US embassy cable - 05PARIS5178

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 005178 
 
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 - WAR ON TERRORISM 
 
PARIS - PARIS - JULY 27, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
  1.   WAR ON TERRORISM 
2.   IRAQI'S CONSTITUTION 
3.   DPRK NUCLEAR PROGRAM 
4.   FAMINE IN THE SAHEL: NIGER 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
ISRAELI PM AREIL SHARON'S VISIT TO FRANCE, FAMINE IN NIGER, 
FRENCH AUTHORITIES' DECISION TO EXPAND USE OF PUBLIC VIDEO- 
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, AND NASA'S SUCCESSFUL SHUTTLE LAUNCH 
TOPS TODAY'S HEADLINES.  RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO'S ECONOMIC 
PAGES FOCUS ON THE DOMINANCE OF U.S. COMPANIES - THE TOP 8 OR 
10 BRANDS ARE AMERICAN - IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE. 
 
ALL NEWSPAPERS REPORT ON PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON'S VISIT 
TO FRANCE AS A RENEWAL IN THE FRANCO-ISRAELI RELATIONS: 
"ARIEL SHARON COMES TO MAKE PEACE WITH PARIS" HEADLINES 
CATHOLIC LA CROIX WHILE RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO READS 
"MEETING IN PARIS BETWEEN FRANCE AND ISRAEL." LE MONDE HAS AN 
INTERVIEW OF SHARON: "ISRAEL, PALESTINE, `THE WALL': ARIEL 
SHARON EXPLAINS HIMSELF. A FEW QUOTES FROM HIS INTERVIEW SAY: 
"I AM READY FOR PAINFUL CONCESSIONS", "PEACE MOSTLY DEPENDENTS 
ON PALESTINIANS", "THE ARABS HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED ISRAEL", "WE 
ARE CONFRONTED BY THE WORST OF HATRED". 
 
IN A VERY LONG EDITORIAL PIECE, LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE'S 
DIRECTOR JEAN-MARIE COLOMBANI TRIES TO EXPLAIN AND UNDERSTAND 
HOW WE WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH TERRORISM. (SEE PART C) 
 
COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT HAS AN INSERT ON IRAQ'S NEW CONSTITUTION 
(SEE PART C) 
 
FOLLOWING THE KEY ROLE OF SECURITY CAMERAS IN LONDON FOR THE 
IDENTIFICATION OF SUICIDE BOMBERS, THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT WANTS 
TO WIDEN PUBLIC SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN FRANCE. HOWEVER 
CATHOLIC LA CROIX NOTES "THE ROLE OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS 
REMAINS VERY LIMITED IN THE FACE OF PEOPLE READY TO DIE." 
 
THE NEGOTIATIONS TAKING PLACE IN BEIJING REGARDING NORTH 
KOREA'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM ARE REPORTED IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX AND 
COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT  (SEE PART C) 
 
BOTH LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION AND COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT DEVOTE 
THEIR FRONT PAGES TO NIGER. HEADLINES READ "IN THE STARVING 
NIGER" (LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION) AND "SACRIFICED NIGER" (SEE 
PART C) 
 
 
THE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY IS REPORTED 
IN MOST NEWSPAPERS WITH PICTURES OF THE LAUNCH. ON ITS FRONT 
PAGE, RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO HEADLINES "THE RETURN OF 
AMERICANS TO SPACE." 
 
AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE TAITTINGER GROUP, BARRY STERNLICHT, 
THE CEO OF STARWOOD AND TAITTINGER'S NEW OWNER, IS INTERVIEWED 
IN ECONOMIC LES ECHOS AND POINTS OUT: "WE DO NOT INTEND TO 
KEEP THE CHAMPAGNE FIELD. WE WOULD PREFER IT TO STAY IN FRENCH 
HANDS.". ACCORDING TO ECONOMIC LA TRIBUNE, THE CREDIT AGRICOLE 
GROUP WOULD BUY IT, WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE TAITTINGER 
FAMILY. 
 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
WAR ON TERRORISM 
 
"LIVING WITH TERRORISM" 
JEAN-MARIE COLOMBANI IN LE MONDE (07/27) ". IRAQ WAS 
DEFINITELY NOT AN ANSWER TO TERRORISM. THE US MILITARY 
INTERVENTION IN THIS COUNTRY, AS THE EUROPEANS PREDICTED, ONLY 
EXACERBATED ISLAMIC MILITANTS' RESENTMENT. IT MAINTAINS A GOOD 
PART OF THE ARAB MUSLIM WORLD IN ITS HATRED OF THE UNITED 
STATES AND IS OF COURSE USED AS A PRETEXT. WORSE: IN A WORLD 
OF INSTANT GLOBALIZATION OF IMAGES, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH 
CAR-BOMB MASSACRE IN BAGHDAD IS NOT ATTRIBUTED TO ONE OR 
ANOTHER SUNNITE REBELLION GROUP; IT IS IMPUTED TO THE AMERICAN 
OCCUPATION AND CONSIDERED AS ANOTHER PROOF OF THE `WAR' THAT 
THE WEST WOULD BE FIGHTING AGAINST THE MUSLIM WORLD. HUNDRED 
OF MILLIONS OF MUSLIM TELEVISION VIEWERS MAKE THE UNITED 
STATES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAILY SLAUGHTERS THAT IRAQ IS GOING 
THROUGH EVERY DAY. ONE CAN PUT INTO QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF 
THIS THOUGHT PROCESS BUT WE CANNOT IGNORE THIS PREVAILING 
PERCEPTION. THE EPICENTER IS IN PAKISTAN. AS OUR REPORTS SHOW 
IT EVERYDAY, PAKISTAN IS A CAULDRON, AS THE SAME TIME AS A 
KIND OF BIG FACTORY TO PRODUCE COMBATANTS FOR THE `HOLY WAR'. 
. TO HAVE TARGETED IRAQ INSTEAD OF WORRYING ON TIME ABOUT 
PAKISTAN IS ONE OF THE MANY NONSENSE OF BUSH GOVERNMENT." 
 
 
 
IRAQ NEW CONSTITUTION 
 
"`NEW IRAQ' CLOSES ITS DOORS TO JEWS" 
 
PAUL FALZON IN COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT (07/27) "ONE WAS NOT 
EXPECTING MIRACLES FROM THE TEAM IN CHARGE OF WRITING THE NEW 
IRAQI'S CONSTITUTION CONSIDERING HOW TENSIONS BETWEEN THE 
VARIOUS COMMUNITIES WEAKEN THE POLITICAL AND SECURITY BALANCE 
OF THE COUNTRY.  BUT WE WERE NOT EXPECTING THEM TO TURN ON TO 
ANTI-SEMITISM TO RENEW THE BOND BETWEEN FACTIONS. THE MAJORITY 
OF DELEGATES HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE BACK THE IRAQI NATIONALLY TO 
EXILES ONLY IF THEY LEFT THE COUNTRY AFTER 1963. THIS DATE IS 
OFFICIALLY THAT OF THE FIRST COUP D'ETAT BY THE BAATH PARTY. 
HOWEVER IT ESPECIALLY UNABLE TO EXCLUDE THOUSANDS AND 
THOUSANDS OF JEWISH CITIZENS WHO WERE VICTIMS OF PERSECUTIONS 
AND FLED IRAQ WHEN ISRAEL WAS CREATED. LET US HOPE THAT THE 
PARLIAMENT, WHICH WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD ON THE CONSTITUTION, 
WILL REMOVE THIS ARRANGEMENT." 
 
 
DPRK NUCLEAR PROGRAM, 6 PARTY TALKS JULY 26 
 
"NORTH KOREA COULD GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL" 
NADIA HADJ-BOUZIANE IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (07/27) "THE 
RESUMPTION OF NEGOTIATIONS ON THE NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR 
PROGRAM'S DISMANTLING SEEM TO HAVE BEGIN WITH GOOD BASIS. 
FIRST OF ALL BECAUSE THE UNITED STATES HAVE STRAIGHT AWAY 
ASSERTED THEIR WILL OF CONCILIATION. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY 
ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THE `SOVEREIGNTY' OF NORTH KOREA. FOR A 
LITTLE WHILE NOW, GEORGE W. BUSH HAS CALLED NORTH KOREA'S 
NUMBER ONE `MR. KIM JONG-IL', LEAVING OUT THE TERM `DICTATOR'. 
TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT WAS THE ULTIMATE CLAIM OF THE NORTH 
KOREAN LEADER. THE PEKIN MEETING SHOULD ENABLE THE CREATION OF 
A CLIMATE OF TRUST. HOWEVER, ONE SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT IF 
NORTH KOREA ALWAYS STEPPED BACK DURING THE VARIOUS 
NEGOTIATIONS THAT GATHERED THE 6 PARTIES SEVERAL TIMES IN 
VAIN, IT IS BECAUSE THROUGH THE NORMALIZATION OF ITS RELATION 
WITH WASHINGTON AND SEOUL, THE STALINIAN REGIME ALSO FEARS THE 
SPREADING OF DEMOCRACY IN NORTH KOREA." 
 
"WASHINGTON AND PYONGYANG REINITIATE THE DIALOGUE" 
CAROLINE DUKE IN COMMUNIST L'HUMANIT (07/27) "IF THE TWO 
PARTIES DISPLAYED AN OBVIOUS GOOD WILL YESTERDAY, THE 
RENUNCIATION OF NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR IS FAR FROM BEING 
ESTABLISHED.. A RENUNCIATION BY NORTH KOREA OF ITS PROGRAM 
WOULD NEED TO GO WITH THE WITHDRAW OF AMERICAN NUCLEAR ARMS IN 
THE SOUTH OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA AND OF COMPENSATION OFFERS 
BY THE PARTICIPANTS TO NORTH KOREA TALKS." 
 
NIGER 
 
"RICH COUNTRIES' INDECENCY" 
PATRICK SABATIER IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION "NIGER IS DYING 
OF HUNGER. AND THIS AS THE ECHO OF THE . PROCLAMATION OF 
COMPASSION FROM BIG COUNTRIES OF THE G8 IS STILL ON. THIS IS 
THE CRUEL ILLUSTRATION OF THE BIG GAP BETWEEN THE RHETORIC OF 
THE AID TO AFRICA AND ITS REALITY THAT MIXES STINGINESS, MORAL 
INDIFFERENCE AND STRATEGIC BLINDNESS. RICH COUNTRIES DO NOT 
HESITATE TO BE INTERESTED IN NIGER TO EXPLOIT IT. BUSH 
(WRONGLY) ACCUSED IT OF HAVING SUPPLIED IRAQ WITH AN 
(INEXISTENT) NUCLEAR PROGRAM . NIAMEY IS STILL WAITING FOR AN 
AID AGAINST ITS WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION THAT ARE DRYNESS, 
LOCUSTS AND POVERTY. THE SCANDAL IS PATENT BECAUSE THIS 
UNSPOKEN CATASTROPHE HITS MILLIONS OF NIGERIANS WAS NOT ONLY 
PREDICTABLE BUT PREDICTED AND ANNOUNCED FOR ALMOST A YEAR BUT 
NGOS AND THE UN. IT WAS NEITHER VERY COMPLICATED NOR VERY 
EXPENSIVE TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING. NON-ASSISTANCE TO 
PEOPLE AT RISK IS OF COURSE NOT CONSIDERED A CRIME AGAINST 
HUMANITY ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL LAWS." 
 
STAPLETON