MEDIA REACTION REPORT - TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000038

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DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY (FRANK); BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU;
AF/PA; EUR/WE (DEBORAH MENNUTI)/P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA
(BERBENA); INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE
HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR AND PASS USTR/PA
(ANN LUZZATO); 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 - TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS AND
CONTROVERSY
PARIS - TUESDAY, JANUARY 04, 2005


(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS AND CONTROVERSY

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B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

HEADLINES AND MOST COMMENTARIES ARE ONCE AGAIN DEVOTED TO THE
TSUNAMI, ITS VICTIMS AND RELIEF EFFORTS. LEFT-OF-CENTER

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LIBERATION AND RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO CONCENTRATE THEIR
LEAD STORIES ON THE HIGH EUROPEAN DEATH TOLL, WHILE POPULAR
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN AND FRANCE SOIR EXPLAIN WHY
TOURISM WILL AND MUST RETURN TO THE REGION. FRANCE SOIR
DEVOTES AN EDITORIAL COMMENTARY TO THE U.S. RELIEF EFFORT,
"MORE PRESENT THAN EUROPE'S." BUT LE FIGARO'S EDITORIALIST
PIERRE ROUSSELIN REGRETS THE IN-FIGHTING BETWEEN NATIONS AND
THE RACE TO PROVE WHO IS GIVING MORE: "PUBLIC OPINION CAN
UNDERSTAND WHEN GREAT NATIONS FIGHT IN TIMES OF WAR; THEY
WOULD NOT TOLERATE THIS FIGHTING IN TIMES OF PEACE OVER A
NATURAL DISASTER." (SEE PART C)

CENTRIST LA TRIBUNE, REPORTING ON THE AID RELIEF TO THE
REGION, NOTES THE DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN COLIN POWELL AND
SENATOR LUGAR: "THE DISAGREEMENT THAT OPPOSED THESE TWO MEN IS
INDEED REVEALING: THE SENATOR IS ASKING FOR A MUCH GREATER AID
RELIEF, IN THE BILLIONS IN FACT, AND MUCH MORE THAN WHAT
WASHINGTON HAS ALREADY PROMISED. BUT AS SOON AS HE SET FOOT IN
THAILAND YESTERDAY, SECRETARY POWELL HARSHLY DENIED THAT HE
WAS BRINGING ADDITIONAL AID."

RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO REPORTS ON THE REMARKS MADE BY
IRAQ'S DEFENSE OFFICER ON THE POSSIBLE POSTPONEMENT OF THE
ELECTIONS: "THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT IS APPARENTLY TRYING A LAST
DITCH NEGOTIATION WITH THE SUNNIS. IT KNOWS THAT IT WILL NOT
BE ABLE TO MILITARILY REDUCE THE INSURRECTION IN THE `SUNNI
TRIANGLE' UNLESS IT HAS A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF SUPPORT FROM THE
SUNNI COMMUNITY."

LE FIGARO ALSO CARRIES A REPORT ON THE GUANTANAMO DETAINEES
AND THE WASHINGTON POST REPORT CLAIMING THE U.S. WANTS TO
"HOLD THE DETAINEES INDEFINITELY, INCLUDING THOSE WHO CANNOT
BE TRIED FOR LACK OF PROOF."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS AND CONTROVERSY

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"THE U.S. MORE PRESENT THAN THE EU"
FREDERIC ABADIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR (01/04): "WHILE
THE EU IS STILL IN MEETINGS TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT SORT OF AID
TO BRING TO SOUTH EAST ASIA'S RECONSTRUCTION, THE U.S. IS
ALREADY ON THE GROUND. AMERICA'S FIREPOWER IS MUCH GREATER AND
HAS ALLOWED PRESIDENT BUSH TO QUICKLY SEND IN AIRCRAFT TO
ASSESS THE DAMAGE AND THE NEEDS. THE DISPARITY BETWEEN WHAT
THE U.S. AND THE EU ARE ABLE TO DO ILLUSTRATES THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A NATION THAT CONSIDERS ITSELF THE SHERIFF OF THE
WORLD, WITH MILITARY BASES ALL AROUND, AND A UNION OF NATIONS
WHOSE FINALITY IS NOTHING MORE THAN ECONOMIC, REGARDLESS OF
WHAT SOME MIGHT SAY. ALTHOUGH THE U.S. WAS SLOW IN GETTING
STARTED, ONE CANNOT HELP BUT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO
EMERGENCY AID, THE AMERICANS HAVE BEEN SENDING THE APPROPRIATE
RESPONSE TO THE NEEDS AS THEY ARE IDENTIFIED."

"A GLOBAL RESPONSE TO A GLOBAL DISASTER"
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (01/04): "AS WE
WAIT FOR SOME SORT OF COORDINATION IN AID RELIEF, A NUMBER OF
SCATTERED INITIATIVES ARE GETTING UNDERWAY. DOING MORE THAN
YOUR NEIGHBOR SEEMS TO STEM MORE FROM A DESIRE TO GET
RECOGNITION THAN FROM A DESIRE TO BE EFFECTIVE. AFTER SOME
INITIAL DELAY, THE U.S. IS PUTTING ITS POWER AT THE SERVICE OF
AID RELIEF. BUT ISN'T INDONESIA, ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT, ALSO
THE WORLD'S MOST POPULATED MUSLIM NATION? WHATEVER ITS
MOTIVATION, AMERICA'S MOBILIZATION IS AN EXCELLENT THING, EVEN
IF THE IDEA OF A `COALITION OF THE WILLING' IS MORE
APPROPRIATE TO FIGHT TERRORISM THAN TO BRING AID TO DISASTER
VICTIMS. THE FACT THAT THIS NEW AD HOC COALITION WITH INDIAN
OCEAN COUNTRIES HAS, IN PRESIDENT BUSH'S EYES THE ADVANTAGE OF
EXCLUDING THE UN AND THE EU, DOES NOT MAKE IT LESS EFFECTIVE.
TRUE TO ITS PRINCIPLES, FRANCE CONTINUES TO PROMOTE THE UN. IN
ORDER FOR THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO THIS GLOBAL DISASTER NOT TO
FAIL, THE AID MUST BE COORDINATED. PUBLIC OPINION CAN
UNDERSTAND WHEN GREAT NATIONS FIGHT IN TIMES OF WAR; THEY
WOULD NOT TOLERATE THIS FIGHTING IN TIMES OF PEACE OVER A
NATURAL DISASTER." WOLFF