US embassy cable - 05PARIS7812

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 007812 
 
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TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - President Bush to China 
Iraq - Senate Vote Internet Summit - Tunisia Avian Flu - 
Health Ministers' G7 
PARIS - Thursday, November 17, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
President Bush to China 
Iraq - Senate Vote 
Internet Summit - Tunisia 
Avian Flu - Health Ministers' G7 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
President Bush's trip to China, the Senate's vote on Iraq and 
Guantanamo, and the summit in Tunisia with the U.S. retaining 
its control over the Internet are today's major front-page 
stories. 
Reports in Le Monde and Le Figaro emphasize that the Senate 
vote marks a disavowal of the President's policy. For 
Liberation "the debate over when" the U.S. Army will begin its 
pullout from Iraq "is open." (See Part C) 
 
All reports on the Senate vote include details about the 
allegations of torture of Sunnis in an Iraqi prison. 
Separately, Liberation carries an AFP item on CIA prisons: 
"After Spain, Norway, Sweden and Morocco are now alleged to 
have been used by the CIA in the transport, detention or 
interrogation of detainees." France Soir publishes a 
blistering article on U.S. use of phosphorus in Fallujah in 
2004. (See Part C) 
 
Reports on the President's visit to Asia include his stop in 
China, and his next stop: South Korea. (See Part C) Le Figaro 
carries an interview with the South Korean Foreign Affairs 
Minister: "Our alliance with Washington is in the midst of a 
major change. But it is a strong and sturdy relationship. We 
may be more conciliatory about North Korea. But we are more 
directly concerned. This does not mean that the nuclear threat 
is not crucial for us. When a solution is found on this issue, 
we will be in a better position to develop our economic 
cooperation with North Korea." 
 
The conclusion of the WSIS in Tunis is generally seen as 
successful. For Liberation, "U.S. control is the least of two 
evils." Le Monde is somewhat less enthusiastic: "International 
control of the Internet would be a good thing. Unless it is 
overwhelmingly accepted that Washington alone is capable of 
regulating the virtual world as well as the real world." (See 
Part C) 
 
France's policy towards integration remains a major story in 
connection with the recent violence which erupted in various 
cities. Le Figaro carries an op-ed by Nicole Bacharan, an 
expert on the U.S., in which she supports the idea of 
`positive discrimination' for France: "Rather than complain 
about the way other countries portray us and our suburban 
violence, it would be more useful if we looked at the methods 
others use to favor integration. Affirmative action in the 
U.S. merits that we take a closer look." 
 
Catholic La Croix devotes its lead to avian flu and "China's 
Big Awakening." In his editorial Francois Ernenwein praises 
President Chirac and World Bank Chairman Paul Wolfowitz for 
their support to a global strategy to address the threat. (See 
Part C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Iraq 
 
"President Bush's Iraq Policy Under Surveillance" 
Patrick Jarreau in left-of-center Le Monde (11/17): "The 
Senate has expressed doubts about the President's actions in 
Iraq and his desire to speed up the transfer of power to the 
Iraqis. While the House of Representatives may not go the same 
road as the Senate, these initiatives in matters of foreign 
policy translate a change of climate for President Bush." 
"Iraq, Guantanamo, Torture: The Senate Is Watching" 
Corine Lesnes in left-of-center Le Monde (11/17): "The 
amendment adopted on Iraq is a rebuke for President Bush. 
which reflects the unease which has gripped a public opinion 
losing confidence in the strategy of the Bush administration's 
exit policy in Iraq." 
"Senate Asks Bush to Account for Iraq Policy" 
Jean-Luis Turlin in right-of-center Le Figaro (11/17): "Thanks 
to Republican votes, the Senate has adopted measures re- 
enforcing their control over the President's policies. To a 
large extent the measures are a reflection of the growing 
unpopularity of the war launched by President Bush. They also 
reflect the Republicans' concern of seeing this unpopularity 
weighing in on the mid-term elections. The least that can be 
said is that the Republicans are no longer united behind the 
President. They are beginning to take their distance." 
 
"U.S. Army Used Phosphorous in Iraq" 
Thomas de Rochechouart in right-of-center France Soir (11/17): 
"The Pentagon finally acknowledged that the U.S. Army did 
indeed use white phosphorous in Fallujah. This admission was 
made with revolting cynicism. The chemical, which is often 
considered as a chemical weapon, one of the weapons of mass 
destruction that President Bush accused Saddam Hussein of 
having. was presented by Donald Rumsfeld as a `conventional 
weapon' and said to be practically harmless. Meanwhile the RAI 
News showed another truth. Many bodies found in Fallujah had 
blackened faces and were decomposing. The use of the chemical 
is fatal: it eats away one's organs from the inside. The 
casualties cannot be `accidental.' They are necessarily 
victims that were clearly targeted." 
 
President Bush to China 
 
"Bush Challenges China on Democracy." 
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (11/17): "George 
Bush's vision for a new Middle East is only at the germinal 
stages but he cannot resist the temptation to start looking 
elsewhere. In a speech in Kyoto. Bush paid tribute to Japan, 
America's closest ally in the region, elevating it to the 
status of a model for what all of Asia should become. 
President Bush's policy speech was sure to hurt the 
sensitivity of his hosts. But China's officials did not wait 
for the speech before taking stock of the dangers they are 
facing: they are confronted with an American president who is 
not only predicting their fall but is asking them to speed it 
up by way of international trade." 
 
World Summit on the Information Society 
 
"The Least of Two Evils" 
Patrick Sabatier in left-of-center Liberation (11/17): "The 
Internet, by nature and by its international avocation, will 
not be able to remain under the exclusive control of the U.S. 
through their supervision of ICANN. At some point ICANN will 
have to cut the umbilical cord that links it to Washington. 
But it is a good thing, or the least of two evils, that the 
offensive mounted by authoritarian regimes, who wanted the Net 
to be placed under the UN under the guise of fighting against 
`U.S. dominance,' failed." 
 
"Internet Under the Influence" 
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (11/17): "The 
compromise reached in Tunis on a status quo for the Internet 
as proposed by the U.S. and its ambassador David Gross will 
not change the fact that its `internationalization' will need 
to be addressed sometime in the future. As will the need to 
reduce the `digital fracture' between North and South. The 
U.S. clearly wants to retain its sole control. But is this 
situation tenable? Conversely, will the Internet gain anything 
if its control changes hands?  The U.S. rejects the idea of 
the international community taking over and raises the specter 
of non-democratic nations gaining a hold of the Web. This 
argument is not only valid by and of itself, but more so 
because the UN has allowed a country like Tunisia, which jails 
its Internet surfers, to hold this summit. Yet, Internet is 
also a tool that disseminates propaganda. Democracy will make 
inroads if such a communications tool were to evolve. Thus 
putting the Internet under a generally accepted international 
body would make sense. Unless it is overwhelmingly accepted 
that Washington alone is capable of regulating the virtual 
world as well as the real world." 
 
Avian Flu - Health Ministers' G7 
 
"One World" 
Francois Ernenwein in Catholic La Croix (11/17): "Both 
President Chirac and World Bank Chairman Paul Wolfowitz 
emphasized the need for a global strategy to address the 
threat of avian flu. President Bush, while in Asia, reiterated 
that the `world must work together.' In Rome today the health 
ministers of the G7 will be talking of nothing else. In 
Geneva, the international conference that ended on November 9 
was crucial: the fact that it decided to earmark close to one 
billion dollars in aid to fight against the epizooty in Asia 
proves that when threatened with a global epidemic, solidarity 
can be effective." STAPLETON