MEDIA REACTION REPORT - WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION TO WORLD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001859 SIPDIS 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; BRUSSELS/PA; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE. E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION TO WORLD BANK - BOLTON NOMINATION TO UN - SECRETARY RICE IN ASIA PARIS - MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2005 (A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: ¶1. WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION TO WORLD BANK - BOLTON NOMINATION TO UN ¶2. SECRETARY RICE IN ASIA (B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: THE INCREASING NUMBER OF "NO" VOTES ON THE EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDUM SHARES FRONT PAGES ALONG WITH DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST THE BOLKESTEIN DIRECTIVE AND THE REPORT OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE ON RACISM IN FRANCE -- WHICH DETERMINED THAT JEWS AND MUSLIMS IN FRANCE WERE THE TARGET OF THE HIGHEST RECORDED NUMBER OF ATTACKS SINCE 1994. WHILE NOT A FRONT-PAGE STORY, THE CASE OF TERRY SCHIAVO RECEIVES CONSIDERABLE ELECTRONIC AND PRINT COVERAGE. CATHOLIC LA CROIX DEVOTES AN EDITORIAL TO THIS POLEMICAL SITUATION THAT PROVES THAT: "NO LAW CAN GOVERN THE ETHICAL DEBATE THAT EXISTS IN OUR SOCIETY ON EUTHANASIA." IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT PASCAL RICHE PENS AN ANALYSIS ON THE TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP AND THE MIXED SIGNALS THAT EUROPE FEELS IT IS GETTING FROM THE U.S. FOLLOWING THE NOMINATIONS OF PAUL WOLFOWITZ AND JOHN BOLTON. (SEE PART C) THE FRONT PAGE OF SATURDAY'S RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO LEADS: "WOLFOWITZ DEFENDS HIS CANDIDACY FOR THE WORLD BANK" ANNOUNCING THE INSIDE INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY THE DAILY'S WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT UNDER THE SUBTITLE: "NUMBER TWO AT THE PENTAGON: WOLFOWITZ ANSWERS CRITICISM IN EUROPE OVER HIS NOMINATION TO HEAD THE WORLD BANK." THE SUNDAY-MONDAY EDITION OF LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE DESCRIBES THE NOMINATION OF PAUL WOLFOWITZ AS "AWKWARD FOR EUROPE" ON ITS FRONT PAGE. THE SECOND PAGE OF THE DAILY IS ENTIRELY DEVOTED TO THIS NOMINATION. NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT CORINNE LESNES WRITES: "SINCE HIS NOMINATION, PAUL WOLFOWITZ HAS BEEN ACTIVELY PROMOTING HIMSELF TO PUT FORWARD THAT HE IS NOT WHO WE THINK HE IS." COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE'S REPORT: "A WAR-MONGER AT THE HEAD OF THE WORLD BANK," SEES THE WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION AS A "SURPRISE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. AND WITH THE NOMINATION OF JOHN BOLTON AS AMBASSADOR TO THE UN, MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S HEGEMONIC AMBITIONS." RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO'S CORRESPONDENT IN BEIJING JEAN- JACQUES MEVEL DESCRIBES SECRETARY RICE'S VISIT TO CHINA AS EMBLEMATIC OF THE POSITION THE U.S. HAS DECIDED TO ADOPT VIS-A- VIS CHINA: "THE U.S., AS OPPOSED TO EUROPE, IS OPENLY WARY OF CHINA. IT IS PRUDENTLY DIPLOMATIC. BUT INCLINED TO CURB THE CHINA'S POWER." (SEE PART C) THE AIRBUS-BOEING FEUD BETWEEN THE U.S. AND FRANCE WAS REFUELED THIS WEEKEND BREAKING THE 90-DAY TRUCE CONCERNING AIRCRAFT SUBSIDIES. CENTRIST ECONOMIC LA TRIBUNE HEADLINES: "THE END OF THE TRUCE BETWEEN AIRBUS AND BOEING," AND LE FIGARO'S ECONOMIC SUPPLEMENT ASKS: "WHO HUNG UP ON WHOM LAST FRIDAY? THE EU TRADE COMMISSIONER PETER MANDELSON CLAIMS THAT IT WAS HIS AMERICAN COUNTERPART ROBERT ZOELLICK WHO SAYS IT IS THE CONTRARY. BEHIND THIS SPAT. IS THE UNDERLYING FACT THAT BOEING CANNOT TOLERATE SEEING AIRBUS CARVE OUT A SIGNIFICANT SHARE OF THE MARKET FOR ITSELF. CONSIDERING THE TURN OF EVENTS, THE AGREEMENT THAT WAS EXPECTED FOR APRIL 11 WILL PROBABLY NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY." EU TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER, JACQUES BARROT, IN WASHINGTON TODAY AND TOMORROW GIVES AN INTERVIEW IN LA TRIBUNE ON "OPEN SKIES" NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE U.S. "I WILL ASSESS U.S. WILLINGNESS TO OPEN THE `TRANSATLANTIC SKIES' AND. I WILL BE NEGOTIATING THE CURRENT 25 PERCENT CEILING FOR FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF AMERICAN AIRLINE COMPANIES." (C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION TO WORLD BANK - BOLTON NOMINATION TO UN "WHY WOLFOWITZ?" THE UNSIGNED EDITORIAL IN THE SUNDAY/MONDAY EDITION OF LEFT-OF- CENTER LE MONDE: "GEORGE W. BUSH'S SIGNS OF OPENING UP TO THE WORLD IN GENERAL AND EUROPE IN PARTICULAR SINCE HIS RE- ELECTION HAVE QUICKLY REACHED THEIR LIMIT. AND THE PRESIDENT IS REVERTING TO THE UNILATERALISM THAT CHARACTERIZED HIS FIRST TERM IN OFFICE. MR. WOLFOWITZ HAS STATED THAT HE WILL NOT BE WASHINGTON'S MAN AT THE WORLD BANK. BUT IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO CONVINCE ANYONE OF THIS WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AS HIS PERSONALITY SUGGESTS ANYTHING BUT THE U.S.'S OPENNESS OR HUMILITY. ON THE CONTRARY, THIS NOMINATION LOOKS LIKE A NEW MANIFESTATION OF AMERICA'S ARROGANCE. INDIFFERENCE OR EVEN CYNICISM TOWARDS POOR COUNTRIES. WHAT IF EUROPE, SPURRED ON BY NUMEROUS NGOS, DECIDED TO VETO THIS NOMINATION? IT WOULD HAVE TO TAKE ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF YET ANOTHER DIPLOMATIC CRISIS WITH THE U.S. IN SHORT, MR. BUSH'S DECISION MAKES THE WARMING OF TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT." "THE REAL FALSE AMERICAN SPRINGTIME" PASCAL RICHE IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/21): "WHERE IS GEORGE W. BUSH GOING? AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY HAS RARELY BEEN SO CONTRADICTORY. ON THE ONE HAND THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN REPEATING THE IMPORTANCE OF RECONCILIATION WITH THE EUROPEANS. AND ON SEVERAL ISSUES HIS NEW SECRETARY OF STATE HAS SHOWN THAT SHE IS DISTANCING HERSELF FROM THE HARD LINE OF THE ADMINISTRATION. ON THE OTHER HAND, WASHINGTON HAS SENT SIGNALS THAT SEEM TO BELIE THIS "AMERICAN SPRINGTIME." NAMELY WITH THE NOMINATION OF PAUL WOLFOWITZ AT THE HEAD OF THE WORLD BANK. AND ANOTHER HAWK, JOHN BOLTON. AS AMBASSADOR TO THE UN, AN INSTITUTION THAT HE OPENLY SCORNS. ACCORDING TO SOME EXPERTS BUSH IS TRYING TO FACILITATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE'S WORK BY RIDDING THE ADMINISTRATION OF ITS IDEOLOGUES. THESE TWO NOMINATIONS WERE MET IN EUROPE WITH SADDENED ASTONISHMENT. IT FEARS THAT BOLTON WILL UNDERTAKE A CRUSADE AGAINST THE UN. AND THAT WOLFOWITZ, WHO HAS DEVOTED HIS CAREER TO SPREADING WESTERN-STYLE DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD. WILL BE TEMPTED TO USE THE RESOURCES OF THE WORLD BANK TO PUNISH SOME AND REWARD OTHERS. EUROPEANS HAVE AN EASY WAY TO STOP THIS: BY VETOING HIS NOMINATION." SECRETARY RICE IN ASIA SIPDIS "FRANCE OPEN YOUR EYES!" LE FIGARO CARRIES AN OP-ED CO-SIGNED BY THREE CHINESE THINKERS WHO OPPOSE THE LIFTING OF THE ARMS EMBARGO AGAINST CHINA(03/21): "EUROPE AND FRANCE, FOUNDING COUNTRY OF HUMAN RIGHTS, ARE ON THE VERGE OF ABANDONING THEIR PRINCIPLES AND THEIR HUMANISM FOR COMMERCIAL PROFIT. FOR US CHINESE, THE REAL DEFENDERS OF DEMOCRACY TODAY ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC, IN THE U.S." LEACH