US embassy cable - 05PARIS6841

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006841 
 
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 - President Bush Press 
Conference European Issues - Turkey 
PARIS - Wednesday, October 05, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
President Bush Press Conference 
European Issues - Turkey 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Catholic La Croix carries an op-ed signed by Ambassador 
Stapleton on the Afghan elections, largely forgotten by the 
French media, where Afghans quietly went about electing a 
legislature and provincial councils, and women participated in 
record numbers. 
 
In unison, today's front pages and editorials are devoted to 
the aftermath of yesterday's day of social protest, with 
varying analyses, depending on the outlet. While the headlines 
note the large following in the demonstrations, which included 
the private sector, commentators ask what PM Villepin can do 
in answer to the social demands. Left-of-center Liberation 
contends that "the wide ranging social demands which lack 
concreteness make it difficult for the government to respond." 
Right-of-center Le Figaro notes that "Villepin, far from 
ignoring the message, acknowledged having heard the appeal. 
But the message is nevertheless ambiguous. The private sector 
harps on a loss of consumer buying power, whereas statistics 
show the opposite." Catholic La Croix shares this analysis in 
a commentary titled: "Mental Disassociation." Financial La 
Tribune in its editorial warns Villepin about a "too rigid 
attitude. PM Raffarin could afford to stand firm because he 
harbored no Presidential ambitions." 
 
The opening of the negotiations in view of Turkey's EU 
membership elicits a wide number of reports and analyses. Le 
Figaro front pages: "Chirac Unbending on the Issue of Turkey." 
(See Part C) His press conference yesterday is also 
scrutinized, with commentators emphasizing his `combative' 
attitude towards his own UMP party as well as the EU 
Commission "in the framework of the HP lay off plans in 
Europe." In this regard, Le Figaro Economie has a large spread 
about HP repatriating 14.5 billion dollars in profits to the 
U.S., "thanks to a temporary U.S. tax amnesty legislation." 
 
Popular right-of-center France Soir interviews Didier Billion 
of the IRIS think tank on France's role in the EU-Turkey run- 
up discussions: "France did not weigh in very much in 
Luxembourg. France and its politicians were not very vocal. 
The U.S. has always supported Turkey's EU membership. But 
having said this, their interference is somewhat discourteous 
towards the EU." 
 
President Bush's press conference is briefly mentioned in Le 
Parisien. (See Part C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
President Bush Press Conference 
 
"President Bush's Problems" 
Thomas Cantaloube in right-of-center Le Parisien (10/05): 
"When a fire gets out of hand, it is always reassuring to see 
the chief fireman speak before the cameras. This was the 
strategy adopted by President Bush yesterday in his impromptu 
press conference in order to splash some water on the flames 
encircling the White House. With an approval rating of about 
40 percent, the U.S. President has no choice but to be on the 
defensive. He spent a major part of the conference justifying 
his nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. But 
avoiding the hard issues is not how President Bush will be 
able to scatter the black clouds hanging over his second term. 
For the umpteenth time President Bush spoke reassuringly - but 
against all evidence - about `the situation in Iraq 
progressing.' But he was hard-pressed when it came to getting 
rid of the feelings that prevailed over the summer of being 
trapped, and which General Casey indirectly confirmed before 
Congress last week." 
 
"Europe's Guardrails" 
Jean-Christophe Ploquin in Catholic La Croix (10/05): "Europe 
is sending a message of universal scope by accepting, at least 
in principle, the idea of a Muslim member state. In this day 
and age when Islam is torn by fundamentalism, this is good 
news. But Turkey is not assured of joining the EU. Guardrails 
have been raised and the possibility of failure in the 
negotiations has been clearly included in the text. The EU 
must be able to absorb a new member. and the final decision 
will need to be ratified by all members. By signing with 
Turkey, the EU has honored its commitment, but after having 
implemented protective guardrails. The ball is now in Ankara's 
hands. The Turks are facing a daunting task." 
 
"Running Ahead of Itself" 
Patrick Sabatier in left-of-center Liberation (10/05): "The 
most surprising is that the reactions from both sides was: 
`negotiations always end up with the country joining the EU.' 
This in spite of the guardrails of protection inscribed in the 
negotiations' criteria. Not surprising then if, in the face of 
so much resignation, skepticism and mistrust towards Europe's 
expansion are growing. It would have been nice to say that the 
process followed a visionary strategy. Unfortunately it was 
the result of bartering in favor of Croatia and the need to 
avoid another EU failure. There was no room made for a debate 
about Turkey. A much needed debate to keep the EU from 
dissolving and becoming a vast free trade zone." 
 
"Two Weddings and a Funeral" 
Sylvie Goulard of Sciences Po in left-of-center Liberation 
(10/05): "Austria's Ursula Plassnik was not strong enough to 
resist. She finally had to cave in. Great Britain's presidency 
comes out triumphant. Condoleezza Rice, who pulled the strings 
from Washington, can be satisfied. The so-called `visionaries' 
who are only trying to avoid a `clash between civilizations,' 
the `modernists' and the `good guys' have won. The 
`retrogrades' who favor a small-minded and necessarily 
Christian Europe, `the bad guys' have lost. But Ursula 
Plassnik did Europe a great favor. She was our minister, the 
only spokesperson for about 230 million Europeans who are 
hostile to Turkey's membership. Ten or one hundred years of 
negotiations will not be enough to make Turkey a European 
country without boundaries with Iran and Iraq. Many Europeans 
legitimately oppose the idea of Europe going that far. Turkey 
and Croatia will join a defunct EU." STAPLETON