Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PARIS3857
2005-06-03 12:24:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION REPORT - EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDA

Tags:  OPRC KMDR FR 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003857

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; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE.

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDA
FALLOUT
PARIS - FRIDAY, JUNE 03, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDA FALLOUT

(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

THE CABINET CHANGES FOLLOWING DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN'S
APPOINTMENT AS PRIME MINISTER DOMINATE A MAJORITY OF
HEADLINES. LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION NOTES THAT "DE VILLEPIN
VERSUS SARKOZY WILL BE A FIGHT TO THE DEATH." LIBERATION'S
EDITORIAL MOCKS: "IN THE M AGE-A-TROIS THAT NOW GOVERNS OUR
COUNTRY [CHIRAC, VILLEPIN, SARKOZY] IT IS NICOLAS SARKOZY WHO
WEARS THE PANTS."

WEEKLY STANDARD'S EDITORIALIST CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL PENS AN OP-
ED ENTITLED: "MR. DE VILLEPIN AS SEEN BY THE AMERICANS"
TRANSLATED FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE. "DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN
IS ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN MEMBERS OF A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT IN
AMERICA. UNFORTUNATELY THOSE WHO REMEMBER HIM BEST ARE ABOVE
ALL THOSE WHO CONSIDER HIM TO BE A SYMBOL OF FRENCH TREACHERY
AND EGOISM. MR. DE VILLEPIN MAY CONTINUE TO HAVE A HAND IN
FRENCH FOREIGN POLICY, BUT IT IS MR. CHIRAC WHO IS AT THE
COMMANDS, GUIDED BY AN ERRONEOUS IDEA OF AMERICAN INTERESTS IN
EUROPE."

IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO, IVAN RIOUFOL COMMENTS: "DE
VILLEPIN'S PACIFISM AND ANTI-BUSH STANCE HAVE WON HIM, SINCE
THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ, THE FAVOR OF A LARGE PART OF THE PUBLIC
OPINION. BUT HE WILL HAVE TO PUT A LID ON HIS CALL FOR A
`PLURAL' EUROPE AND THE BENEFITS THAT ISLAM COULD BRING TO IT.
IS THIS `OPEN-MINDEDNESS' A HARBINGER FOR THE WESTERNIZATION
OF ISLAM OR THE ISLAMIZATION OF EUROPE? WE CANNOT TOLERATE
THIS UNCERTAINTY."

PRIME MINISTER DE VILLEPIN'S DECISION TO NAME FORMER HEALTH
MINISTER PHILIPPE DOUSTE-BLAZY AS THE NEW FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MINISTER, REPLACING MICHEL BARNIER WHO IS OUSTED FROM THE
GOVERNMENT, PROMPTS COMMENTARY IN POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE
PARISIEN: "DOUSTE-BLAZY'S APPOINTMENT IS GREETED WITH
TREPIDATION BY THE EMPLOYEES OF THE MINISTRY. A NUMBER OF
DIPLOMATS REGARD HIM AS A MINISTER `FOR SHOW' WITH NO REAL
COMPETENCE IN TERMS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS."

DAILIES SPECULATE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE FOLLOWING THE
REFUSAL TO RATIFY THE EU CONSTITUTIONAL TREATY BY FRANCE AND
THE NETHERLANDS. LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION HEADLINES: "EUROPE

LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT," LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE: "EUROPE: ONE
MORE STEP TOWARDS CATASTROPHE," RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO'S
HEADLINE: "EUROPE: AFTER TWO NO'S, THE MACHINE IS OFF-KILTER"
AND IN ITS ARTICLE LE PARISIEN CALLS THE CONSTITUTION:
"MORIBUND." THE EDITORIAL IN LIBERATION PUTS FORWARD THAT:
"ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE UNION HAVE DIAGNOSED THE CLINICAL
DEATH OF THE CONSTITUTION, BUT NONE OF THEM WANT TO TAKE THE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SIGNING THE DEATH CERTIFICATE." (SEE PART
C)

THE DIFFICULTIES THAT FACE TURKEY IN NEGOTIATIONS FOR EU
MEMBERSHIP FOLLOWING THE REFERENDA RESULTS ARE OUTLINED IN LE
FIGARO. THIERRY OBERLE WRITES FROM ANKARA: "IN ANKARA, THE
GOVERNMENT NOTES THAT JACQUES CHIRAC'S GROWING POLITICAL
ISOLATION IS A HANDICAP THAT WEAKENS HIS CREDIBILITY IN
PROMOTING EU MEMBERSHIP FOR TURKEY." IN A SEPARATE ARTICLE, LE
FIGARO'S WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT REMARKS: "WASHINGTON IS
CONCERNED THAT THE EU WILL SEE NEW MEMBERS AS A BURDEN,
JEOPARDIZING THE ADHESION OF TURKEY - AMERICA'S STRATEGIC
PARTNER WITHIN NATO."

DAILIES REPORT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF FRANCO-LEBANESE
JOURNALIST SAMIR KASSIR WHO WAS "IN THE LINE OF SIGHT OF BOTH
THE SYRIAN REGIME AND HEZBOLLAH" ACCORDING TO LE FIGARO.
LIBERATION REMARKS THAT KASSIR "CONTINUALLY CROSSED THE RED
LINE OF WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE WRITTEN. HE ATTACKED,
DENOUNCED, ACCUSED. HE BORE WITNESS TO THE SITUATION
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ARAB WORLD."
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE CARRIES AN EXTENSIVE PROFILE OF AL
QAIDA LEADER ABU AL ZARKAWI BY PATRICE CLAUDE. "ZARKAWI
INVENTED AND SYSTEMATIZED TERROR THROUGH VIDEOS, BROADCASTING
A MULTITUDE OF SLAUGHTERS ON INTERNET. HE IS A MASTER OF
CHAOS, AND SINCE JUNE 2004 IS WORTH AS MUCH AS OSSAMA BIN
LADEN ON AMERICA'S MOST WANTED LIST."

PRESIDENT BUSH'S APPOINTMENT OF CHRISTOPHER COX TO REPLACE
WILLIAM DONALDSON AT THE HEAD OF THE SECURITY EXCHANGE
COMMISSION RECEIVES COVERAGE PRIMARILY IN THE ECONOMIC PRESS.
LE MONDE CALLS DONALDSON "THE MAN WHO WAS ABLE TO RESTORE THE
CREDIBILITY OF THE AMERICAN MARKET" BUT ECONOMIC LES ECHOS AND
LE FIGARO'S ECONOMIC SUPPLEMENT NOTE THAT COX, "WHO IS ONE OF
THEIR OWN"."IS A BETTER FRIEND TO CORPORATE AMERICA THAN
DONALDSON." (LE FIGARO, LES ECHOS RESPECTIVELY)

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDA FALLOUT

"FALLING APART"
THE EDITORIAL IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION BY JEAN-MICHEL
THENARD (06/03): "[PREOCCUPATION WITH]`NATIONAL INTERESTS' IS
BACK AND THIS IS WHAT MOTIVATED VOTERS IN FRANCE TO VOTE `NO'
IN ORDER TO DEFEND THEIR `SOCIAL MODEL' AND VOTERS IN HOLLAND
TO IMITATE THE FRENCH IN ORDER TO DEFEND THEIR `IDENTITY.' IN
LUXEMBURG, CITIZENS ARE WORRIED ABOUT PRESERVING THEIR TAX
HAVEN AND THE GERMANS HAVE STARTED DREAMING ABOUT THE RETURN
OF THE GERMAN MARK. THESE ARE ALL SIGNS THAT CONFIRM THE WOES
OF EUROPE ARE FUELING A NATIONALISTIC RETREAT AND VICE-VERSA.
AS FOR THE FRANCO-GERMAN COUPLE, IT IS LEFT WITHOUT PLAYERS.
BECAUSE OF THE REFERENDUM, CHIRAC HAS JUST FALLEN FLAT AND
SCHROEDER MAY BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME FATE IN THE FALL. A
POLITICAL EUROPE IS TRAGICALLY WITHOUT A FUTURE."

"THE DEATH OF PLAN B"
THE UNSIGNED EDITORIAL IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE (06/03):
"JUST THREE DAYS AFTER THE REFERENDUM IT HAS BECOME APPARENT
THAT THERE IS NO `PLAN B' PERMITTING A RE-NEGOTIATION OF THE
TEXT OF THE CONSTITUTION. EVEN IF THE UNION CONTINUES TO
FUNCTION WITH THE TREATY OF NICE, THE REJECTION OF THE
CONSTITUTION SHATTERS THE POLITICAL MOMENTUM [OF EUROPE] THAT
WAS ALREADY SINGULARLY LACKING IN DYNAMISM."

"WASHINGTON WORRIES OVER A DISUNITED EUROPE"
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO,
PHILIPPE GELIE, EDITORIALIZES (06/03): "THE AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT WAS SLOW TO REACT, AS MUCH BECAUSE OF A LACK OF
INTEREST AS A DESIRE FOR DIPLOMATIC PRUDENCE, BUT THE
POLITICAL CRISIS IN EUROPE HAS STARTED TO BE A SUBJECT OF
CONCERN IN WASHINGTON WHICH UNDERSCORES, A CONTRARIO, THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE U.S.'S PARTNERSHIP WITH EUROPE ON THE WORLD
SCENE." WOLFF