MEDIA REACTION REPORT - SECRETARY RICE TO ASIA: NORTH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004843

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 - SECRETARY RICE TO ASIA: NORTH
KOREA G-8: CLIMATE
PARIS - TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2005


(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:


1. SECRETARY RICE TO ASIA: NORTH KOREA

2. G-8: CLIMATE

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

A VARIETY OF DOMESTIC STORIES ARE FEATURED ON TODAY'S FRONT
PAGES, EXCEPT FOR LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE, WHICH HEADLINES:
"IRAQ BEHIND `JIHAD' IN EUROPE." IN CONNECTION WITH THE LONDON
BOMBINGS, LE MONDE INTERVIEWS CHRISTOPHE CHABOUD, A FRENCH
TERRORISM EXPERT WHO EXPLAINS: "THE WAR HAS RE-LAUNCHED A
`TOTAL WAR' AGAINST THE WEST. THE WAR IN IRAQ IS CENTRAL TO
THIS WORLDWIDE JIHAD. ZARKAWI HAS DECIDED TO GIVE A RELIGIOUS
IMAGE TO HIS RHETORIC, RATHER THAN A BLOOD-COVERED WAR-TYPE
IMAGE. THUS HE HAS BECOME A MODEL FOR JIHADDISTS WHO DREAM OF
DOING IN EUROPE WHAT HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED IN IRAQ." POPULAR
RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR CARRIES A DOUBLE PAGE REPORT
TITLED: "TERRORIST GROUPS BEHIND LONDON BOMBINGS LINKED TO
IRAQ." ACCORDING TO JEAN-CHARLES BRISARD, ALSO AN EXPERT ON
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM AND THE AUTHOR OF A BOOK ON ZARKAWI:
"THE TWO MAIN SUSPECTS, NASAR AND GUERBOUZI GO WAY BACK; THEY
BOTH WORKED ON THE NEWSPAPER AL-ANSAR IN THE 90S. THEY BELONG
TO A GROUP LINKED TO IRAQ, AND FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS
TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN IRAQ HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT THE TIME
HAS COME TO EXPORT THE CONFLICT OUTSIDE IRAQ."

SECRETARY RICE'S TRIP TO ASIA IS REPORTED IN LE FIGARO AND LE

SIPDIS
MONDE, WITH BOTH OUTLETS NOTING THE RETURN OF PYONGYANG TO THE
NEGOTIATING TABLE. (SEE PART C)

LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION DEVOTES A ONE-PAGE REPORT TO THE
CONCLUSIONS OF THE G-8 ON GLOBAL WARMING TITLED "G-8 POSTPONES
PRECIPITATION TO THIS FALL" (SEE PART C) AND INTERVIEWS JEAN
JOUZEL, A CLIMATOLOGIST WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY GROUP AT
THE UN: "THE POSITIVE U.S. RESPONSE, OR MORE TO THE FACT
PRESIDENT BUSH'S POSITIVE RESPONSE, REFERS TO THE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT HUMAN ACTIVITY HAS A BEARING ON CLIMATE
PROBLEMS. A MONTH AGO THIS ADVANCE WAS NOT A GIVEN. THEREFORE
THIS CAN LOOK LIKE REAL PROGRESS. BUT THERE CONTINUES TO BE A
REAL LACK OF COMMITMENT FROM THE U.S. IN THE POST-KYOTO
NEGOTIATIONS. IN THIS REGARD WE CANNOT SAY THE U.S. HAS REALLY
ANSWERED THE CALL FROM THE ACADEMY OF SCIENTISTS."
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

SECRETARY RICE TO ASIA: NORTH KOREA

SIPDIS

"PYONGYANG RETURNS TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE"
PHILIPPE GELIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (07/12): "FROM THE
START OF HER TRIP TO ASIA, SECRETARY RICE GOT WHAT SHE CAME
FOR: NORTH KOREA HAS ACCEPTED TO RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING
TABLE. ALTHOUGH WASHINGTON CONTINUES TO HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT
PYONGYANG'S COMMITMENT TO GIVE UP ON ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL,
REGARDLESS OF THE CONCESSIONS OFFERED, IT HAS NO OTHER OPTION
AT THE READY. WHILE SOME U.S. OFFICIALS PROPOSE THE IDEA OF
SANCTIONS TO ISOLATE THE REGIME, SEOUL AND BEIJING OPPOSE THIS
OPTION. A MILITARY ESCALATION IS OUT OF THE QUESTION
CONSIDERING THE PENTAGON'S INVOLVEMENT IN IRAQ. AS A RESULT,
WASHINGTON HAS HAD TO MODERATE ITS APPROACH IN THE LAST FEW
MONTHS AND RESUMED RELATIONS WITH PYONGYANG, ALBEIT
UNOFFICIALLY. IT HAS ALSO UNOFFICIALLY ACCEPTED THE AID
`PACKAGE' OFFERED BY SOUTH KOREA TO ITS NORTHERN NEIGHBOR."

"WASHINGTON AND RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN SEOUL AND PYONGYANG"
PHILIPPE PONS IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE (07/12): "SEOUL HAS
CONCOCTED A VAST AID PLAN FOR NORTH KOREA IN EXCHANGE FOR ITS
RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. THE POSITION THAT SECRETARY
RICE WILL ADOPT IN SEOUL WILL BE AN INDICATION OF WASHINGTON'S
POSITION VIS-A-VIS PYONGYANG. IN THE PAST WEEKS WASHINGTON HAS
ADOPTED A RELATIVELY MODERATE APPROACH, WELL RECEIVED BY
PYONGYANG. AND DURING HER TRIP SECRETARY RICE SAID THAT `THE
U.S. HAD NO INTENTION OF INVADING NORTH KOREA.' IS THIS
`VERBAL DISARMAMENT' A SIGN THAT THE U.S. IS ADOPTING A MORE
MODERATE APPROACH? THE IMPASSE WITH NORTH KOREA ANNOYS
WASHINGTON, WHICH HAS MADE COERCION THE AXIS OF ITS DIPLOMACY.
IN THE SPAN OF TWO YEARS, WASHINGTON'S CRISIS MANAGEMENT
METHOD WITH NORTH KOREA HAS MADE THINGS WORSE. PYONGYANG'S
RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE HAS FOCUSED EVERY ATTENTION,
BUT IT DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT A SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS IS
IMMINENT. THE NEW FACTOR IN THE EQUATION IS THE LEVEL OF
`CONSULTATION' BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH AND THE
PROSPECT OF A `NATIONAL RE-CONCILIATION.'"

G-8: CLIMATE

"G-8 POSTPONES PRECIPITATION TILL NOVEMBER"
SYLVESTRE HUET IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (07/12): "FOR
CHIRAC THE RESULTS OF THE G-8 ON THE CLIMATE ARE
`SUBSTANTIAL.' PRESIDENT BUSH'S SENIOR ADVISOR, FARYAR
SHIRZAD, SAID: `WE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH THE FINAL RESULT.' BUT
FOR NGO'S IT IS `A RESULT DEVOID OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE.' WHAT
DOES THIS LACK OF CONSENSUS MEAN AND WHAT DOES ONE FIND BEHIND
THE RHETORIC OF CIRCUMSTANCE? THE `PROGRESS' INVOKED RELATES
EXCLUSIVELY TO THE INITIAL POSITION ADOPTED BY THE U.S.
PRESIDENT. IT COULD BE SUMMARIZED AS `CLIMATE, NO PROBLEM,' A
DENIAL OF THE ANALYSES MADE BY THE ACADEMY OF SCIENTISTS IN

1992. HENCE, THE SIMPLE MENTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE DUE TO GAS
EMISSIONS BY MAN BECOMES THE EQUIVALENT OF `PROGRESS' FROM THE
U.S. BUT THE CONFERENCE IN LONDON SCHEDULED FOR NEXT NOVEMBER
WILL SIGNAL INCREASED PRESSURE FOR THE U.S. IT WILL DE FACTO
SHED LIGHT ON THE HUGE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE U.S. . AND POINT
AN ACCUSING FINGER AT WASHINGTON... IN TIME THE DIPLOMATIC
PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS WILL MAKE THE AMERICAN
POSITION INCREASINGLY DELICATE." STAPLETON