US embassy cable - 05PARIS6514

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006514 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
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FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Iran Hurricanes Katrina and 
Rita: U.S. Policies - Kyoto 
PARIS - Friday, September 23, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. Iran 
2. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: U.S. Policies - Kyoto 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
"America in the Eye of the Cyclones" headlines left-of-center 
Liberation while right-of-center Le Figaro headlines "Threats 
to U.S. Oil." Catholic La Croix summarizes today's reporting 
with the headline: "From Katrina to Rita: America's Angst." 
The evacuation measures prior to Rita and the administration's 
apparent preparedness after the missteps that followed Katrina 
are widely reported. (See Part C) Two different approaches on 
the impact of global warming in climate change are developed 
in Le Figaro and La Croix. Le Figaro interviews a French 
weather expert who contends that "global warming cannot fully 
explain recent cataclysms." But in La Croix, two U.S. experts, 
Kevin Trenberth of the NCAR and Peter J. Webster of the 
Atlanta Institute of Technology, adopt an opposing view. 
 
The stalemate with Iran is reported in Le Figaro, which notes: 
"The Europeans Are Backing Off." Catholic La Croix emphasizes 
that the "U.S. and the EU-3 have adopted the same stance from 
the outset." (See Part C) Left-of-center Le Monde carries a 
front-page op-ed by FM Douste-Blazy and his British and German 
counterparts, and the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana: 
"The case of Iran should have been brought before the UNSC two 
years ago. Instead, we chose to give Iran an opportunity to 
prove that its nuclear program had peaceful objectives. We do 
not question Iran's prerogatives in the framework of the NTP. 
But while the NTP conveys certain rights, it also carries 
clear obligations for its signatories. Our negotiations were 
carried out in good faith. At the UN, we made clear our desire 
to work with Iran. and deliberately avoided any public 
declaration that might have accentuated the tension. But the 
Iranian President showed no signs of flexibility and spoke of 
`nuclear apartheid.' If Iran perseveres on this road, the 
risks of proliferation will be too great. We hope that all the 
members of the international community will remain united. It 
is our collective responsibility to respond to the challenge." 
 
Right-of-center Le Figaro carries an op-ed penned by Marco 
Vicenzino of the Global Strategy Project titled: "The Unknown 
in the Washington-Berlin Equation." Vicenzino contends the 
Bush Administration is openly hoping for a Merkel victory but 
it will have to make do with whatever government emerges. 
Whether Schroeder returns to power or not, he has started a 
new diplomatic rhetoric marked by the search for national 
interest in keeping with the country's identity. 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Iran 
 
"The Europeans Take a Step Back" 
Maurin Picard in right-of-center Le Figaro (09/23): "In 
Vienna, the stalemate was on its third day. To resolve the 
crisis, the Europeans have temporarily given up on their plan 
to bring the Iranian crisis before the UNSC. The very firm EU- 
3 resolution has been replaced by a watered down version., 
which should be approved later today. For the eighth time in 
two years, Iran is avoiding the prospect of international 
sanctions. Iran is claiming victory. and has invited El- 
Baradei to Tehran. Among the Western diplomats, the atmosphere 
is heavy. The European bluff appears not to have worked. And 
Iran, in the meantime, is gaining precious time while its 
engineers pursue their uranium conversion prior to its 
enrichment." 
 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: U.S. Policies - Kyoto 
 
"Repetition" 
Patrick Sabatier in left-of-center Liberation (09/23): "In 
their misfortune, the Texans are somewhat lucky: the monster 
rising from the seas will not take them by surprise. The U.S. 
administration, strained after having exposed its lack of 
preparation and a guilty indifference, is ready to face Rita. 
Once burned, President Bush now fears the waters of the Gulf 
of Mexico. This time the evacuation orders are coming from 
Washington. And this high level of caution cannot be explained 
simply by the fact that Texas is Bush's rear base. Rita, after 
Katrina, could shake the White House even more as the rivers 
of discontent continue to flow. While some will say that these 
tragedies have natural causes. the fact remains that this 
repetition of extreme phenomena could be linked to a global 
warming which the President refuses to acknowledge. He denies 
that it could be tied to the greenhouse effect and refuses to 
join the rest of the world to counter it. The very religious 
George W. Bush should ponder the fact that America is being 
punished where it has sinned." 
 
"Large Scale Anti-Bush Tempest" 
Pascal Riche in left-of-center Liberation (09/23): "As Rita 
comes closer, the Bush team is getting increasingly nervous. 
Caught between his party's middle-of-the road proponents and 
its ideologues, shaken by low opinion poll scores, hounded by 
the anti-war protesters and criticized by the media, President 
Bush is going through one of the worst periods of his 
presidency. His democratic opponents are possibly those giving 
him the least headaches." 
 
"For Bush, America Is Ready" 
Gilles Biassette in Catholic La Croix (09/23): "For the past 
24 hours the Bush administration has been campaigning to 
reassure the American people and convince them that the White 
House has learned the lesson after Katrina. President Bush 
remains on the defensive while his popularity ratings remain 
low." STAPLETON