MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Iraq Iran Bush Presidency -

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 007349

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 - Iraq Iran Bush Presidency -
Plame Affair European Summit Bernanke Nomination
PARIS - Thursday, October 27, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

Iraq
Iran
Bush Presidency - Plame Affair
European Summit
Bernanke Nomination

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

The remarks made by Iran's President Ahmadinejab are widely
reported. Le Figaro headlines "Iran: The President Wants
`Israel Wiped Off the Map.'" Underneath its headline, Le
Figaro comments: "In the midst of the nuclear crisis with
Iran, Mahmoud Ahhmadinejad calls for the destruction of
Israel." The tie-in between the nuclear crisis and the remarks
is also made apparent in the inside report, which quotes the
White House spokesman: "These remarks confirm what we have
been saying about the Iranian regime. They emphasize our
concerns about the country's nuclear ambitions." (See Part C)

Le Figaro's second major story is a report on the Plame affair
titled: "The White House in the Line of Fire of the American
Justice System." In his editorial Pierre Rousselin calls it
"the hour of truth for the White House." (See Part C)

Left-of-center Le Monde carries an editorial on Iraq and the
real question at stake, "which is not so much the rhythm of
the political process in Iraq but the war itself." (See Part
C)

Much coverage is devoted to today's European summit in Hampton
Court. Commentators agree that the summit is a "Faade" meant
to give an image of unity by "avoiding to speak about
controversial issues." La Tribune comments: "The lack of
stakes at the summit is meant to guarantee a peaceful level of
exchanges." (See Part C) The President of the European
Commission, Jose Manuel Barosso is interviewed in Le Figaro:
"The offer that the EU will make in Geneva on agriculture will
not be outside the EU mandate. It will be conditional and
balanced, and apt to unblock the negotiations. It will have
repercussions on tariffs, services and intellectual property.
Europe must not appear as responsible for failure of the
negotiations. An agreement will boost the economy, re-enforce
multilateralism, and be more in tune with the expectations of
developing countries."

La Croix carries a commentary on the Bernanke nomination which
drafts a positive picture of Alan Greenspan's policies. (See
Part C)


(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

Iraq

"Iraq: The Real Question"
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial: (10/27): "In
reality, the real question about Iraq is no so much the rhythm
of the political process. The real question is the war. On the
day that the U.S. President saluted the victory of the vote on
the Iraqi constitution he conveniently forgot to mention that
the U.S. had just registered its 2000th casualty in Iraq. The
only real question, with to date remains without an answer, is
the fact that the American occupation of Iraq continues to
feed the war itself, but that a precipitous pull out could be
the prelude to a civil war and the creation of a new sanctuary
for al-Qaeda. While Washington was wrong to occupy so brutally
Iraq once Saddam was toppled, and while the Iraqi population
rejoiced and expected deliverance instead of an occupation,
President Bush is right today to warn everyone against `the
dangerous illusion' of a departure that would look much like a
debacle."

Iran

"Iranian President Calls For Destruction of Israel"
Right-of-center Le Figaro (10/27): "This is the first time in
many years that such a high-ranking Iranian leader calls
openly for the destruction of Israel. Americans and Israelis
see in this declaration new proof that Tehran is back on a
hard line and that when it come to its nuclear policy, Iran is
indeed seeking to build up its nuclear arsenal under the cover
of commercial production of electricity."

Bush Presidency - Plame Affair

"The Leak That Threatens Bush"
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (10/27): "The
hour of truth has arrived for the Bush administration: dubious
methods could boomeranging against their own authors. While
the story of the leak seemed initially fairly benign, it can
seriously affect the decision-making process of the world's
most powerful nation. Revealing the name of a spy is pretty
stupid. especially when the intent is to discredit the husband
of said spy because he was wrong to reveal the truth about the
Administration's lies concerning Saddam Hussein's alleged WMD.
This is how the lie which served as a pretext for the war in
Iraq is coming back to haunt the White House. For the White
House this is one more worry to be added to a long series: the
mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina, the difficulties in Iraq.
and mostly the drop in popularity ratings for the President.
It is a paradox that the Plame affair should come up now, when
President Bush has put some order in his team, starting with
the very professional Condoleezza Rice. In a very different
area, the President's nomination of Bernanke to replace
Greenspan was unanimously saluted as a consensual choice
devoid of the ideological undercurrents Bush has been accused
of. It may be that feeling threatened, President Bush has
become wiser."

"The White House in the Line of Fire"
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (10/27): "The
White House looks as though it is expecting lightening to
strike. The Plame affair is explosive because it is reviving
the controversy about the motivations for the war in Iraq, the
manipulation of the intelligence reports on WMD and the
intimidation techniques used against those who opposed the
war. This is enough to shake the pedestal of the `President of
war.'"

European Summit

"The Devil's in the Details"
Patrick Sabatier in left-of-center Liberation (10/27): "Blair
is right when he says the EU must define a strategy to deal
with globalization. He is wrong when he claims that the
details can be dealt with later. Especially since the
`details' are in fact two huge elephants whose presence in
Hampton Court can hardly be forgotten: the British rebate and
agricultural subsidies. Nothing can be done in Europe unless
these two sacred elephants have been burned on the pyre. There
are other issues, such as the Turkish EU membership and the
problem of the EU institutions: the British EU Presidency has
done nothing to resolve these issues. Between a weakened
Chirac and a German Chancellor on the way out, Blair had no
choice but to try to hide behind a faade of forced smiles."

"Not the Real Thing"
Pascal Aubert in centrist La Tribune (10/27): "Today's summit
is Blair's best opportunity to make something of a presidency
which contrasts greatly with his initial high ambitions. It is
a summit of make believe. Its advantage lies in the
nondescript definition of its agenda. The British, in their
wisdom, have set no specific goals. The absence of stakes is
clearly aimed to guarantee a certain civility in the debates.
It will be up to the PR people to present the `summit' as the
first tangible `success' of the British presidency. In this
glacial era of EU relations, it is important to accept every
little bit, however insignificant."

"Europe as a Theatre of Shadow Puppets"
Francoise Crouigneau in right-of-center Les Echos (10/27):
"Seen from Washington and Beijing, the European Union looks
much like a theatre of shadow puppets. Despite its economic
weight, Europe's leaders do not seem able to reach political
maturity. And today's summit in Hampton Court may very well
confirm this impression. No one believed that this summit
might one day help to unravel the antagonisms gripping the EU.
There is a real risk today of the summit creating a feeling of
dj vu, not only for its members, but also for its partners."

Bernanke Nomination

"The Difficult Legacy Left by Greenspan"
Olivier Jay in Catholic La Croix (10/27): "Every observer
agrees: Greenspan has made possible the most durable and the
strongest growth in American history. He was able to master
events like the Internet bubble and the aftermath of 9/11. So
much so that under his mandate the U.S. only experienced two
slight recessions. But in fighting the Internet bubble,
Greenspan brought down interest rates to an all time low. This
s
was instrumental in avoiding a recession, but created the Real
Estate bubble, which has been sustaining the American economy.
When this bubble bursts, the American economy will once again
be vulnerable. Dealing with this will be one of the major
tasks Bernanke will have to tackle. Another one will be
preparing the world to a shared management of world crises."
HOFMANN