US embassy cable - 05PARIS7249

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 007249 
 
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 - Syria Trade UNESCO - Cultural 
Diversity 
PARIS - Monday, October 24, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
1. Syria 
2. Trade 
3. UNESCO - Cultural Diversity 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Most front pages and editorials are devoted to the 
government's decision to partially privatize EDF, the nation's 
power company. The state is to retain 85 percent of the 
capital. Editorialists in the specialized and general press 
are overwhelmingly favorable to the government's decision. 
 
Hurricane Wilma was a major weekend story. Today's popular 
France Soir predicts on its front page: "The Infernal Cycle of 
Catastrophes," devotes several pages to "An Angry Planet of 
Tsunamis, Cyclones and Earthquakes" and to the deteriorating 
 
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situation in Pakistan. France Soir reports on the al-Qaeda 
videotape calling for Muslims to help Pakistan. In Le Figaro 
Francois Hauter comments: "Al-Zawahiri's call is hardly 
innocent: in the tribal zones of Pakistan and Afghanistan, al- 
Qaeda is being threatened by the Pakistani army which has been 
taking over the region. Pakistan is al-Qaeda's natural base 
but it needs to strengthen it position and the earthquake is 
presenting it with a great opportunity." 
 
Syria in the aftermath of the Mehlis report is one of today's 
major international stories. One report in Le Figaro analyzes 
the impact of the report on Israel, while over the weekend Le 
Figaro featured a story on Syria's exit strategies. (See Part 
C) 
 
The fallout from France's opposition to Europe over 
agricultural tariffs elicits an op-ed in Liberation "shaming" 
France for its position. (See Part C) 
 
Cultural diversity and the convention adopted at UNESCO is "a 
beautiful victory for France" according to editorialist Jean- 
Paul Mulot in Le Figaro, (See Part C) which also carries an 
open letter from a group of international film industry 
figures titled "We Must Defend Cultural Diversity." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Syria 
 
"Two Scenarios For an Exit Strategy" 
Georges Malbrunot in right-of-center Le Figaro (10/22): "The 
involvement of Syrian intelligence in the assassination of 
Hariri gives el-Assad the perfect opportunity to break away 
from the intelligence grip which has kept him from his own 
plans for economic and political reforms. This is the scenario 
that most Syrians and France would like to see enacted. But 
the price to pay is high. It implies new alliances in a system 
that is dominated by the Alawi minority. It means breaking 
with a tradition of endemic corruption, which benefits the 
Syrian President's close entourage. The question is whether el- 
Assad has the means to do battle with his own camp. Whether he 
has the courage to play his poeple against his own family. 
Until now no one thought he might sacrifice one of his own. 
But today, el Assad's back is against the wall. The second 
scenario says that he will ignore the conclusions of the 
Mehlis report and will decide to entrench himself behind his 
family, while continuing to rule with an iron hand. This is a 
North Korean-style scenario that implies an even greater 
regional and international isolation of Syria, with, at the 
end of the road, possible international sanctions . During the 
next three months Syria will try to negotiate, using its so- 
called position to stabilize Iraq, Lebanon and the Middle 
East, as a negotiating chip. But is there room for 
negotiations?" 
 
"The Israelis Uncertain About Syria" 
Jean-Luc Renaudie in right-of-center Le Figaro (10/24): 
"Israel and its leaders are divided over Syria. But in spite 
of their differences, all experts in Israel believe that the 
future of Syria is in the hands of President Bush." 
Trade 
"WTO: Shame on France" 
Esther Dufilo in left-of-center Liberation (10/24): "Because 
the decisions of the WTO must be unanimous, France is in a 
position to impose its veto on any decision that does not meet 
its demands and is therefore in a position to make the 
negotiations in Hong Kong fail. This is indeed where we may be 
heading. This attitude is outrageous, specifically as far as 
developing nations are concerned. The Europeans and the 
Americans are protecting their farmers through subsidies and 
tariffs. The U.S. is playing it safe when it says that it will 
not touch its subsidies except as part of a general agreement, 
which it knows will not happen because of the French. 
Meanwhile at the UN France's hypocrisy was obvious when it 
proposed a tax on air travel to help developing nations." 
 
UNESCO - Cultural Diversity 
 
"France's `Genius' in Question" 
Jean-Paul Mulot in right-of-center Le Figaro (10/24): 
"UNESCO's convention on cultural diversity is a beautiful 
victory for France. But this victory would not have been 
possible without Europe's team spirit. In spite of our 
quarrels, the Paris-London axis won. America's protest did not 
influence Blair. For once, the European Union spoke with one 
voice. Yet, the American administration did all it could to 
keep the text from being adopted. Secretary Rice took pen and 
paper to sermon her allies while putting some extra friendly 
pressure on smaller countries. All was for naught and the 
State Department simply took note of its isolation and 
expressed its `disappointment.' We dearly hope that this will 
not be an opportunity for Washington to question its 
contribution to UNESCO - which is close to one fourth of the 
organization's budget. But as the Bush administration pointed 
out, the convention can have a perverse effect and allow 
certain un-democratic regimes to hide behind the convention in 
order to justify censorship and proselytism. While we share 
President Chirac's optimism. we also hope that France's 
`genius' will be able to impose itself not just because it 
symbolizes the era of enlightenment, but because it can win 
without cheating." STAPLETON