US embassy cable - 05PARIS5228

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005228 
 
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 - IRAQ, IRA, ASIA-PACIFIC 
PARTNERSHIP 
 
 
PARIS - PARIS - JULY 29, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1.IRAQ 
2.IRA 
3.ASIA-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
AMBASSADOR STAPLETON HELD HIS FIRST FRENCH PRESS ROUNDTABLE 
YESTERDAY. CONSERVATIVE LE PARISIEN AND CATHOLIC LA CROIX RUN 
RATHER POSITIVE PROFILES OF HIM, BOTH FOCUSING ON HIS FAMILY 
AND PERSONAL CONNECTION TO PRESIDENT BUSH. AFP'S STORY ZEROED 
IN ON HIS COMMENTS "APPROVING" ECONOMIC PATRIOTISM. 
 
THE IRA'S FAREWELL TO ARMS LEADS INTERNATIONAL STORIES.  PRIME 
MINISTER VILLEPIN'S COMMENT ON ECONOMIC PATRIOTISM TOPS FRENCH 
DOMESTIC STORIES, AND MAURICE LEVY PROVIDES A SCATHING 
ANALYSIS OF REASONS FOR FRANCE'S DECLINE ON LEFT-OF-CENTER LE 
MONDE'S FRONT PAGE.  SEVERAL US-RELATED STORIES APPEAR TODAY, 
INCLUDING ABOUT THE NEW ASIA-PACIFIC CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT 
AND NASA IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE PROBLEMATIC DISCOVERY LAUNCH. 
 
IRA'S DECLARATION TO END ARMED STRUGGLE IS REPORTED IN ALL 
NEWSPAPERS WITH HEADLINES SUCH AS "IRA, A FAREWELL TO ARMS" 
FOR CONSERVATIVE LE PARISIEN OR "IRA LAY DOWN ITS ARMS" FOR 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO. LEFT-OF-CENTER LIB ATION DEVOTES 
AN EDITORIAL TO THE SUBJECT. (SEE PART C) 
 
NASA'S STORY IS REPORTED IN ALL PAPERS AS WELL. "HOUSTON, WE 
HAVE A PROBLEM" HEADLINES LEFT-OF-CENTER LIB ATION, 
CONSERVATIVE FRANCE-SOIR READS "DISCOVERY, A BLOW" AND RIGHT- 
OF-CENTER LE FIGARO SAYS "COLUMBIA'S SPECTRE DARKENS NASA'S 
FUTURE." 
 
IN A LONG OP-ED, PASCAL BONIFACE, DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE 
FOR INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC RELATIONS IN PARIS, TALKS 
ABOUT "THE (IRAQ) WAR GIVES CREDIBILITY TO AL-QAEDA." (SEE 
PART C) 
 
YESTERDAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF AN ASIA-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP 
AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING IS REPORTED IN SEVERAL NEWSPAPERS. FOR 
CATHOLIC LA CROIX "THE UNITED STATES CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE 
KYOTO PROTOCOL" WHILE LEFT-OF-CENTER LIB ATION HEADLINES "AN 
AMERICAN PLAN B TO BYPASS THE AFTER-KYOTO" (SEE PART C) 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
WAR IN IRAQ 
 
PASCAL BONIFACE IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIB ATION "IF THE WAR IN 
IRAQ DID NOT CREATE TERRORISM, IT HOWEVER DEVELOPED IT. THIS 
WAR, LED IN THE NAME OF THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM, HAS IN 
FACT NOURISHED IT, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT OPPONENTS TO THIS 
CONFLICT FEARED . DO WE NEED TO REMIND GEORGE W. BUSH THAT HE 
OFTEN JUSTIFIED THE IRAQI WAR BY ASSERTING THAT IT WAS BETTER 
TO FIGHT THE TERRORISTS THERE THAN TO SEE THEM ATTACK THE 
WESTERN WORLD? . THE ABSOLUTE PRIORITY GIVEN TO A MILITARY 
ANSWER ONLY ENDED IN MORE VIOLENCE AND ATTACKS.  AND WE ARE 
GOING TO BE ASKED, BECAUSE OF THE ATTACKS, TO HARDEN THE 
MILITARY RESPONSE? HERE LIES THE TRAP . IF WE WANT THE TRIUMPH 
OF WHAT WE ARE, THEN WE NEED TO DO THINGS THAT CORRESPOND WITH 
WHAT WE PROCLAIM AND WE MUST STOP WITH PRINCIPLES THAT CHANGE 
WITH THE WIND. ESSENTIALLY, WE SHOULD NOT BY OUR ERRORS, 
FACILITATE OUR ENEMIES' TASK." 
 
 
IRA 
 
"CLEARED HORIZON" 
G ARD DUPUY IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIB ATION "SINCE THE SO-CALLED 
GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENTS, THE CONTEXT OF VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN 
IRELAND HAVE CHANGED A LOT; SEPTEMBER 11 HAS DEFINITELY 
CHANGED THE POLITICAL USE OF EXPLOSIVES, AND THE BRILLIANT 
ACCELERATION OF THE IRISH REPUBLIC CAN ONLY FACILITATE A 
RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THE TWO PARTS OF THE ISLAND. IRA'S 
GESTURE CAN CLEAR THE HORIZON EVEN IF MOST OBSERVERS REMAIN 
CAUTIOUS AS FOR THE RAPIDITY OF THE PROGRESSES TO COME." 
 
"IRA ANNOUNCES ITS FARWELL TO ARMS" 
JACQUES DUPLOUITCH IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (07/29) 
"UNREALISTIC UNTIL RECENTLY, THE FAREWELL TO ARMS AND THE END 
OF THE IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY AS SUCH ARE BECOMING REALITY . 
IRA MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH HISTORY. UNIONIST NORTHERN 
IRELAND REFUSES TO BE AT THE EVENT. 
 
ASIA-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP 
 
"AN AMERICAN B PLAN TO BYPASS THE AFTER-KYOTO" 
CHRISTIAN LOSSON IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIB ATION (07/29) "ON 
WEDNESDAY, TOGETHER WITH FIVE OTHER LARGE COUNTRIES, THE 
UNITED STATES LAUNCHED A PLAN AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING: THE ASIA- 
PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP FOR A CLEAN DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE" 
CENTERED ON THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES." BAD NEWS: THE PLAN, 
WHICH WILL BE REVEALED IN NOVEMBER, HAS NO QUANTIFIABLE 
OBJECTIVES OR DATES BY WHEN GREENHOUSE GAS WILL BE REDUCED. A 
KIND OF 100% LIGHT PLAN, WITH THE LOOK OF AN ALTERNATIVE TO 
THE KYOTO PROTOCOL THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND AUSTRALIA 
REFUSED TO RATIFY. BUT THAT LOOKS LIKE AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN 
POLLUTING FRIENDS, WITH A BACKGROUND OF FIGHT FOR GEOPOLITICAL 
INFLUENCE." 
 
"THE UNITED STATES CREATES AN ALTERNATIVE KYOTO PROTOCOL" 
NADIA HADJ-BOUZIANE IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (07/29) "BY SIGNING 
AN ALTERNATIVE AGREEMENT WITH CHINA AND INDIA, THE UNITED 
STATES BYPASSES THE KYOTO PROTOCOL WHILE TRYING NOT TO LOOK AS 
A COUNTRY UNCONCERNED WITH THE STAKE OF THE PLANET THAT IS 
THREATENED BY GLOBAL WARMING." 
 
STAPLETON