MEDIA REACTION REPORT - CHINA ARMS EMBARGO - DEPUTY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002287

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 - CHINA ARMS EMBARGO - DEPUTY
SECRETARY ZOELLICK TO BRUSSELS IRAQ - ELECTION OF PRESIDENT


SIPDIS
PARIS - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 06, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:


1. CHINA ARMS EMBARGO - DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK TO BRUSSELS

2. IRAQ - ELECTION OF PRESIDENT

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

AS MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE POPE'S DEATH BEGINS TO WANE, FRONT-
PAGES AND EDITORIALS ARE TODAY DEVOTED TO A VARIETY OF
STORIES, RANGING FROM LIBERATION'S STORY ON THE LOUVRE'S
RELOCATION OF THE MONA LISA, TO THE ECONOMIC NEWS OF PERNOD
RICARD'S ACQUISITION OF BRITAIN'S ALLIED DOMECQ, "WITH AN
AMERICAN ALLY, FORTUNE BRANDS, WHICH WILL SHARE THE ENORMOUS
BURDEN OF THE ACQUISITION, ESTIMATED AT 15 BILLION EUROS."
(LES ECHOS AND LA TRIBUNE).

RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO CARRIES A FULL-PAGE REPORT ANNOUNCED
ON ITS FRONT PAGE, ON AMERICAN NGOS AND THEIR ACTIVE
INVOLVEMENT IN PROMOTING DEMOCRACY IN FORMER SOVIET BLOCK
NATIONS. MOSCOW CORRESPONDENT LAURE MANDEVILLE WRITES: "WHILE
BRUSSELS WAS SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR ITS CUMBERSOME
AND INEFFECTIVE AID PROGRAMS, AMERICAN NGOS, SUCH AS FREEDOM
HOUSE AND OPEN SOCIETY, WHICH ARE MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE, WERE
HARD AT WORK ON CONCRETE ISSUES. THE WEB OF HUMAN RELATIONS
WHICH THESE NGOS HAVE BUILT IN THESE COUNTRIES PLAYS A
DECISIVE ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY."
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT PHILIPPE GELIE NOTES THE "REVOLVING
DOOR" INFLUENCE OF THINK TANKS IN AMERICAN DIPLOMACY. LE
FIGARO ALSO PROFILES BRUCE JACKSON, HEAD OF THE PROJECT ON
TRANSITIONAL DEMOCRACIES, AS A MISSIONARY FOR DEMOCRACY.

DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK'S VISIT TO BRUSSELS AND THE CHINA
ARMS EMBARGO ARE REPORTED IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO IN AN
ARTICLE TITLED: "BUSH THREATENS." IN HER REPORT, ALEXANDRINE
BOUILHET WRITES ABOUT "TRADE BLACKMAIL." (SEE PART C)

THE ELECTION OF JALAL TALABANI AS IRAQ'S PRESIDENT IS ANALYZED
IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION. (SEE PART C)


PM MINISTER RAFFARIN PENS AN OP-ED IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX IN
HONOR OF JOHN PAUL II, "THE PILGRIM FOR FREEDOM." RAFFARIN
NOTES THE POPE'S ACTIVISM FOR FREEDOM IN EASTERN EUROPE AND
HIS CALL DURING A VISIT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FOR FREE
INSTITUTIONS "SO THAT EUROPE MIGHT ONE DAY GROW TO THE
DIMENSIONS DEFINED BOTH BY GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

CHINA ARMS EMBARGO - DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK TO BRUSSELS

"SELLING ARMS TO BEIJING: BUSH THREATENS"
ALEXANDRINE BOUILHET IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (04/06):
"THE U.S., WHICH IS SET ON KEEPING THE EUROPEANS FROM LIFTING
THE CHINESE ARMS EMBARGO, INCREASED ITS PRESSURE YESTERDAY ON
BRUSSELS. FOR THE FIRST TIME DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK
BRANDISHED THE THREAT OF ECONOMIC REPRISAL. IF EUROPE WERE TO
LIFT THE EMBARGO, AS PARIS AND BERLIN HAVE SAID, `IT WOULD
AFFECT TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION IN MATTERS OF DEFENSE' SAID
THE DEPUTY SECRETARY. WASHINGTON'S MESSAGE HAS NOW BEEN MADE
CLEAR. UNTIL NOW ONLY CONGRESS HAD DARED TO SPEAK OF REPRISAL.
NOW IT HAS BECOME WASHINGTON'S OFFICIAL LINE. FOR THE
AMERICANS, THIS NEW STRATEGY IS SUPPOSED TO BRING ABOUT THE
FRANCO-GERMAN COUPLE IN ITS STUBBORNNESS. `UNLESS,' SAYS AN
AMERICAN DIPLOMAT, `PARIS AND BERLIN ARE READY TO TRIGGER A
NEW TRANSATLANTIC CRISIS.' DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK IS USING
TRADE BLACKMAIL WITHOUT ANY COMPUNCTION, ESPECIALLY WITH
EUROPEAN PARTNERS HE HAS ALREADY CONFRONTED IN THE AIRBUS-
BOEING CONFLICT. HIS THREATS ARE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY THE
DEFENSE INDUSTRY. IN FACT, SIMILAR THREATS HAVE ALREADY BORN
FRUIT: LONDON HAS ALREADY STEPPED AWAY FROM THE FRANCO-GERMAN
TANDEM. AND EUROPEAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY CAPTAINS ARE CALLING ON
THE EU TO GET ALONG WITH WASHINGTON ON THIS ISSUE. EADS
EXECUTIVE MANFRED BISCHOFF CONTENDS THE GROUP'S TRADE
RELATIONS SHOULD NOT BE ENDANGERED, CONSIDERING THAT TRADE
WITH THE U.S. IS MUCH GREATER THAN WITH CHINA."
IRAQ - ELECTION OF PRESIDENT

"TALABANI, IRAQ'S FUTURE PRESIDENT"
CHRISTOPHE BOLTANSKI IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (04/06):
"TALABANI, A VETERAN OF IRAQI POLITICS CANNOT HAVE MISSED THE
IRONY. THE LEADER OF ONE OF IRAQ'S TWO MAIN KURDISH PARTIES,
HE IS ABOUT TO BECOME THE HEAD OF A NATION WHICH, SINCE ITS
CREATION, HAS CONSTANTLY REPRESSED HIS PEOPLE. HE WILL BECOME
THE FIRST NON-ARAB PRESIDENT OF AN ARAB NATION, AND THE FIRST
ELECTED PRESIDENT FOR IRAQ. WHILE HIS ROLE WILL ESSENTIALLY BE
HONORARY, HE SHOULD NEVERTHELESS WEIGH IN ON THE
CONSTITUTIONAL DEBATE OVER KURDISH DEMANDS." LEACH