EU CONSTITUTION DOMINATES AGENDA OF FRANCO-GERMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 002863

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE AND EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV GM FR NATO EUN
SUBJECT: EU CONSTITUTION DOMINATES AGENDA OF FRANCO-GERMAN
MINISTERIAL IN PARIS

REF: A. A) PARIS 2825


B. B) PARIS 2746

C. C) PARIS 2663

D. D) PARIS 2604

E. E) PARIS 2516

Classified By: Acting DCM Josiah Rosenblatt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.


1. (C) SUMMARY: President Chirac and Chancellor Schroeder
used the fifth meeting of the Council of Franco-German
ministers to support Chirac's efforts to highlight the
benefits of the EU to a skeptical French public in the run-up
to the French May 29 referendum on the draft EU
constitutional treaty (reftels). While the substance of the
meeting was supposed to focus on technological and industrial
cooperation, discussion of the constitutional treaty received
the preponderance of attention in prepared public remarks and
during questions at the joint press appearance. Chirac
emphasized in remarks in the press conference and at the
Sorbonne later in the day that France would miss an historic
opportunity if its citizens voted no on the constitutional
treaty: "If we vote 'no,'" he said, "we also take the
responsibility for weakening France and its capacity to
defend its interests and its value in Europe and the world of
tomorrow." On security and defense issues, France and
Germany discussed the situation in Darfur with France
expressing a preference for an EU mission (ESDP),assuming an
appropriate AU request for assistance. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Almost 30 ministers accompanied Chirac and Schroeder
to the meetings, which were formally dedicated to joint
projects in industrial innovation. The co-presidents of a
joint working group on economic cooperation, created during a
Franco-German summit last October, presented four projects
for cooperation (two in technology and two in health),which
the Council accepted. Most attention however, was given to
Chirac's and Schroeder's efforts to boost the French
government's campaign to persuade voters to vote "yes" on the
constitutional treaty in the May 29th referendum. Early in
the afternoon, the two leaders gave a joint press conference
at the Elysee Palace, where, after dispensing with remarks on
the industrial cooperation front, they quickly turned to the
constitution. Chirac emphasized to his audience that the
constitution was largely inspired by French ideas and would
support the "social model" dear to the French public. The
constitutional treaty, he said, will permit France to be
stronger in Europe, and Europe, stronger in the world.


3. (C) In both his press conference and Sorbonne remarks,
Chirac characterized the constitutional treaty as directly
related to the French Revolution, in one instance calling it
the "daughter" of 1789. He emphasized in both instances that
the relative weight of France and Germany within the Council
will increase under the treaty's rules, allowing them to
influence European decision-making.


4. (C) In neither remarks did Chirac single out the United
States as a rival center of power that calls for
counterbalancing by a more united Europe or as a country
against which the treaty was directed. He did say in his
press conference remarks that "to vote yes is also to permit
Europe to weigh more in the world to defend its interests,
but also its values, . . .which is not evident in a world
that evolves like we see it evolving, with the emergence of
big poles of an international size like China, India,
tomorrow Brazil and Latin America, like Russia, like the
United States." Towards the end of his prepared remarks at
the press conference, Chirac noted:

-- "So, May 29th. .. the choice will be simple: if we vote
"no," we take the responsibility to interrupt 50 years of
European construction, 50 years of the path toward peace,
democracy, unanimously respected and assured and guaranteed
at the level of the totality of our continent. And we rest in
the current situation that everyone recognizes as
unsatisfactory. We also leave, make no mistake about it, the
field free to the partisans of a liberal evolution for
Europe.

-- "If we vote "no," we also take the responsibility for
weakening France and its capacity to defend its interests and
its value in Europe and in the world of tomorrow."


5. (C) Schroder took up the pro-EU banner as well, noting
that Chirac had clearly stated what was at stake. France and
Germany, he said, have a very particular responsibility in
the success of the constitutional treaty and the European
project because of the lessons they had drawn from history.
If the treaty is not ratified by all the European states, he
said, it will weaken Europe. "The voice of Europe in the
world club will not make itself be heard more, but much less,
its voice will be weakened," he said. The Chancellor noted
that he remains confident that the 'yes' will win in France.
What's in play, he said, "is the possibility for our two
countries to make Europe progress, to press on what is common
to us."


6. (C) In his address at the Sorbonne, again, ostensibly to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Franco-German Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, Chirac devoted a few paragraphs to
the question of industrial cooperation before turning to the
question of the constitutional treaty. Like Schroeder, he
harkened back to the lessons learned from the "murderous
conflicts" that long rent Europe. "We learned from that the
value of peace," he said, "the peace that the constitutional
treaty consolidates in tying together our countries by new
clauses of security and mutual assistance. . .in permitting
us to go further in the defense of Europe." Thanks to the
constitutional treaty, Chirac noted, there would be no
backtracking possible regarding human rights. It would make
the Europeans "cross a historic step." "We need this
constitution, he said, " because we want to build a Europe
based on values and not only on a market. We need it because
it affirms the European model." He repeated a remark he had
made in the press conference -- which Schroeder had seconded
-- that he would not have signed the treaty if it had not
delivered on these fronts.


7. (C) Chirac closed his remarks by noting the unity of
France and Germany on the issue, but preceded that by
reminding listeners that French and German weight would
increase on the council under treaty rules, and then laid on
more negative imagery: "If Europe doesn't organize itself
now," he said, "the world won't wait for us. If Europe
renounces its political and social ambition, the
ultra-liberal model will have the field free. And if France
breaks the dynamic of the Union and puts itself in the gap,
it will be less listened to, less followed, less strong when
it has to defend its interests and values."


8. (C) According to Florian Escudie, MFA desk officer
following security issues, and the German Political
Counselor, who sat in on some of the meetings, the two sides
also discussed defense and security concerns. They reviewed
progress made to date on ESDP, including on the EU planning
cell, standing up a FR-GR Battlegroup (with UK, Belgium, and
Luxembourg) by 2008, and the status of the European Defense
Agency. Chirac and Schroeder expressed satisfaction with the
way the Franco-German battalion had performed at ISAF.


9. (C) In response to our queries, German Political
Counselor Benedikt Haller (protect) confirmed that
discussions on Darfur took place. The French reportedly
pushed for an EU mission -- in preference to a NATO mission
-- assuming the AU eventually makes a request for
assistance. Haller noted that that the French preference was
linked to the constitutional campaign, saying that the French
had explained that the Elysee would like to point to a
concrete and positive EU effort to demonstrate to voters the
benefits of the EU. Haller did not provide the German
reaction to this proposal, but said Germany likely would
follow its "traditional instincts," implying that Berlin
would seek a compromise position.


10. (C) Jean-Pierre Dubois, the head of the French MFA's
Franco-German unit underlined to us the emphasis on the
constitution during the day's events. "It will be a little
while before we know" if Chirac's and Schroeder's remarks
were successful in moving public opinion, he said, referring
to the never-ending polling on the constitutional question
here. The MFA was clearly pleased with the press coverage of
the events, which presented the public with several examples
of what he called Chirac's "well-argued" points in favor of
the constitution. If upcoming polls should reflect movement
in public opinion towards more support for the proposed
constitution, Chirac will take credit for that even though a
complex range of factors are shaping the opinion of an uneasy
and volatile electorate. Dubois also drew our attention to
the cooperation agreements signed during the day, which will
enhance student and teacher exchanges, and aid researchers'
mobility, among other things. He noted that all four
projects that the co-presidents of the working group had
presented had been approved.


11. (C) AFP interviewed Jean-Marie LePen, head of the
extreme right-wing National Front party, who said Chirac and
Schroeder reminded him of the "blind and the crippled," and
said the two had no hope of changing public opinion. LePen
himself admitted he had so far taken a back seat in the 'no'
campaign so as not to turn off possible voters. "We're going
to kick off on May 1 at the Opera," he said, "because I
believe that will be the biggest meeting of the "no' camp of
the entire campaign."


WOLFF