NATO Transformation has 
become particularly pressing in a world faced with the 
constant threat of terrorism and that the Tour impressed on 
the participants that changes within NATO are not simply 
theoretical in nature but are instead urgent and tangible. 
In his July 11-17 article he wrote: "The massacre of the 
morning of July 7, apparently perpetrated by Islamist 
terrorists in the heart of the British capital, serves to 
underscore the urgent necessity for the West not to let its 
guard down." Louyot said that the Tour served to demonstrate 
the West's real capacity to defend itself above and beyond 
conflicts that may arise, namely in Iraq and he stressed the 
military and technological contribution of the U.S.: "The 
American military. remains a colossal war machine with which 
the other Alliance partners cannot compare." 
 
4. Thanks to the many meetings Louyot had with high-level 
ACT officials in Norfolk, he emphasized the initiatives 
taken by the US to improve cooperation and interoperability 
among the 26 members of NATO in his report as exemplified by 
the noteworthy "presence of non-Americans [at high levels 
of] responsibility [as] a sign of.[this] interoperability." 
 
5.  Louyot concluded his two-page article remarking on the 
impressive technological means that NATO disposes of for 
training and experimentation and cautioned that "while it 
would be unwise to make hasty judgments concerning the 
effectiveness, in the field, of this advanced technology. it 
is impossible not to be impressed [by it]." 
 
6.  Louyot's piece adds a positive and accurate dimension to 
the fairly sparse - and mostly critical -- French reporting 
on NATO Transformation.  Recent articles on NATO Allied 
Command Transformation have acknowledged that NATO needs to 
be adapted to deal with new threats, particularly the world- 
wide threat of terrorism, but continue to question the 
dominance of American technology in the transformation 
process. Last month Jean-Pierre Stroobants wrote in left-of- 
center Le Monde: "Washington's desire for a uniformization 
of the systems is seen by some NATO members as an attempt to 
subjugate them to the Pentagon." Communist l'Humanite has 
characterized NATO as the U.S. "Trojan Horse." Economic Les 
Echos recently carried an analysis of NATO transformation in 
light of the Organization's involvement in Africa, 
particularly in the Sudan. 
 
7.   Louyot's note to the Paris Information Office praised 
the NATO Tour for its smooth organization, spirit of 
conviviality, and for the opportunity it afforded him to 
meet colleagues from various European dailies, especially 
from the former Soviet-bloc countries, and to share their 
views of the world. As a journalist, Louyot found the 
experience enriching, and on a personal level, he mentioned 
his delight at having had a chance to go to the U.S.