MEDIA REACTION REPORT - WTO and EU Agreements

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 008525 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 - WTO and EU Agreements Iran PARIS - Monday, December 19, 2005 (A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: WTO and EU Agreements Iran B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: The agreements at the WTO and in Brussels are prominently featured on today's front pages and all editorials, national as well as regional are devoted to these two sets of compromises. Editorialists applaud the agreements, which in the case of Hong Kong "saves the WTO." But as Liberation points out, "the question is what is the tie-in between the agreements in Brussels and in Hong Kong?" La Croix comments: "The Brussels agreement helped Hong Kong." But for Le Figaro, the agreement reached in Hong Kong will have "important consequences" for France's agriculture in 2013. (See Part C) President Bush's new stance towards torture is a major story in Le Figaro. Reporting from New York, Jean-Louis Turlin comments on President Bush's "new stance:" "This weekend he had to sign a text banning torture he did not want to sign. On Saturday, instead of talking about Iraq, he devoted his radio talk exclusively to the telephone tapping controversy: President Bush confessed but went on the offensive." Liberation's report is titled: "Bush Proud of His Big Ears." Iran and Syria are the two major international stories eliciting commentaries. An op-ed by Renaud Girard in Le Figaro is titled "The Calculated Provocations of Iran's President." Girard contends that Ahmadinejad's remarks are part of a plan. "The regime has decided to play up to the Arab-Muslim masses rather than to the regimes." Le Monde's editorial on Saturday was also titled: "Provocations" and called the international community to act. (See Part C) Le Journal du Dimanche interviews Iran's Emadeddin Baghi who was recently awarded France's Human Rights Award: "Ahmadinejad's remarks are meant to provoke. But his goal is meant as domestic propaganda." The UN vote resolution 1644 is reported in Le Figaro: "Damascus is relieved about the nature of the resolution. which did not say Damascus was not cooperating, but that it was just slow in cooperating. Syrian officials are saying, `if we are slow, it means we are cooperating.'" A separate report mentions Al-Assad's new `religious' terminology in his speeches. "Normally secular, the Baath party is trying to garner support from the religious base." Kosovo's independence is the basis for a page-long report in Le Figaro which interviews Serbia's President Boris Tadic who is in Paris. "Contrary to the international community which supports Kosovo's independence, Tadic is more in favor of autonomy." says the report. On the domestic front, Sunday's Le Journal du Dimanche carries an opinion poll showing that President Chirac and PM Villepin both lose two percentage points, but Villepin remains ahead by 18 percentage points: 33 percent of respondents back Chirac while 51 back Villepin. (C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: WTO and EU Agreements "The Countdown for Agriculture" Philippe Reclus in right-of-center Le Figaro (12/19): "More than the content of the agreement, what counts is the gesture made by the Europeans in Hong Kong. Europe understands the importance of developing exchanges; it also understands how crucial it was not to block the talks. But for France's agriculture, this weekend will go down in history as the start of an unavoidable countdown." "A Last Minute Agreement" Gerard Dupuy in left-of-center Liberation (12/19): "In negotiations like those of the WTO, everyone thinks about one's own interests. With this in mind, the unanimous agreement reached in Hong Kong is a small miracle. and marks a break with previous failures. One more failure and the WTO may not have survived. The compromise marks the official birth declaration for emerging nations and their rise to power. Ultra liberalism had to back off some in Hong Kong, but the final agreement is a move towards liberalism. There remains a question: to what extent are the agreements reached in Brussels and Hong Kong tied?" "Regulation or Solidarity?" Francois Ernenwein in Catholic La Croix (12/19): "Is the glass half full or half empty? Considering the risks for the EU, we must salute the Brussels agreement. Despite the meager tangible results, the agreement salvages the principle of compromise. This was essential so that Europe can move forward. This positive dynamic was immediately beneficial in another part of the world. The Brussels agreement helped the one in Hong Kong. It is clear that this move towards organization through negotiated agreements is a sign of progress: an open world requires regulations. But what of the glass half empty? This applies to Europe and the WTO. Although the step-by-step policy has its virtues, it soon reaches its own limitations. Regulation is effective only if it can widen its goals: it must promote solidarity. And today, this is not obvious in Europe. Neither is it obvious at the WTO." "Selfishness at Work" Pascal Aubert in centrist La Tribune (12/19): "Certain successes have the bitter taste of failure. In Brussels, everyone is relieved because everyone is convinced that the worst has been avoided. But no one believes that the last minute agreement answers the expectations of solidarity between the wealthy and less wealthy Europeans. National selfishness has once again triumphed. At the other end of the world, another battle of selfishness has deprived 2 billion human beings of hope. In Brussels, as in Hong Kong, solidarity was once again heralded and forgotten." "Making Trade More Human" Paul Burel in regional Ouest France (12/19): "An agreement made in Hong Kong is not only good for trade and growth, it is also good for democracy and peace. On condition that those who signed the agreement go the next step and act on what they have agreed. But this is something no one can guarantee. It seems that Europe has made much more painful sacrifices than its partners. In this game of make believe, the U.S. gets the top award. Despite the generous offers made for window dressing, the Americans keep protecting the heavy subsidies they grant their farmers. China offers a good example: it reminds us that to regulate commerce it is not enough to liberalize it. It means to make it more just and more moral: in a word, more human. There is still lots of work ahead." Iran "Provocations" Left-of-center Le Monde's editorial (12/17) comments: "How can the West, and most particularly the U.S. and France, react to the bloody provocations of assassinated figures in Lebanon? They want to continue to work through diplomacy and a UN resolution. They feel this is the most appropriate way. Maybe. On condition that the text is not too toned down... In certain instances the need for international unanimity is contrary to the principle of effectiveness. The same goes for Iran and its president, who has been making repeated verbal provocations against Israel... All the while, the Mullah's regime continues with its uranium enrichment program, which should in the fullness of time lead Iran to the nuclear bomb. The Europeans, in concert with the Americans, are trying to dissuade Tehran with the threat of a UN vote on sanctions. But each time Iran flouts them, they step back with the hope of safeguarding the unity of the international community, united in its inaction. The alternative does not lie between indecision and the promotion of a changing of the regime, or even as the Americans see it, an armed intervention. But the Europeans should know through experience that to appease is not enough to eliminate the danger." HOFMANN