French Journalist NATO Tour to Norfolk Virginia

UNCLAS PARIS 004909

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/PPD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIRC KPAO OIIP OTRA FR NATO EUN
SUBJECT: French Journalist NATO Tour to Norfolk Virginia
June 13-17, 2005


1. SUMMARY: Paris Public Affairs nominated senior foreign
editor Alain Louyot from weekly center-right news magazine
l'Express [circulation 548,195] for the June 13-17 NATO Tour
to Norfolk Virginia. Louyot's article, "Norfolk: The
Antiterrorist Armada" appeared in the July 11-17 issue of
the magazine. The very positive piece highlighted the
transformation of NATO's capabilities in order to respond to
new threats, and the impressive number of military officers
from all of the NATO countries working at the Norfolk
command. Louyot's feedback about the Tour's organization and
logistics also was extremely positive. Embassy Paris
appreciates the opportunity to nominate participants for
these tours. END SUMMARY


2. After more than thirty years of reporting on foreign
affairs, this was not Louyot's first NATO Tour, nor was it
his first visit of a military installation. However, in a
note addressed to the Press Office, Louyot noted that,
contrary to previous visits, the fact that this tour was
organized by the US Mission to NATO within the context of
NATO Transformation made the experience more rewarding.


3. He observed that the need for NATO Transformation has
become particularly pressing in a world faced with the
constant threat of terrorism and that the Tour impressed on
the participants that changes within NATO are not simply
theoretical in nature but are instead urgent and tangible.
In his July 11-17 article he wrote: "The massacre of the
morning of July 7, apparently perpetrated by Islamist
terrorists in the heart of the British capital, serves to
underscore the urgent necessity for the West not to let its
guard down." Louyot said that the Tour served to demonstrate
the West's real capacity to defend itself above and beyond
conflicts that may arise, namely in Iraq and he stressed the
military and technological contribution of the U.S.: "The
American military. remains a colossal war machine with which
the other Alliance partners cannot compare."


4. Thanks to the many meetings Louyot had with high-level
ACT officials in Norfolk, he emphasized the initiatives
taken by the US to improve cooperation and interoperability
among the 26 members of NATO in his report as exemplified by
the noteworthy "presence of non-Americans [at high levels
of] responsibility [as] a sign of.[this] interoperability."


5. Louyot concluded his two-page article remarking on the
impressive technological means that NATO disposes of for
training and experimentation and cautioned that "while it
would be unwise to make hasty judgments concerning the
effectiveness, in the field, of this advanced technology. it
is impossible not to be impressed [by it]."


6. Louyot's piece adds a positive and accurate dimension to
the fairly sparse - and mostly critical -- French reporting
on NATO Transformation. Recent articles on NATO Allied
Command Transformation have acknowledged that NATO needs to
be adapted to deal with new threats, particularly the world-
wide threat of terrorism, but continue to question the
dominance of American technology in the transformation
process. Last month Jean-Pierre Stroobants wrote in left-of-
center Le Monde: "Washington's desire for a uniformization
of the systems is seen by some NATO members as an attempt to
subjugate them to the Pentagon." Communist l'Humanite has
characterized NATO as the U.S. "Trojan Horse." Economic Les
Echos recently carried an analysis of NATO transformation in
light of the Organization's involvement in Africa,
particularly in the Sudan.


7. Louyot's note to the Paris Information Office praised
the NATO Tour for its smooth organization, spirit of
conviviality, and for the opportunity it afforded him to
meet colleagues from various European dailies, especially
from the former Soviet-bloc countries, and to share their
views of the world. As a journalist, Louyot found the
experience enriching, and on a personal level, he mentioned
his delight at having had a chance to go to the U.S.