US embassy cable - 05PARIS5122

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005122 
 
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 
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ROME/PA; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - WAR ON TERRORISM 
 
 
PARIS - PARIS - MONDAY, JULY 25, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
  1.   WAR ON TERRORISM 
 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
THE ATTACKS IN EGYPT DOMINATE THE FRONT PAGES OF ALL THE 
DAILIES IN FRANCE, WITH VARIOUS HEADLINES SUCH AS: "ENDLESS 
TERROR" FOR CONSERVATIVE FRANCE-SOIR, "AL-QAEDA'S OFFENSIVE" 
FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER LIB ATION, "AL-QAEDA'S DEADLY SUMMER" FOR 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO, "WORLD ECONOMY UNDER TERRORIST 
PRESSURE" FOR ECONOMIC LA TRIBUNE, AND "ECONOMY IN THE SIGHTS 
OF ISLAMIC TERRORISM" FOR ECONOMIC LES ECHOS.  INTERVIEWED IN 
CONSERVATIVE FRANCE SOIR, PASCAL BONIFACE, DIRECTOR OF THE 
INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGICAL RELATIONS, SAYS: 
"IT IS AS IF THERE WERE A KIND OF COMMON INTEREST BETWEEN AL- 
QAEDA AND GEORGE W. BUSH.THAT OF ELIMINATING MODERATE SPEECHES 
BY MUSLIMS AND WESTERNERS." (SEE PART C) 
 
FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER MICHELE ALLIOT-MARIE, WHO WAS IN 
AFGHANISTAN FOR THREE DAYS, IS VIEWED BY CONSERVATIVE LE 
PARISIEN AS DETERMINED THAT THE OUTBURST OF TERRORIST ATTACKS 
IN LONDON AND CHARM EL-SHEIKH WILL IN NO EVENT CHANGE FRANCE'S 
POSITION IN AFGHANISTAN. 
 
AFTER TWO WEEKS OF RUMORS, PEPSICO HAS STATED THAT IT IS NOT 
PREPARING A TAKEOVER OF DANONE. 
 
LANCE ARMSTRONG'S SEVENTH VICTORY IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE AND 
HIS RETIREMENT ARE REPORTED IN ALL THE PAPERS. COMMUNIST 
L'HUMANIT HEADLINES: "MYSTERY ARMSTRONG: ONE LOVES HIM OR 
HATES HIM." 
 
REGARDING THE LAUNCHING OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY, FRENCH 
ASTRONAUT PATRICK BAUDRY IS INTERVIEWED IN FRANCE SOIR AND 
CRITICIZES NASA. ".NASA IS BECOMING WORTHLESS. DURING THE LAST 
DECADE, IT MADE NO PROGRESS. IT PERSISTS WITH A VERY EXPENSIVE 
PROGRAM THAT DOES NOT PRODUCE ANYTHING INSTEAD OF WORKING ON 
REAL PROJECTS SUCH AS GOING BACK TO THE MOON." 
 
AN OP-ED BY RICHARD N. HAASS IS PUBLISHED IN LES ECHOS 
ENTITLED: "FOR AFRICA, TRADE RATHER THAN AID." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
WAR AGAINST TERRORISM 
 
JEAN GUISNEL IN REGIONAL DAILY LA REPUBLIQUE DES PYR  S 
(07/25) "THE DEADLY WEAPON OF BIN LADEN'S HENCHMEN, THE MASTER 
TRUMP OF GLOBAL JIHAD, IS THE KAMIKAZE. FAR FROM DECLINING, 
THE PHENOMENON IS GROWING WHILE THE HELPLESSNESS OF SECURITY 
MEASURES IS EVIDENT. AND THE REASON FOR THIS - ISN'T THIS 
RIGHT MR. BUSH? - IS THAT THE ANSWER TO TERROR CANNOT BE 
EXCLUSIVELY MILITARY. ONE WILL HAVE TO TALK ABOUT SHARING 
WEALTH IN THE WORLD, RAISING THE LEVEL OF LIFE STANDARDS, 
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PREDATORY POLICY OF NORTHERN COUNTRIES. 
BECAUSE IF THIS REVOLUTION DOES NOT BEGIN, WE ARE ON THE ROAD 
FOR DECADES OF MASSACRES." 
 
DOMINIQUE MOISI IN REGIONAL DAILY OUEST-FRANCE (07/25) "WE 
CANNOT SAY ANYMORE, AS PRESIDENT BUSH AS DONE FOR TOO LONG, 
THAT THE WORLD IS SAFER SINCE SADDAM HUSSEIN'S REGIME FELL IN 
IRAQ. EVERY DAY BRINGS A TRAGIC DENIAL TO THIS OPTIMISTIC 
VISION OF HISTORY. BUT WE CANNOT PRETEND, AS THE 
FUNDAMENTALISTS WANT US TO THINK, THAT THEIR POLICY OF TERROR 
IS AN ANSWER TO WAR IN IRAQ. THE TRUTH IS THAT WE ARE JUST 
STARTING, STEP-BY-STEP, TO UNDERSTAND TO WHICH EXTENT WE 
ENTERED A NEW WORLD ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. TERRORISM DID NOT 
WAIT FOR IRAQ; TERROR IS A TECHNIQUE, A MEAN THAT DOES NOT 
NEED CAUSES AND THAT WILL ALWAYS FIND PRETEXTS." 
 
"SECOND OFFENSE" 
G ARD DUPUY'S EDITORIAL IN LIB ATION (07/25) "SCOTLAND 
YARD'S UNFORTUNATE MISTAKE MAY SEEM VERY SLIGHT IN FACE OF THE 
NEW SLAUGHTER BY THE SOLDIERS OF ISLAMIC TERROR BUT THE LESSON 
TO DRAW IS THE SAME ONE. NO MATTER HOW JUSTIFIABLE, ANGER IS A 
BAD ADVISER WHEN IT COMES TO ACTION. THERE IS NO NEED AND IT 
IS EVEN COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO OVER-REACT IN ORDER TO ASSESS 
ONE'S STRENGTH AND TOUGHNESS. THE WAVE OF ATTACKS OF THE LAST 
DAYS CONFIRMS THAT FOR THE POLICE AND SECRET SERVICES OF 
WESTERN COUNTRIES, ISLAMIC TERRORISM CONSTITUTES THE BIGGEST 
CHALLENGE THAT THEY EVER HAVE HAD TO FACE, INCLUDING THE COLD 
WAR. TERRORISTS ARE NOT FIGHTING THE WEST'S STRENGTH BUT ITS 
WEAKNESS." 
 
"ANSWER TO TERRORISM THROUGH ECONOMY AS WELL" 
ERIK IZRAELEWICZ'S EDITORIAL IN ECONOMIC LES ECHOS (07/25) 
". THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM THAT WE ENTERED SIMULTANEOUSLY 
WITH THE NEW CENTURY WILL BE LONG AND DIFFICULT. THE 
`POLITICAL' NETWORKS AT THE CORE OF THESE ATTACKS HAVE BLINDLY 
KILLED. HOWEVER, UNTIL TODAY, THEY HAVE NOT MANAGED TO 
DESTABILIZE DEMOCRACIES NOR PUT INTO QUESTION THE RUNNING OF 
THEIR ECONOMIES. EVERY TIME TERRORISTS TRIED TO WEAKEN SOME OF 
THE BASIC LINKS OF THE WORLD ECONOMY. WITH NEW YORK AND THE 
WORLD TRADE CENTER TOWERS, IT WAS ALSO WALL STREET, PREMIER 
FINANCIAL PLACE IN THE WORLD, WHICH WAS TARGETED. WITH LONDON, 
IT IS ALSO THE CITY, EUROPE'S FINANCIAL CENTER, THE CITY OF 
THE 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES, THAT WAS CHOSEN. LAST FRIDAY, WITH 
CHARM EL-SHEIKH, IT'S THE SYMBOL OF A RISING INDUSTRY IN THE 
WORLD, ESPECIALLY THE ARAB WORLD, THAT WAS TARGETED. FOR THE 
MOMENT, THESE ATTACKS HAVE NOT ACHIEVED THEIR GOALS. SECURITY 
MEASURES HAVE BEEN REINFORCED IN THE DEMOCRACIES WITHOUT 
PUTTING LIBERTY INTO QUESTION." 
 
 
"THE WAR IS INTENSIFYING" 
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (07/25) " WE'RE 
UNDERGOING A CAMPAIGN OF TERROR WITH MULTIPLE TARGETS AROUND 
THE WORLD AND A GENERAL CLIMATE OF APPREHENSION.  WE'RE 
CONFRONTED WITH TRULY A NEW TYPE OF WAR. IN LONDON, AS IN 
EGYPT, THE ATTACK HAS MULTIPLIER EFFECTS - BEYOND THE COST IN 
HUMAN LIFE. IN CHARM, IT IS THE IMAGES OF TOURISTS OF ALL 
NATIONALITIES FLEEING THE BOMBINGS AND THE VACATION RESORT. 
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW ANYMORE WHAT AL-QAEDA IS BECAUSE ITS 
ACTIONS ARE SO EFFICIENT, WHETHER THE ATTACKS ARE INITIATED BY 
AUTONOMOUS GROUPS OR COORDINATED.  AND WHERE IS BIN LADEN? WE 
DON'T KNOW FOR SURE, BUT THE TERRORISTS CAN ATTACK AT ANY 
TIME, AND THIS IS WORRISOME. 
 
"MULTIPLE HEADS" 
GUILLAUME GOUBERT IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (07/27) "THE TERRORIST 
ATTACK AGAINST CHARM EL-SHEIKH WAS AIMING AT SEVERAL SYMBOLIC 
TARGETS. AS A MISSILE WITH MULTIPLE HEADS, IT TRIED TO REACH 
TOURISM, EGYPT AND ANY PROCESS OF DETENTE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. 
SUCH HOLIDAY RESORTS ARE PLACES OF CONTACTS BETWEEN CULTURES 
AND CIVILIZATIONS. THEY ALSO WANTED TO ECONOMICALLY WEAKEN 
EGYPT WHOSE FINANCIAL BALANCE DEPENDS VERY MUCH ON TOURISM. 
THE INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS OF EGYPT ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE. CHARM 
EL-SHEIKH IS A SYMBOL SINCE THIS CITY HAS BEEN THE HOST OF 
SEVERAL HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCES FOR PEACE IN MIDDLE EAST. IS IT 
A COINCIDENCE IF THE CHARM EL-SHEIKH ATTACKS TOOK PLACE A FEW 
WEEKS BEFORE THE ARRANGED DATE FOR THE ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM 
GAZA? . THE ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL IS NOT PUT INTO QUESTION FOR 
NOW. IN FACE OF TERRORISM, THE `PEACE CAMP' MUST STICK 
TOGETHER." 
 
"DEATH IS THEIR WORK" 
PASCAL AUBERT IN LA TRIBUNE (07/25) ". WHEN, IN IRAQ, BIN 
LADEN'S LOYAL SERVANTS MAKE COMMON CAUSE WITH LOST SOLDIERS OF 
SADDAM HUSSEIN, IT IS NOT FAITH IN ALLAH THAT BRINGS THEM 
TOGETHER BUT HATE OF THE WEST AND FOR THE UNITED STATES IN THE 
FIRST PLACE." 
 
STAPLETON