US embassy cable - 05PARIS5661

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005661 
 
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 - IRAQI CONSTITUTION 
AFGHANISTAN 
PARIS - TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. IRAQI CONSTITUTION 
2. AFGHANISTAN 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
FRONT PAGES TODAY ARE DEVOTED TO A NUMBER OF VERY DIVERSE 
STORIES RANGING FROM THE U.S. TOUR OF THE ROLLING STONES 
(LIBERATION) TO THE AVIAN FLU THREAT (LE FIGARO) AND THE IRAQI 
CONSTITUTION. CATHOLIC LA CROIX LEADS WITH: "IRAQ: THE 
HEADACHE OF THE CONSTITUTION." THE EDITORIAL REMAINS CAUTIOUS 
ABOUT THE PEACEFUL COHABITATION OF THE THREE COMMUNITIES AND 
NOTES: "THE ELECTIONS IN JANUARY AND THE CONSTITUTION ARE BUT 
PHASES IN A PROCESS THAT REMAINS IMPERFECT." INSIDE A REPORT 
TITLED "THE AMERICANS NO LONGER BELIEVE IN VICTORY" REVIEWS 
THE RESULTS OF VARIOUS U.S. OPINION POLLS ON THE WAR. PIERRE- 
JEAN LUIZARD, A SPECIALIST ON IRAQ FROM THE CNRS (NATIONAL 
SCIENCE RESEARCH CENTER) COMMENTS: "IN ANOTHER PLACE AND TIME 
THE DEBATES ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A SIGN 
OF DEMOCRACY. BUT NOT HERE, BECAUSE THE SITUATION IN IRAQ IS 
CATASTROPHIC. THE POLITICAL PROCESS AND THE NATION'S 
RECONSTRUCTION ARE UNDERMINED BY THE DIVISIONS AMONG THE 
COMMUNITIES, A SITUATION WHICH THE AMERICANS HAVE CHOSEN BY 
THE U.S. BY DEFAULT. THE FUTURE OF IRAQ LOOKS COMPLICATED. BUT 
THE U.S. IS ALWAYS LEGITIMIZING ITS POLICY WITH PRETENSE, AS 
WAS THE CASE WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF IRAQ'S AUTONOMY. THE 
DIFFERENCES PITTING THE THREE COMMUNITIES WILL BECOME MORE OF 
AN ISSUE IN SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR FROM NOW. AND THE IRAQIS WILL 
BE EVEN MORE THE PRISONERS OF THEIR SECTARIANISM." 
 
RENEWED VIOLENCE IN AFGHANISTAN IS THE THEME OF A REPORT IN LE 
FIGARO WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THE PERPETRATORS' AIM MAY BE TO 
"OPEN A NEW FRONT TO WEAKEN THE AMERICANS EVEN MORE." (SEE 
PART C) 
 
POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN DEVOTES A DOUBLE PAGE 
REPORT TO AL-QAEDA AND THE EFFORTS MADE TO DECIPHER THE 
VARIOUS MESSAGES FROM TERRORIST NETWORKS. THE PAPER CARRIES AN 
INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-PIERRE MILLELI, AN EXPERT ON ISLAM AND CO- 
AUTHOR WITH GILLES KEPEL OF A BOOK ENTITLED: "UNDERSTANDING AL- 
QAEDA." "TODAY, IRAQ IS ON THE WAY TO BECOMING WHAT 
AFGHANISTAN BECAME FOR THE SOVIETS. IN SPITE OF THE 
TERRORISTS' MEDIEVAL DOCTRINES, THEY USE MODERN MEDIA TO 
PERFECTION." 
IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE GILLES KEPEL PENS AN OP-ED ON TONY 
BLAIR'S ANTI-TERRORIST MEASURES, `LONDONISTAN' AND THE WIDER 
NEED FOR EUROPE TO "DEFINE ITS IDENTITY WITH OUR FRIENDS OF 
MUSLIM ORIGIN, AND OTHER RELIGIOUS OR NON-RELIGIOUS GROUPS." 
KEPEL WRITES: "THE QUESTION OF MULTI-CULTURALISM GOES BEYOND 
THE UK. MULTICULTURALISM MAKES SENSE ONLY IF THE 
REPRESENTATIVES AND LEADERS OF THE VARIOUS COMMUNITIES ARE 
ABLE TO KEEP THEIR CONSTITUENTS UNDER CONTROL AND IF THEY 
TEACH THEM SPECIAL VALUES, WHICH IN THE END, MUST SUBMIT TO 
THE GLOBAL PUBLIC ORDER. THIS DEBATE NEEDS TO BE BROACHED ALL 
OVER EUROPE. AFTER THE FAILURE OF THE EU CONSTITUTION, IT IS 
TIME FOR THE EU TO TAKE ON A CHALLENGE THAT MAY PARTLY DEFINE 
ITS FUTURE." 
 
LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION PUBLISHES AN OP-ED BY SALMAN RUSHDIE 
CALLING FOR THE REFORM OF ISLAM. 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
IRAQI CONSTITUTION 
 
"THE NEED FOR TIME" 
DOMINIQUE QUINIO IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (08/13): "WHEN A LITTLE 
OVER TWO YEARS AGO THE U.S. AND ITS ALLIES DECIDED TO GO TO 
WAR IN IRAQ TO ELIMINATE SUPPOSEDLY EXISTING WMD AND A GENUINE 
DICTATOR, EVERYONE KNEW THAT ONCE THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED, THE 
HARDEST TASK WOULD REMAIN. NOT A DAY GOES BY IN IRAQ WITHOUT 
ITS SHARE OF ATTACKS, EXPLOSIONS AND MURDERS. THE LABORIOUS 
DRAFTING OF THE CONSTITUTION ILLUSTRATES THE COMPLEXITY OF 
IMPLEMENTING A STABLE AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT WHEN THE 
INTERESTS OF THE THREE COMMUNITIES ARE IN CONFLICT, WITH NOT 
ONE READY TO CUT DOWN ITS DEMANDS. THE JANUARY ELECTIONS, LIKE 
THE ADOPTION OF A CONSTITUTION ARE ONLY STEPS. AND IMPERFECT 
ONES AT THAT. WHICH CANNOT HIDE THE RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC 
CLASHES WHICH SERVE AS A PRETEXT TO VIOLENCE. PRESIDENT BUSH 
IS BUSY TRYING TO CONVINCE HIS PEOPLE OF THE SOUNDNESS OF HIS 
POLICY. THE FINAL JUSTIFICATION FOR HIS CHOICES WILL DEPEND ON 
IRAQ'S ABILITY TO ESTABLISH PEACE BETWEEN THE THREE 
COMMUNITIES. SO THAT IRAQ STOPS SERVING AS A HOTBED FOR 
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. THE PERSPECTIVE IS FAR IN THE FUTURE. 
IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO GET RID OF A DICTATOR TO FREE A PEOPLE. 
IRAQ, LIKE AFGHANISTAN, WHERE VIOLENCE PERSISTS IN SPITE OF 
THE ERADICATION OF THE TALIBAN, STANDS AS PROOF OF THIS." 
 
AFGHANISTAN 
 
"RENEWED VIOLENCE" 
MARIE-FRANCE CALLE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (08/23): "THE 
RECORD IS A SOURCE OF WORRY. NEVER SINCE THE END OF `ENDURING 
FREEDOM' HAVE THE AMERICANS SUSTAINED SO MANY CASUALTIES AND 
IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. THE SCHEDULED LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS IN 
SEPTEMBER ARE PROBABLY PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS RENEWED 
VIOLENCE. BUT THE ELECTORAL CONTEXT DOES NOT EXPLAIN ALL. AND 
IN PARTICULAR THE SUDDEN EFFECTIVENESS AND VIRULENCE WITNESSED 
IN THAT ATTACKS BY THE ENEMIES OF KARZAI AND THE AMERICANS. 
MOST EXPERTS FEEL THE ANSWER LIES ELSEWHERE. WHAT IF THESE 
ENEMIES OF THE U.S. AND OF KARZAI HAD OTHER IDEAS, SUCH AS 
OPENING A NEW FRONT TO WEAKEN WASHINGTON EVEN MORE THAN IT IS 
ALREADY BECAUSE OF THE IRAQI QUAGMIRE? WHAT IF THEY WANTED TO 
THROW THE AMERICANS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN, A COUNTRY OF STRATEGIC 
IMPORTANCE WHICH STANDS ACROSS FROM IRAN? THIS IS WHAT MANY 
OBSERVERS BELIEVE. THEY THINK THAT THE KEY TO ALL THE 
QUESTIONS LIES IN THE INCREDIBLE LEVEL OF ORGANIZATION THAT 
CAN BE SEEN IN THE RANKS OF AMERICA'S ENEMIES IN AFGHANISTAN." 
HOFMANN