OUTREACH ON NEWSWEEK'S RETRACTION OF ARTICLE ON

UNCLAS PARIS 003413 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/PPD ¶E. O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO PREL KISL FR SUBJECT: OUTREACH ON NEWSWEEK'S RETRACTION OF ARTICLE ON KORAN DESECRATION AT GUANTANAMO REF: State 090992 ¶1. State 090992 asked all posts to approach media and appropriate host government officials to reiterate USG respect for religious worship and tradition, and to ask media outlets to give the same wide coverage to the Newsweek retraction as to the original allegations. Given that French language media have reported extensively from their US bureaus on the Newsweek retraction, Embassy Paris has approached trusted Arab and Muslim media contacts to deploy our points and seek their perspectives on the story. ¶2. Reactions from our Arab and Muslim media contacts reflect the currents we have observed in the French language press: that similar allegations have floated around before from former Guantanamo prisoners, so this is nothing completely new; reports on Koran desecration allegations are balanced with statements from USG officials including SecState and DOD, State, and White House spokesmen; the nexus of the story elsewhere, either in the US or in Arab countries; and Newsweek's retraction may have resulted from USG pressure. Embassy Paris will, in a separate cable, provide an analysis of this story's development in the French press and highlight possible themes to refute it. ¶3. Post has not yet spoken with Muslim community group contacts about the story, but will draw attention to Newsweek's retraction as part of its continuing outreach to these organizations. WOLFF