US embassy cable - 05PARIS4971

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004971 
 
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, Media Reports 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - GAZA DISENGAGEMENT 
PARIS - TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. GAZA DISENGAGEMENT 
 
(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
DOMESTIC ISSUES DOMINATE THE MAJORITY OF HEADLINES TODAY WITH 
THE EXCEPTION OF RIGHT-OF-CENTER FIGARO THAT WARNS OF "AL 
QAEDA'S ULTIMATUM TO EUROPE." THE REPORT MENTIONS AN INTERNET 
MESSAGE SENT BY A BRANCH OF AL QAEDA WHICH THREATENS EUROPE 
WITH "A BLOODY WAR" IF TROOPS ARE NOT PULLED OUT OF IRAQ 
WITHIN A MONTH. LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE, FOR ITS PART, 
ANALYZES "THE THREAT OF CIVIL WAR IN IRAQ." 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION, AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF EDITORIALS, 
FOCUS ON ISRAEL AND THE WITHDRAWAL OF GAZA. LIBERATION 
HEADLINES: "ISRAEL VERSUS ITS COLONISTS." (SEE PART C) 
 
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER IN CHARGE OF FOREIGN RELATIONS, 
BENITA FERRERO-WALDNER, PENS A CRITICAL OP-ED IN LIBERATION 
ENTITLED: "UNITED AGAINST TERROR" IN WHICH SHE ANALYZES THE 
ROOTS OF TERRORISM AND CHARGES THE "ILLEGAL INTERVENTION IN 
IRAQ" FOR DISCREDITING THE NOTION OF AN "INTERNATIONAL STATE 
OF LAW." FERRERO-WALDNER ADDS: "IT IS THIS BLOODY MASSACRE 
PERPETRATED BY GEORGE BUSH AND TONY BLAIR. THAT LEADS A LARGE 
PART OF THE [ARAB AND MUSLIM] WORLD TO SEE WESTERN LAW AS 
HYPOCRITICAL AND INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE AS DUPLICITOUS." 
 
POPULAR FRANCE SOIR AND LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION SPECULATE 
WHETHER "BUSH IS DROPPING KARL ROVE" AS A RESULT OF THE "DEEP 
THROAT 2" ACCUSATIONS. "THE VALERIE PLAME CASE HAS BECOME THE 
KARL ROVE CASE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. AND FUELS AN INTENSE 
POLITICAL DEBATE IN THE U.S. CONCERNING THE FREEDOM OF THE 
PRESS AS WELL AS THE INTEGRITY OF A HIGH-LEVEL WHITE HOUSE 
OFFICIAL." 
 
LE FIGARO'S CORRESPONDENT AT CAPE CANAVERAL WRITES THAT 
LAUNCHING DISCOVERY BEFORE THE END OF THE WEEK APPEARS 
INCREASINGLY IMPROBABLE AND ENTITLES HIS REPORT "DISCOVERY'S 
MECHANICAL FAILURE MARKS THE FAILURE OF NASA:" "ALTHOUGH THE 
AMERICAN AGENCY CONTINUES TO SHOW A FAADE OF OPTIMISM, THE 
SITUATION IS DIRE FOR NASA. SINCE THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY 
FOR LAUNCHING DISCOVERY IS FADING." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
"GAZA: AN INTERNATIONAL ISSUE" 
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (07/19): "NEVER, 
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, HAVE ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS BEEN SO 
CLOSE TO A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD. IN ORDER TO PREVENT A NEW 
DISAPPOINTMENT, AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN DIPLOMACY NEEDS TO HELP 
ARIEL SHARON AND MAHMOUD ABBAS ESTABLISH A MINIMUM OF 
COORDINATION. SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE, WHO IS 
EXPECTED IN JERUSALEM IN THE COMING DAYS, HAS TAKEN FULL 
MEASURE OF THE STAKES AND UNDERSTANDS THAT THE WORLD CANNOT 
STAND BY AND WATCH A BATTLE RAGE IN GAZA WHEN THE CONSEQUENCE 
WOULD BE THE FAILURE OF THE FIRST ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM A 
CONQUERED TERRITORY SINCE 1967." 
 
"HIGH STAKES" 
ANTOINE DE GAUDEMAR COMMENTED IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION 
(07/19): "IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THE 
ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA WILL BE, BUT ONE THING IS CERTAIN 
- IT WILL TAKE PLACE. FOR ARIEL SHARON THERE IS NO TURNING 
BACK, HE HAS MIRED HIMSELF UP TO HIS CHIN IN A SEQUENCE OF 
EVENTS THAT HE PUT IN MOTION. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT 
A HARD-LINER HAS TURNED INTO A PRAGMATIST. BUT THE FUTURE OF 
THE PALESTINIAN WEST BANK REMAINS UNCERTAIN AND THE WITHDRAWAL 
FROM GAZA MAY LULL THE WEST TEMPORARILY BUT ISRAELI ULTRA- 
CONSERVATIVES FEAR, ABOVE ALL ELSE, THAT A SUCCESSFUL 
WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA WILL BE A SORT OF PANDORA'S BOX THAT WILL 
OPEN THE WAY TO OTHER WITHDRAWALS." 
 
"SHARON'S BLACKMAIL" 
THE EDITORIAL IN COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE BY PIERRE LAURENT 
(07/19): "AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ AND NOW GAZA. ONE BY ONE, SINCE 
SEPTEMBER 2001, THE REGIONS MEANT TO SYMBOLIZE THE SUCCESS OF 
THE AMERICAN ANTI-TERRORIST CRUSADE ARE LAPSING INTO CHAOS. 
SHARON'S REASONS FOR WITHDRAWING FROM GAZA ARE NOT TO GIVE A 
NEW IMPETUS TO THE PEACE PROCESS. BY PUSHING FORWARD WITH THE 
WITHDRAWAL SHARON CONSIDERS THAT HE HAS MADE A GESTURE TOWARDS 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN EXCHANGE FOR WHICH HE WILL HAVE 
HIS HANDS FREE TO PROCEED WITH HIS PLANS FOR ANNEXATION. THE 
IMAGE OF COLONISTS DEMONSTRATING IS EXACTLY THE IMAGE THAT 
SHARON WANTS THE WORLD TO SEE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE 
SACRIFICE OF THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT. ONCE AGAIN. THE 
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SIGNATORIES OF THE ROAD MAP IS AT STAKE. 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST COME TOGETHER TO PROMPT THE 
U.S., EUROPE AND THE UN LEADERS TO PREVENT A NEW CLASH. AND 
RENEW TALKS CONCERNING THE CREATION OF A SOVEREIGN PALESTINIAN 
STATE." STAPLETON