US embassy cable - 05PARIS8256

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 008256 
 
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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 - Secretary Rice to Europe - 
Allegations About CIA Rendition Flights European Defense 
PARIS - Tuesday, December 06, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Secretary Rice to Europe - Allegations About CIA Rendition 
 
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Flights 
European Defense 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Economic stories dominate today's front pages with 8.3 billion 
euros worth of Airbus contacts signed with China. Catholic La 
Croix devotes its lead and several articles to China's 
economic strategy in connection with the Airbus transfer of 
technology agreement. Political considerations in the Villepin- 
Sarkozy match are also front-page news in Le Figaro and 
Liberation as the UMP considers primaries to select the 
presidential candidate for 2007, a first in France. A poll in 
Liberation shows that after the recent suburban violence, 
Villepin is ahead of Sarkozy, with 53 percent of respondents 
behind him as opposed to Sarkozy with only 49 percent. 
 
Secretary Rice's trip to Europe is announced in Le Monde's 
 
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front page: "Condi Rice Under Pressure in Europe" and Le 
Figaro's inside report carries extensive quotes from her 
explanations prior to her departure. Liberation headlines "CIA 
Secret Prisons: Rice Explains." "Before leaving for Europe, 
 
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Rice decided not to apologize, but read instead a firm 
statement to explain that the U.S. was using `every legal 
weapon to fight terrorism.'" La Croix heads its report "Human 
Rights - CIA Rendition Flights Shake Europe." For France Soir 
"Condi Shows No Regrets." A regional editorialist comments: 
"The Europeans are much less outraged than they pretend to be: 
they fear, without saying it, that the U.S. might lose `its' 
war."  (See Part C) 
 
La Croix interviews former CIA agent Robert Baer who contends: 
"The fact that the U.S. is not denying the information is 
confirmation enough for me. NATO bases were used for the 
transfer of prisoners. The CIA does not need the permission of 
local governments to use NATO bases. Certain European nations 
have looked the other way. After 9/11 and the arrests made in 
Afghanistan, no one had the political maturity to think about 
the long term consequences, such as violation of the Geneva 
Conventions or the impact on transatlantic relationships." 
 
All news outlets report on the kidnapped Frenchman in Baghdad 
and Liberation comments: "The recent increase in kidnappings 
appears to be related to the impending legislative elections 
in Iraq." 
 
Le Figaro reports on Defense Minister Alliot-Marie's weekend 
visit to the Gulf and her "support for a European defense" in 
a region where "U.S. military presence is strong." "What she 
intimated in essence is that nowhere should there be `private 
hunting grounds' in matters of security." (See Part C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Secretary Rice to Europe - Allegations About CIA Rendition 
 
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Flights 
 
"The Forgotten CIA Flights" 
Jean-Claude Kieffer in regional Les Dernieres Nouvelles 
d'Alsace (12/06): "Cooperating with Washington in the fight 
against terrorism is natural for European capitals. But for 
Europe to serve, unknowingly, as an airport hub for 
`activities' related to the war in Iraq, is not. Even 
Washington's unconditional allies were `surprised' by the 
comings and goings of CIA planes that landed in NATO countries 
with God only knows what human cargo. Secretary of State Rice 
must provide some sort of explanation during her European 
tour. She will remain evasive, because for the Americans the 
war against terrorism has merged with the war in Iraq. And as 
Rice suggested, when faced with an implacable enemy, we need 
to free ourselves from certain rules in order to `save lives.' 
The Europeans are much less outraged than they pretend to be: 
they fear, without saying it, that the U.S. might lose `its' 
war." 
 
"Condi Under Pressure in Europe" 
Eric Lesser in left-of-center Le Monde (12/06): "The trip is 
shaping up as a difficult one because European leaders are 
expecting the Secretary to clarify things about CIA `secret 
prisons'. While several European nations have asked for 
clarification, the State Department is working on a written 
answer to the questions raised by Jack Straw. We must not 
expect a `mea culpa.' In fact Secretary Rice will probably ask 
European nations to `play things down' and to `shoulder their 
responsibilities.' Secretary Rice expects to have a difficult 
trip but she will reaffirm that the U.S. respects every 
nation's sovereignty. While she claims to want to improve 
relations with Europe, Rice has no intention of questioning 
practices considered to be `unorthodox.'" 
 
"Condi With No Regrets" 
Maxime Weigert in right-of-center France Soir (12/06): "Angela 
Merkel will probably not raise the question of rendition 
flights because the German government refuses to put pressure 
on an ally in whom `it trusts completely.' Yet tension is at 
its highest. Europe wants an explanation. and clarification 
about illegal practices that might have been committed in 
several European countries. including France. The situation is 
fast becoming embarrassing for Washington. Before leaving, 
Secretary Rice practiced her line of defense. She did not deny 
 
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the existence of CIA flights nor did she apologize for them. 
She did however mention the `difficult choices' facing 
democracies and asked `whether governments wanted to work with 
the U.S. to protect their own countries from future terrorist 
acts.' Rice is reversing the situation and using fear as an 
alibi when she says `that renditions save lives.' In short, 
the U.S. is being benevolent. But with such arguments, why did 
the U.S. not ask for permission to land?" 
 
"Rice Asks Europe to Shoulder Its Responsibilities" 
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (12/06): "Before 
departing, Secretary Rice dealt with the criticism over 
rendition flights. She did not acknowledge the existence of 
CIA `black sites' but she defended the question of 
`renditions' as legal practices used by European governments 
themselves, such as France in the Carlos case. Secretary Rice 
is forcing European nations to choose sides. This will be the 
extent of the `clarification' to the questions raised by the 
Europeans. Washington claims `it can do no more' and suggests 
European publics should be `more realistic' about what needs 
to be done when dealing with enemies such as Al-Qaeda." 
 
"CIA Secret Prisons: Rice to Explain" 
Pascal Riche in left-of-center Liberation (12/06): "A 
controversy is awaiting Secretary Rice as she gets off the 
plane in Europe. After a prolonged silence, Secretary Rice 
decided to speak up yesterday just before getting on the 
plane, but not to apologize. On the contrary, she read a firm 
statement. to remind European governments cooperating with 
Washington in the fight against terrorism to shoulder their 
responsibilities. `Renditions' have been practiced `for 
decades by the U.S. and other countries.' Rice emphasized that 
`renditions' saved lives in Europe. She did not explicitly 
confirm the existence of secret prisons in Eastern Europe and 
invited governments to share in her discretion. As a line of 
defense Washington is sticking to its guns. As a European 
diplomat said, `our American counterparts were taken by 
surprise by the magnitude of the reaction in the media and are 
asking us, in essence, to stop bothering them with this and 
shoulder our responsibilities.'" 
 
European Defense 
 
"France Praises EU Defense In Bahrain" 
Arnaud Girard in right-of-center Le Figaro (12/06): "Over the 
weekend, France's Defense Minister spoke in favor of re- 
enforcing the strategic relationship with a region where 
American military presence is strong. Even where geo-strategic 
and energy ambitions are high, Alliot-Marie insisted that 
there should be no `private hunting grounds' in matters of 
security.. She called for a strong strategic relationship 
between Europe and Arab nations in the Gulf. Speaking about a 
`new phase,' she suggested the need for a dialogue from pole 
to pole and the need for a regional security architecture, 
giving the OSCE as an example. In Qatar Alliot-Marie was more 
comfortable than in Bahrain because of the privileged 
relationship it has with France, which allows Qatar to reduce 
its strategic dependency on the U.S." STAPLETON