AMBASSADOR CHALLENGES SOCIALISTS ON EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001106

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2015
TAGS: PGOV FR EUN
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CHALLENGES SOCIALISTS ON EU
CONSTITUTION CAMPAIGN'S NEGATIVE MESSAGE ON U.S.-EU
RELATIONS

REF: PARIS 1014

Classified By: Ambassador Howard H. Leach for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Ambassador Leach and DCM Wolff February 21
expressed concern to the Socialist Party (PS) leadership
about the negative message on U.S.-EU relations contained in
the party's campaign material in support of a yes vote on the
EU constitution in France's late spring referendum. In
conversation with PS First Secretary Francois Hollande,
former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, former Finance Minister
and PS Executive Committee Member Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and
former Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, the Ambassador and
DCM pointed out that encouraging voters to support the
constitution because it will permit the EU to "stand up to
the U.S." (reftel) distorted the nature of the U.S.-EU
relationship and risked undermining the work we have done in
the past months to put our differences behind us and focus on
our shared objectives in the world. In response, Hollande
insisted that the Socialist message was not a negative one,
that the PS regarded the U.S. as a friend and ally, and would
do nothing to damage the relationship. Hollande agreed to
"take another look" at the wording of the PS campaign
material, but did not commit to changing it. He also
undertook to make clear in addressing the public that the EU
was not being built in opposition to the U.S. End summary.


2. (C) On learning of the negative message about
U.S.-European relations contained in the PS's
pro-constitution campaign material (reftel),Ambassador and
DCM initiated a series of phonecalls to the PS leadership to
point out the harm such a campaign could do to our efforts to
strengthen transatlantic relations -- at the very moment when
President Bush had begun his European visit, with its very
positive message. The Ambassador told Jospin, Strauss-Kahn
and Vedrine that he anticipated very negative press play,
should the U.S. media pick up on the story. This, in turn,
could undo all of the work we have done together over the
past months to strengthen the relationship. All agreed that
the campaign message posed a problem, and undertook to talk
with PS First Secretary Francois Hollande about it. They
warned, however, that their ability to effect a change in the
campaign material was limited. The Ambassador also spoke
with French Ambassador to the U.S. Jean-David Levitte, who
agreed that the PS campaign could undermine our efforts to
put differences behind us.


3. (C) Hollande, after some delay due to his visit to Spain
over the weekend, contacted DCM on February 21. The DCM
reviewed the reasons for our objecting to the campaign
message and pressed Hollande to revise the text of the PS
poster and manifesto, which read, in part, "Yes to a strong
Europe facing up to the USA" (Oui a une Europe forte face aux
USA). "While the reelection of Bush confirms the will of the
U.S. to decide the fate of the world alone, the Europeans
cannot afford the luxury of a crisis whose outcome would be
uncertain. To say no (to the constitution) today would be to
paralyze the European construction for the long-term." The
DCM made clear that we viewed this language as targeting the
U.S. and distorting the nature of the transatlantic
relationship.


4. (C) Hollande, polite and defensive, said that a native
French speaker would have a different interpretation of the
slogan. Rather than describing an adversarial or
confrontational relationship, the phrase "facing up to the
USA" implied a Europe working alongside the U.S. and able to
stand on its own feet. Hollande said that he wanted the U.S.
to know that the PS regarded it as a friend and ally and
would do nothing to undermine the relationship. At the same
time, said Hollande, being allies did not mean that we would
always agree on every issue. The DCM responded that he could
find no better way to characterize the relationship himself.
Nevertheless, he continued, if it was the PS's intention to
cast the relationship in those positive terms, the choice of
language in the slogan was not logical. There were far more
direct and unabiguous ways in French to say that we had a
friendly and allied relationship.


5. (C) The DCM pressed Hollande again to revise the poster
and manifesto language and urged Hollande and other PS
leaders to make clear in their public statements that they
did not see Europe being built in opposition to the U.S.
Hollande agreed to "take another look" at the wording of the
PS campaign material, but did not commit to changing it. He
also undertook to make clear in addressing the public that
the EU was not being built in opposition to the U.S.
Leach