MEDIA REACTION REPORT - LEBANON - SYRIA, PRESIDENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001053

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY (FRANK); BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU;
AF/PA; EUR/WE (DEBORAH MENNUTI)/P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA
(BERBENA); INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE
HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR AND PASS USTR/PA
(ANN LUZZATO); USINCEUR FOR PAO; NATO/PA; MOSCOW/PA; ROME/PA;
BRUSSELS/PA; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE.

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - LEBANON - SYRIA, PRESIDENT
BUSH IN EUROPE
PARIS - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:


1. LEBANON - SYRIA

2. PRESIDENT BUSH IN EUROPE

(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

FRONT-PAGES IN THE FRENCH PRESS TODAY DEAL WITH A VARIETY OF
SUBJECTS FROM THE RECORD PROFITS OF FRENCH COMPANIES, NAMELY
OIL GIANT TOTAL THAT HAS SURPASSED ITS ALL-TIME RECORD, TO THE
MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS OR THE LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS IN
PORTUGAL.

THE STORY OF FINANCE MINISTER HERVE GAYMARD'S 14000 EURO/MONTH
GOVERNMENT-PAID APARTMENT CONTINUES TO DOMINATE EDITORIAL
COMMENTARY IN THE REGIONAL (NON-PARIS) PRESS. THE REACTION OF
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SYRIA FOLLOWING THE
ASSASSINATION OF FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER RAFIC HARIRI
IS AGAIN THE TOP INTERNATIONAL STORY. IN POPULAR CENTER-RIGHT
FRANCE SOIR, THE AUTHOR OF "FOUR YEARS TO CHANGE THE WORLD"
BRUNO TERTRAIS, REMARKS THAT "PARIS AND WASHINGTON HAVE ALWAYS
BEEN ON THE SAME WAVE-LENGTH CONCERNING THIS ISSUE." (SEE PART
C)

KEN WEINSTEIN, DIRECTOR OF THE HUDSON INSTITUTE, PENS AN OP-ED
IN FRENCH ON "AMERICANS, EUROPEANS AND THE MIDDLE EAST" FOR
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO. "FOR DECADES, AMERICANS AND
EUROPEANS HAVE EFFECTIVELY WORKED TOGETHER TO SETTLE CONFLICTS
IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD. TODAY, WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE
ELECTIONS IN IRAQ AND THE WORSENING SITUATION BETWEEN SYRIA
AND LEBANON, EUROPE NEEDS TO RALLY TO THE [U.S.] POSITION IN
ORDER TO SOLVE THE MOST URGENT PROBLEMS."

SOME EDITORIALS BEGIN TO FOCUS ON THE VISIT NEXT WEEK OF
PRESIDENT BUSH TO EUROPE. A REPORT IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE
FIGARO HIGHLIGHTS EU COMMISSIONER JOSE MANUEL BARROSO'S
"ENTHUSIASM" AT THE IDEA OF HOSTING PRESIDENT BUSH IN BRUSSELS
NEXT WEEK. LE FIGARO CALLS BARROSO THE "APOSTLE OF
RECONCILIATION" ADDING THAT HE "CONSIDERS BUSH II TO BE MUCH
MORE MODERATE THAN BUSH I, THANKS NAMELY TO THE ABILITY OF
CONDOLEEZZA RICE." (SEE PART C)

JOHN NEGROPONTE'S APPOINTMENT AS THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE IS REPORTED IN SEVERAL DAILIES. RIGHT-OF-CENTER
LE FIGARO'S WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT PHILIPPE GELIE NOTES THAT
NEGROPONTE "WILL HAVE TO START PRACTICALLY FROM SCRATCH. AND
IMPOSE ORDER IN A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AND OPAQUE ENVIRONMENT."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

LEBANON - SYRIA

"WASHINGTON INCREASES THE PRESSURE TO ISOLATE SYRIA"
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION PASCAL
RICHE COMMENTS (02/18): "SINCE IRAQ OFFICIALLY JOINED THE
RANKS OF THE `GOOD GUYS' THERE WAS A VACANCY TO FILL IN THE
RANKS OF THE `AXIS OF EVIL.' SINCE THE ASSASSINATION OF RAFIC
HARIRI, DAMASCUS HAS COME TO THE FOREFRONT TO FILL THAT SPOT.
BUSH INTENDS TO MAKE THE ISSUE OF SYRIA THE `MAIN COURSE' WHEN
HE HAS DINNER WITH JACQUES CHIRAC IN BRUSSELS NEXT MONDAY. IN
THE PAST, BUSH HAS OPENLY PRAISED CHIRAC'S ANALYSES ON THE
LEBANO-SYRIAN QUESTION, PERHAPS FRANCO-AMERICAN RECONCILIATION
WILL TAKE PLACE AT DAMASCUS' EXPENSE."

PRESIDENT BUSH IN EUROPE

"TRANS-ATLANTIC D ENTE"
BERNARD GUETTA TOLD LISTENERS ON STATE-RUN FRANCE INTER RADIO
THIS MORNING (02/18): "GEORGE BUSH HAS CHANGED. EUROPE HAS
CHANGED. THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION HAS CONSIDERABLY EVOLVED
OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND THE EU-U.S. SUMMIT NEXT WEEK IN
BRUSSELS SHOULD UNDERSCORE THE SCOPE OF THE TRANS-ATLANTIC
D ENTE. GEORGE BUSH HAS CHANGED BECAUSE. HIS AGENDA IS NO
LONGER DOMINATED BY WAR BUT BY STABILIZATION AND SETTLEMENT.
THIS IS THE CASE FOR IRAQ, BUT ALSO FOR THE ISRAELI-
PALESTINIAN CONFLICT. GEORGE BUSH'S OBJECTIVE IS TO LEAVE THE
WHITE HOUSE IN 2009 WITH THESE TWO CRISES SETTLED. THIS IS
WHAT HE WANTS TO LEAVE FOR POSTERITY. AND TO ACHIEVE THIS HE
NEEDS EUROPE, ON A FINANCIAL AND ON A DIPLOMATIC LEVEL. SINCE
HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE REPEATED
OVERTURES TO THE UNION. A SMILING CONDOLEEZZA RICE HIGHLIGHTED
THIS CHANGE OF TONE LAST WEEK IN PARIS. ON THE EUROPEAN SIDE,
THE EU IS MUCH MORE UNIFIED THAN IT ITSELF REALIZED ON THE
NECESSITY TO FIND A DIPLOMATIC SETTLEMENT TO THE CONFLICTS IN
THE MIDDLE EAST. AND ON IRAQ, THE EU, AND FRANCE THE FIRST,
ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE QUESTION IS NO LONGER TO FIGURE OUT
WHETHER THE INTERVENTION WAS JUSTIFIED BUT TO FIND A WAY OUT.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND EUROPE TODAY ARE NO
LONGER STRATEGIC BUT TACTICAL, AND THAT MAKES ALL OF THE
DIFFERENCE." LEACH