US embassy cable - 05PARIS7986

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 007986 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Angela Merkel to France 
Sharon's Centrist Move 
PARIS - Wednesday, November 23, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Angela Merkel to France 
Sharon's Centrist Move 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Domestic stories dominate today's front pages: yesterday's 
moderately successful rail strike, the government's "caving 
in, at a cost, in order to save the peace" (Les Echos) and 
arrests in the suburbs further to the recent suburban violence 
dominate in Le Figaro, La Tribune, Les Echos, Le Parisien and 
Le Monde. 
 
Catholic La Croix devotes its lead to President Chirac's plans 
to tax airline tickets: "France To Tax Air Travel to Help the 
South." The subject will be debated today during the Cabinet 
Ministers' meeting. Says La Croix: "For the time being only 
France backs this idea even if other nations could follow." 
Les Echos states that the tax will be implemented in France as 
of July 1, 2006, "despite the travel industry's opposition" 
but the editorial contends the "tax will not take." 
 
On the European front, Angela Merkel's visit to Paris today is 
a major editorial story. Le Figaro notes: "Merkel no longer 
wants to assign the same `exclusivity' to the Franco-German 
relationship, although she does not minimize the importance of 
the relationship." (See Part C) 
 
Ariel Sharon's new move to the center is seen as a positive 
move for him and the peace process. (See Part C) 
 
Les Echos interviews France's Agriculture Minister Dominique 
Bussereau on Peter Mandelson's proposals for the CAP: "His 
offer is akin to thousands of lost jobs." 
 
Le Figaro devotes a full page to New Orleans' difficult road 
back to normal: "Three months after Katrina, the city is still 
suffering and few residents have returned." One story is 
entitled: "Once the most dangerous city in the U.S., New 
Orleans has become the safest." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Angela Merkel to France 
 
"Welcome Mrs. Merkel." 
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (11/23): "The 
symbolism behind Merkel's first foreign visit being devoted to 
France does not escape us. The Franco-German tandem is in bad 
enough shape: we must therefore not extrapolate on the 
reasons. The German Chancellor is truly convinced of the 
crucial importance which the Franco-German relationship bears 
on European integration. She just would like the relationship 
to be less `exclusive,' and hopes to include the smaller 
European nations. We must not complain: what good is the 
Franco-German engine if it does not lead? The EU has suffered 
too much already from the syndrome that led to a break between 
the `old' and `new' Europe. One of Angela Merkel's tasks will 
be to establish anew a relationship based on trust with the 
U.S. ally. France has nothing to worry in this regard: it has 
everything to gain from Washington listening to Berlin more 
and realizing that German opinion is not as Atlanticist as it 
was during the Cold War." 
 
"Welcome Angela!" 
Former President Valery Giscard D'Estaing in right-of-center 
Les Echos (11/23): "France wishes the new German Chancellor 
success. France and Germany are in similar situations, with 
slow economic growth, high unemployment, and the need to 
reform their institutions. in order to counter the effects of 
globalization. There are three issues of great importance to 
France and which are included in the German agenda: Franco- 
German cooperation is indispensable to give a new impetus to 
the European construction; Germany's coalition government has 
expressed its reservations concerning Turkey and its EU 
membership, saying that the negotiations do not necessarily 
mean membership; and most importantly Germany is committed to 
Europe's constitutional treaty. These issues will come 
together in the spring of 2007 when Germany takes over the EU 
presidency and France votes to renew all of its political 
institutions." 
 
Sharon's Centrist Move 
 
"The New Sharon a Favorite in the Polls" 
Patrick Saint-Paul in right-of-center Le Figaro (11/23): 
"Sharon's poker play has paid off. Yesterday, all the polls 
showed him to be in the lead. His former Likud voters, 
frightened by their party's shift to the far right, have 
massively opted to support the Prime Minister's new centrist 
party. Although Sharon has expressed his commitment to `work 
for peace,' he will probably not be clarifying his plans with 
the Palestinians during the campaign. Analysts believe the 
peace process will be stalled until the elections. Sharon, who 
has been nicknamed `the Bulldozer,' will probably concentrate 
his campaign on his personality: his reputation as a strong- 
natured individual was his strongest suit during the 2003 
campaign for a population haunted by the fear of suicide 
attacks. His role in the Gaza pullout has been instrumental in 
building up his new image of `wise man,' including abroad." 
 
"The New Sharon" 
Jacques Guyon in regional La Charente Libre (11/23): "Tired of 
being the target of his own party's extremists, Sharon took 
advantage of the new Labor Party's vote to reverse the 
situation in his favor. He even believes that his favorite 
adversary, Shimon Peres, will join him. On the Palestinian 
side, these changes are being carefully monitored. The new 
political situation in Israel can indeed be interpreted as a 
positive sign. The fact that the change is coming from Sharon 
will surprise only those who have forgotten the road traveled 
by General Yitzak Rabin before he shook hands with Yasser 
Arafat." STAPLETON