US embassy cable - 05PARIS7349

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 007349 
 
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TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Iraq Iran Bush Presidency - 
Plame Affair European Summit Bernanke Nomination 
PARIS - Thursday, October 27, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Iraq 
Iran 
Bush Presidency - Plame Affair 
European Summit 
Bernanke Nomination 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
The remarks made by Iran's President Ahmadinejab are widely 
reported. Le Figaro headlines "Iran: The President Wants 
`Israel Wiped Off the Map.'" Underneath its headline, Le 
Figaro comments: "In the midst of the nuclear crisis with 
Iran, Mahmoud Ahhmadinejad calls for the destruction of 
Israel." The tie-in between the nuclear crisis and the remarks 
is also made apparent in the inside report, which quotes the 
White House spokesman: "These remarks confirm what we have 
been saying about the Iranian regime. They emphasize our 
concerns about the country's nuclear ambitions." (See Part C) 
 
Le Figaro's second major story is a report on the Plame affair 
titled: "The White House in the Line of Fire of the American 
Justice System." In his editorial Pierre Rousselin calls it 
"the hour of truth for the White House." (See Part C) 
 
Left-of-center Le Monde carries an editorial on Iraq and the 
real question at stake, "which is not so much the rhythm of 
the political process in Iraq but the war itself." (See Part 
C) 
 
Much coverage is devoted to today's European summit in Hampton 
Court. Commentators agree that the summit is a "Faade" meant 
to give an image of unity by "avoiding to speak about 
controversial issues." La Tribune comments: "The lack of 
stakes at the summit is meant to guarantee a peaceful level of 
exchanges." (See Part C) The President of the European 
Commission, Jose Manuel Barosso is interviewed in Le Figaro: 
"The offer that the EU will make in Geneva on agriculture will 
not be outside the EU mandate. It will be conditional and 
balanced, and apt to unblock the negotiations. It will have 
repercussions on tariffs, services and intellectual property. 
Europe must not appear as responsible for failure of the 
negotiations. An agreement will boost the economy, re-enforce 
multilateralism, and be more in tune with the expectations of 
developing countries." 
 
La Croix carries a commentary on the Bernanke nomination which 
drafts a positive picture of Alan Greenspan's policies. (See 
Part C) 
 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Iraq 
 
"Iraq: The Real Question" 
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial: (10/27): "In 
reality, the real question about Iraq is no so much the rhythm 
of the political process. The real question is the war. On the 
day that the U.S. President saluted the victory of the vote on 
the Iraqi constitution he conveniently forgot to mention that 
the U.S. had just registered its 2000th casualty in Iraq. The 
only real question, with to date remains without an answer, is 
the fact that the American occupation of Iraq continues to 
feed the war itself, but that a precipitous pull out could be 
the prelude to a civil war and the creation of a new sanctuary 
for al-Qaeda. While Washington was wrong to occupy so brutally 
Iraq once Saddam was toppled, and while the Iraqi population 
rejoiced and expected deliverance instead of an occupation, 
President Bush is right today to warn everyone against `the 
dangerous illusion' of a departure that would look much like a 
debacle." 
 
Iran 
 
"Iranian President Calls For Destruction of Israel" 
Right-of-center Le Figaro (10/27): "This is the first time in 
many years that such a high-ranking Iranian leader calls 
openly for the destruction of Israel. Americans and Israelis 
see in this declaration new proof that Tehran is back on a 
hard line and that when it come to its nuclear policy, Iran is 
indeed seeking to build up its nuclear arsenal under the cover 
of commercial production of electricity." 
 
Bush Presidency - Plame Affair 
 
"The Leak That Threatens Bush" 
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (10/27): "The 
hour of truth has arrived for the Bush administration: dubious 
methods could boomeranging against their own authors. While 
the story of the leak seemed initially fairly benign, it can 
seriously affect the decision-making process of the world's 
most powerful nation. Revealing the name of a spy is pretty 
stupid. especially when the intent is to discredit the husband 
of said spy because he was wrong to reveal the truth about the 
Administration's lies concerning Saddam Hussein's alleged WMD. 
This is how the lie which served as a pretext for the war in 
Iraq is coming back to haunt the White House. For the White 
House this is one more worry to be added to a long series: the 
mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina, the difficulties in Iraq. 
and mostly the drop in popularity ratings for the President. 
It is a paradox that the Plame affair should come up now, when 
President Bush has put some order in his team, starting with 
the very professional Condoleezza Rice. In a very different 
area, the President's nomination of Bernanke to replace 
Greenspan was unanimously saluted as a consensual choice 
devoid of the ideological undercurrents Bush has been accused 
of. It may be that feeling threatened, President Bush has 
become wiser." 
 
"The White House in the Line of Fire" 
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (10/27): "The 
White House looks as though it is expecting lightening to 
strike. The Plame affair is explosive because it is reviving 
the controversy about the motivations for the war in Iraq, the 
manipulation of the intelligence reports on WMD and the 
intimidation techniques used against those who opposed the 
war. This is enough to shake the pedestal of the `President of 
war.'" 
 
European Summit 
 
"The Devil's in the Details" 
Patrick Sabatier in left-of-center Liberation (10/27): "Blair 
is right when he says the EU must define a strategy to deal 
with globalization. He is wrong when he claims that the 
details can be dealt with later. Especially since the 
`details' are in fact two huge elephants whose presence in 
Hampton Court can hardly be forgotten: the British rebate and 
agricultural subsidies. Nothing can be done in Europe unless 
these two sacred elephants have been burned on the pyre. There 
are other issues, such as the Turkish EU membership and the 
problem of the EU institutions: the British EU Presidency has 
done nothing to resolve these issues. Between a weakened 
Chirac and a German Chancellor on the way out, Blair had no 
choice but to try to hide behind a faade of forced smiles." 
 
"Not the Real Thing" 
Pascal Aubert in centrist La Tribune (10/27): "Today's summit 
is Blair's best opportunity to make something of a presidency 
which contrasts greatly with his initial high ambitions. It is 
a summit of make believe. Its advantage lies in the 
nondescript definition of its agenda. The British, in their 
wisdom, have set no specific goals. The absence of stakes is 
clearly aimed to guarantee a certain civility in the debates. 
It will be up to the PR people to present the `summit' as the 
first tangible `success' of the British presidency. In this 
glacial era of EU relations, it is important to accept every 
little bit, however insignificant." 
 
"Europe as a Theatre of Shadow Puppets" 
Francoise Crouigneau in right-of-center Les Echos (10/27): 
"Seen from Washington and Beijing, the European Union looks 
much like a theatre of shadow puppets.  Despite its economic 
weight, Europe's leaders do not seem able to reach political 
maturity. And today's summit in Hampton Court may very well 
confirm this impression. No one believed that this summit 
might one day help to unravel the antagonisms gripping the EU. 
There is a real risk today of the summit creating a feeling of 
dj vu, not only for its members, but also for its partners." 
 
Bernanke Nomination 
 
"The Difficult Legacy Left by Greenspan" 
Olivier Jay in Catholic La Croix (10/27): "Every observer 
agrees: Greenspan has made possible the most durable and the 
strongest growth in American history. He was able to master 
events like the Internet bubble and the aftermath of 9/11. So 
much so that under his mandate the U.S. only experienced two 
slight recessions. But in fighting the Internet bubble, 
Greenspan brought down interest rates to an all time low. This 
s 
was instrumental in avoiding a recession, but created the Real 
Estate bubble, which has been sustaining the American economy. 
When this bubble bursts, the American economy will once again 
be vulnerable. Dealing with this will be one of the major 
tasks Bernanke will have to tackle. Another one will be 
preparing the world to a shared management of world crises." 
HOFMANN