Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PARIS3895
2005-06-06 10:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION REPORT - EUROPE: AFTERMATH OF THE EU

Tags:  OPRC KMDR FR 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003895

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 - EUROPE: AFTERMATH OF THE EU

REFERENDUM - LEBANON AND SYRIA - DARFUR

PARIS - MONDAY, JUNE 06, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

EUROPE: AFTERMATH OF THE EU REFERENDUM
LEBANON AND SYRIA
DARFUR

(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT BY BRITISH FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER JACK
STRAW TO POSTPONE A REFERENDUM IN THE UK ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL
TREATY IS WIDELY REPORTED. WEEKLY NEWSPAPER LE JOURNAL DU
DIMANCHE REPORTS: "PARIS, BERLIN AND LUXEMBURG WOULD HAVE
PREFERRED THAT TONY BLAIR'S GOVERNMENT WAIT UNTIL THE EU
SUMMIT IN BRUSSELS ON JUNE 16 AND 17 TO MAKE THIS DECISION."
POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN, FOR ITS PART, NOTES:
"TONY BLAIR COULD NOT HAVE DECIDED OTHERWISE, BEING AS HE IS,
AT THE HEAD OF THE MOST EURO-SKEPTIC COUNTRY AMONG THE TWENTY-
FIVE. NOW THAT HE WILL TAKE ON THE PRESIDENCY OF THE EU IT
WILL BE UP TO HIM TO OFFICIALLY PRONOUNCE THE DEATH OF THE
CONSTITUTION." CATHOLIC LA CROIX, HOWEVER, REPORTS THAT: "THE
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN B APPEARS TO BE INCREASINGLY LIKELY WITH A
POSSIBLE RE-WORKING OF THE TEXT OF THE CONSTITUTION AND A NEW
VOTE IN FRANCE AND IN THE NETHERLANDS." (SEE PART C)

DAILIES MENTION THE "FAADE OF HUGS AND SMILES FOR THE CAMERA"
BETWEEN JACQUES CHIRAC AND GERHARD SCHROEDER THAT DO NOT ALTER
THE "DISARRAY THAT HAS TAKEN HOLD OF THE FRANCO-GERMAN
COUPLE." (LIBERATION)

WITH ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT UNTIL THE ELECTION IN IRAN, FRENCH
DAILIES REPORT THE CONCERN OVER "GROWING ABSTENTION." LEFT-OF-
CENTER LIBERATION NOTES THAT THE "ISLAMIC REPUBLIC CANNOT
AFFORD TO SEE ITS LEGITIMACY CALLED INTO QUESTION BECAUSE OF A
LOW VOTER TURNOUT PRECISELY AT A TIME WHEN IT IS UNDERGOING
CONSIDERABLE INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE BECAUSE OF ITS NUCLEAR
ACTIVITIES."

MOST DAILIES REPORT ON THE SECOND ROUND OF THE LEGISLATIVE
ELECTIONS IN LEBANON LAMENTING THE VICTORY OF AMAL-HEZBOLLAH
THAT LA CROIX CALLS AN ALLIANCE "AGAINST NATURE". THE FUNERAL
OF FRANCO-LEBANESE JOURNALIST SAMIR KASSIR ELICITS SOME
REPORTS AND COMMENTARIES, COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE SAYS THE
FUNERAL WAS MARKED BY "ANGER AND TEARS." THE SYRIAN
PRESIDENT'S PROPOSED REFORMS, WHICH HE INTENDS TO ANNOUNCE AT
THE TENTH BAATH PARTY CONGRESS IN DAMASCUS TODAY, IS SEEN BY

LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE'S EDITORIALIST AS A SERIES OF "BOGUS
REFORMS INTENDED TO. MASK A SYSTEM OF TERROR THAT HAS BEEN IN
PLACE FOR THE LAST FORTY-TWO YEARS." (SEE PART C)

CATHOLIC LA CROIX DEVOTES ITS FRONT-PAGE AND FIVE-PAGE MAIN
STORY TO DARFUR OUTLINING THE CONSEQUENCES OF TWO YEARS OF
CIVIL WAR FOR MILLIONS OF SUDANESE. (SEE PART C)

POPULAR DAILY FRANCE SOIR EXPLAINS THE REASONS FOR THE STRONG
ANTI-FRENCH SENTIMENT IN COTE D'IVOIRE AND PRESIDENT LAURENT
DGAGBO GIVES A TWO-PAGE INTERVIEW IN WHICH HE STATES "CHIRAC
LET ME DOWN."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

EUROPE: AFTERMATH OF THE EU REFERENDUM

"TWO TURBULENT WEEKS FOR EUROPE"
ON PRIVATE RTL RADIO, ISABELLE DATH NOTED (06/06): "THE HOUSE
IS ON FIRE. EVEN IF THE SMOKE CLEARED A LITTLE YESTERDAY WITH
THE SWISS "YES," IT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO STOP THE SPREAD OF EURO-
SKEPTICISM. ESPECIALLY SINCE TODAY GREAT BRITAIN INTENDS TO
GIVE THE COUP DE GRACE TO THE TREATY. JACK STRAW WILL
CAREFULLY WEIGH EACH WORD IN ORDER NOT TO APPEAR LIKE THE
CONSTITUTIONS' GRAVEDIGGER, BUT THE RESULT IS THE SAME."

"BLAIR AT THE HEART OF EUROPE"
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (06/06):
"EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE "NO" VOTES IN FRANCE AND IN THE
NETHERLANDS HAVE CHANGED THE OUTLOOK. NOW, THE REMAINDER OF
THE COUNTRIES THAT WILL BE VOTING WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE TO
SUPPORT OR REJECT A TEXT THAT IS ALREADY DOOMED AND THE
PROPONENTS OF THE `YES' VOTE ARE IN THE SURREALIST POSITION OF
HAVING TO DEFEND A LOST CAUSE. BETWEEN THEORY AND REALITY A
CLEAR CHOICE WILL HAVE TO BE MADE AND TONY BLAIR IS THE MAN
FOR THIS TASK. FOR HIM THE CRISIS IN EUROPE HAS A REAL
ADVANTAGE, IT ENABLES HIM TO AVOID CERTAIN DEFEAT IN THE
REFERENDUM THAT HE HAD PLANNED FOR 2006. NOW, IN ORDER TO
PROVE THAT THE UNION CAN STILL FUNCTION, AN AGREEMENT ON THE
2007-2013 BUDGET NEEDS TO BE FOUND. ON THIS POINT TONY BLAIR
IS ON THE DEFENSIVE. HE HOLDS THE KEY THAT COULD START UP
EUROPEAN MACHINE ONCE AGAIN BECAUSE FRANCE AND GERMANY ARE
MUCH TOO WEAK TO SERVE AS THE MOTOR FOR EUROPE TODAY."

LEBANON AND SYRIA
GILLES DELAFON IN SUNDAY NEWSPAPER LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE
(06/05): "YESTERDAY IN BEIRUT, THE COURAGEOUS SAMIR KASSIR WAS
BURIED. HE WAS THE VICTIM OF MURDER. OBVIOUSLY ORCHESTRATED BY
THE SYRIAN REGIME. WASHINGTON HAS MEASURED THE SCOPE OF THE
THREAT POSED BY DAMASCUS, WHICH IN RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL
DISAPPROVAL, TEST FIRED SCUD MISSILES MADE IN NORTH KOREA. THE
REGIME IS DAMASCUS IS DETERMINED NOT TO YIELD. AND THE UNITED
STATES SEEMS TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER DOING AWAY WITH THIS
REGIME. PARIS AND WASHINGTON [ARE WORKING TOGETHER] ON THIS
ISSUE AND GEORGE W. BUSH SURPRISED THE FRENCH BY INVITING
MICHEL BARNIER TO WASHINGTON IN ORDER TO HEAR HIS ASSESSMENT
OF THE SITUATION IN LEBANON. THE PENTAGON DOES NOT HIDE THE
FACT THAT IT WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE END OF THIS REGIME THAT
FINANCES THE SUNNI GUERILLAS IN IRAQ. AND AT THE STATE
DEPARTMENT, THE THOUGHT IS THAT THE CURRENT ANARCHY IN BAGHDAD
COULD BE THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO PROVOKE A SURPRISE REGIME
CHANGE IN DAMASCUS. FOR THE FRENCH IT IS THE SYRIAN
INTERFERENCE IN LEBANON THAT IS A SUBJECT OF CONCERN. PARIS
AND WASHINGTON WILL HAVE TO ONCE AGAIN WAVE THE THREAT OF
SANCTIONS AGAINST DAMASCUS IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE KILLERS OF
THIS HAVEN OF TERROR FROM CONTINUING TO ACT WITH COMPLETE
IMPUNITY."

"DAMASCUS ACCUSED"
THE SUNDAY-MONDAY EDITION OF LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE CARRIES
AN UNSIGNED EDITORIAL (06/05-06): "DESPITE DAMASCUS' DENIALS,
EVERYTHING POINTS TO SYRIA'S IMPLICATION IN THE MURDER OF
SAMIR KASSIR. THE MOTIVE IS CLEAR: TO INTIMIDATE BY STRIKING
CIVIL SOCIETY. THE JOURNALIST WAS AN EASY TARGET, BUT THE
LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE UNDER THE WATCHFUL
EYES OF HUNDREDS OF FOREIGN OBSERVERS SHOULD HAVE PROVIDED HIM
WITH A CERTAIN DEGREE OF PROTECTION. JUST AS THE PRESENCE OF
UN OBSERVERS IN LEBANON TO FIND OUT THE `TRUTH' BEHIND RAFIK
HARIRI'S ASSASSINATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN A DETERRENT. INSTEAD,
THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE MURDERS STRUCK WHEN THEY WERE
THOUGHT TO BE WEAKENED, AND THEY DID SO WITH AN EASE THAT
ACCOMPANIES A FEELING OF TOTAL IMPUNITY."

DARFUR

"THE ICC: PART I"

RADIO COMMENTATOR ON STATE-RUN FRANCE INTER BERNARD GUETTA
NOTED THIS MORNING: "DESPITE THE SCOPE OF THE HUMANITARIAN AID
TO THE REGION, DESPITE PRESSURE ON THE PART OF THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON THE GOVERNMENT OF KHARTOUM, DESPITE
THE CEASE-FIRE THAT WAS SIGNED TWO MONTHS AGO, THE NUMBER OF
VICTIMS OF ILLNESS AND MALNUTRITION CONTINUE TO RISE. THIS IS
WHY THE SECURITY COUNCIL HAS TURNED TO THE ICC. AND TO
UNDERSCORE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION, THE U.S. HAS
AGREED TO THIS RESOLUTION EVEN WHILE CONTINUING TO OPPOSE THE
VERY EXISTENCE OF THIS COURT." WOLFF