US embassy cable - 05PARIS5619

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005619 
 
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 - MIDDLE EAST - GAZA 
DISENGAGEMENT IRAQ 
PARIS - MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
MIDDLE EAST - GAZA DISENGAGEMENT 
IRAQ 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
TODAY'S LEAD STORY FOR MOST DAILIES IS THE END OF THE WORLD 
YOUTH DAYS, FOCUSING ON POPE BENEDICT XVI, HIS VISIT TO 
COLOGNE AND HIS FINAL REMARKS. FOR LE FIGARO THE FESTIVAL 
MARKS THE CONSECRATION OF THE NEW POPE, WHILE LIBERATION PUTS 
THE EMPHASIS ON THE POPE'S CALL TO A RETURN TO TRUE RELIGION 
AS OPPOSED TO RELIGION AS A "CONSUMER PRODUCT." CATHOLIC LA 
CROIX, LIKE LE FIGARO DEVOTES ITS LEAD TO THE "SUCCESS" OF THE 
POPE'S FIRST TRIP ABROAD, TO HIS NATIVE COUNTRY, "WHERE HE HAD 
NOTEWORTHY MEETINGS WITH MUSLIM AND JEWISH OFFICIALS." 
 
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS, ISRAEL'S DISENGAGEMENT FROM GAZA AND 
IRAQ'S CONSTITUTION ARE MAJOR STORIES. IN WEEKLY L'EXPRESS 
EDITORIALIST DENIS JEAMBAR CALLS SHARON'S GESTURE "EXEMPLARY" 
WHILE LE FIGARO'S REPORT EMPHASIZES THE COMPLEXITIES OF 
COEXISTENCE BETWEEN HAMAS AND ABBAS. (SEE PART C) IN IRAQ, THE 
LAST STRETCH TO REACH A CONSENSUS ON THE IRAQI CONSTITUTION 
ELICITS A REPORT IN LE FIGARO WHICH INCLUDES CONJECTURE ABOUT 
THE U.S HAVING ASKED THE KURDS TO GIVE UP THE IDEA OF SELF 
DETERMINATION AS WELL AS WASHINGTON'S ACCEPTANCE "THAT THE LAW 
OF CHARIA BE MENTIONED IN THE CONSTITUTION AS `THE PRINCIPAL 
SOURCE' OF IRAQ'S LEGISLATION." IN LES ECHOS, JEFFREY SACHS OF 
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S EARTH INSTITUTE CALLS ON THE U.S. TO 
"LEAVE IRAQ AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AFTERWARDS THE U.S. WILL BE 
ABLE TO USE ITS POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC WEIGHT TO PARTICIPATE 
IN THE MANAGEMENT OF A COMPLEX AND DIFFICULT SITUATION THE 
U.S. HAS HELPED CREATE." (SEE PART C) 
 
POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR DEVOTES A LARGE PART OF 
ITS FRONT PAGE TO GOOGLE EARTH, THE LATEST GOOGLE SOFTWARE 
ALLOWING USERS TO HAVE FREE ACCESS TO SATELLITE PICTURES OF 
ANY SITE ON THE PLANET. THE HEADLINE READS: "SPYING ON 
INTERNET." THE REPORT EXPLAINS WHY THE SOFTWARE HAS THE 
"INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY CONCERNED." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
MIDDLE EAST - GAZA DISENGAGEMENT 
 
"EXEMPLARY" 
DENIS JEAMBAR IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER WEEKLY L'EXPRESS (08/22): 
AGAINST ALL ODDS, SHARON HAS PROVED THAT PEACE STILL HAS A 
CHANCE IN THE HOTTEST SPOT ON THE PLANET. ONLY A GREAT 
DEMOCRATIC NATION ASPIRING TO LIVING IN PEACE AND SECURITY 
COULD HAVE LED AN OPERATION WHICH OPENED SUCH OLD AND PAINFUL 
WOUNDS. WE MUST RECOGNIZE SHARON'S COURAGE FOR HAVING 
DELIVERED WHAT HE PROMISED. THE SKEPTICS WERE WRONG. ARIEL 
SHARON HAS MADE A POLITICAL CHOICE WITH AN EXEMPLARY STRENGTH 
OF CHARACTER. HE HAS GIVEN A NEW CHANCE TO PEACE. INFLUENCING 
ALONG THE WAY THE PALESTINIANS' STRATEGY AND HELPING ABBAS TO 
LEAD HIS PEOPLE ON THE ROAD TO PEACE. A TOKEN FOR PEACE HAS 
BEEN GIVEN AND YESTERDAY'S WARS ARE NO LONGER INEVITABLE." 
 
"FOR ABBAS, A SUPERFICIAL SUCCESS" 
THIERRY OBERLE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (08/22): "ABBAS IS 
FILLING THE POLITICAL ARENA IN GAZA. BY ANNOUNCING THE DATE OF 
THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS FOR JANUARY, HE IS ALSO OPENING 
A POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE FOR HAMAS IN EXCHANGE FOR THE TRUCE 
DURING THE GAZA DISENGAGEMENT. THE MILITARY ARM OF HAMAS HAS 
NEVERTHELESS ANNOUNCED THAT IT DOES NOT PLAN TO GIVE UP ITS 
ARMED FIGHT AGAINST ISRAELI INCURSIONS. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 
THE ISRAELI DISENGAGEMENT THIS IS THE KIND OF DUEL WHICH HAS 
PITTED HAMAS AND THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AGAINST EACH OTHER. 
MAHMOUD ABBAS'S SUCCESS IS LARGELY SUPERFICIAL AND VERY MUCH 
DEPENDENT ON HAMAS, WHOSE MORE EXTREME MEMBERS DO NOT HESITATE 
TO USE FORCE. THE KIDNAPPING OF A FRENCH TELEVISION SOUND 
TECHNICIAN IS PROOF THAT THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY CANNOT 
IMPOSE ORDER AND THAT AUTONOMOUS CLANDESTINE GROUPS ARE 
OPERATING OUTSIDE THE KNOWN POLITICAL STRUCTURES." 
 
"IN IRAQ, POLICY, NOT WAR" 
JEFFREY SACHS OF THE EARTH INSTITUTE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES 
ECHOS: "IN IRAQ, THE U.S. HAS WON THE WAR OF THE SKIES BUT 
CANNOT IMPOSE ITSELF ON THE GROUND. WAR IS OFTEN A SIGN THAT 
POLITICS HAVE FAILED. EVERY TIME THE U.S. REFUSES TO GIVE A 
DATE FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF ITS TROOPS FROM IRAQ, IT FEEDS THE 
INSURRECTION. TOO MANY IRAQIS ARE READY TO DIE IN THEIR FIGHT 
AGAINST THE OCCUPIER. NO ONE DOUBTS THE NEED TO FIGHT 
TERRORISM. BUT THE WAR IN IRAQ AND HUGE MILITARY SPENDING ARE 
SOMETHING ELSE. AMERICANS MUST INVEST IN PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT 
RATHER THAN IN MILITARY BASES IN COUNTRIES THAT ARE BEING 
EXPLOITED. THE U.S. MUST WITHDRAW FROM IRAQ. AFTERWARDS, THE 
U.S. WILL BE ABLE TO USE ITS POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC WEIGHT TO 
PARTICIPATE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF A COMPLEX AND DIFFICULT 
SITUATION IT HAS HELPED CREATE." HOFMANN