MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Iraq GWOT - Guantanamo -

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001199 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 GWOT - Guantanamo - Bagram Iran PARIS - Monday, February 27, 2006 (A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: Iraq GWOT - Guantanamo - Bagram Iran B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: The aftermath of the slaying of a young Jewish man, Ilan Halimi, and yesterday's silent march that brought out tens of thousands, including France's top politicians across the political spectrum, is one of today's front-page stories. The other is the Suez-Gaz de France merger in order to fend off a hostile takeover by Italy's Enel. Le Figaro sees the merger as a "surprise privatization" which has led to protest from unions, but also from Italy's government, which is accusing France of "protectionism." Le Figaro comments on the government's decision: "This is a good surprise. France, which claims to be liberal and European, when speaking in Brussels, is extremely lukewarm at home about privatization, mainly because it wants to keep unions happy." Avian Flu is spreading with new cases of swans infected with the H5N1 virus in the same region of France where there were ducks and turkeys were previously diagnosed. President Chirac's visit to the Salon de l'Agriculture is widely reported, along with his message to "eat chicken." As more cases of Avian Flu are diagnosed, France's officials reiterate that "eating poultry is safe." Le Figaro details France's plan to fight against Avian Flu explaining the role of each national health agency. In its reporting on the chicungunya epidemic in Reunion, the other health-related top story, Le Figaro quotes Health Minister Bertrand about the cooperation between France and the University of Maryland in developing a vaccine against the virus. The New York judge's ruling that the Pentagon must reveal the names of detainees in Guantanamo is reported in Le Figaro, in an introduction to a major report on the modernization of Guantanamo. (See Part C) Iran's preliminary agreement with Russia is today's other main international story. (See Part C) The editorial in Les Echos reflects on the "binary" view of the White House in seeing the war against terrorism as a battle between Good and Evil. (See Part C) (C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: Iraq "Bush and the Binary System" Right-of-center Les Echos in its editorial (02/27): "The American intervention in Iraq has had as its principle effect, up to now, to destabilize the power relationship between Sunnis and Shiites in the region. The risk that the southern half of Iraq and the oil fields of Basra and of the Gulf falling under Iranian Shiite influence is now very serious for the Sunni camp. Samarra (site of the attack on the Shiite mosque) could become the founding act of a civil war in Iraq, which no one could predict the outcome and which we fail to see how it could be managed by the American army. It could equally open the door to a partitioning of the country into three parts. In Washington, people must admit that binary thought has its limits. In Tehran, they have known that for a long time and are rubbing their hands." Iran "Glimmer of Hope in Nuclear Crisis" Delphine Minoui in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/27): "The agreement for a joint venture between Tehran and Moscow on uranium enrichment brings a glimmer of hope to an otherwise stalemated crisis. The Russian proposal for Iran to enrich its uranium on Russian soil is meant to alleviate the international communities' concerns about Iran acquiring the atomic bomb. But nothing proves that Tehran will give up uranium enrichment on its territory. The Russians are playing a key role in the diplomatic pas-de-deux between Iran and the international community, with a personal interest in resolving the crisis. Sanctions against Iran could indeed put a damper on a number of economic partnerships between Russia and Iran. First among them, the nuclear plant in Bouchehr, where the Russians are supervising the construction of two nuclear reactors, presumably `commercial' nuclear reactors, and despite the annoyance this has caused in Washington." GWOT - Guantanamo - Bagram "Guantanamo, a Fortress of the Absurd" Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/27): "Four years after Guantanamo opened, 409 detainees remain, although they have been transferred to more modern installations. While the officials here insist on the improvements which have been made here, it is also clear that compared to a visit made in 2003, the changes observed prove that Guantanamo is here to stay. What has not changed in Guantanamo is the absurdity surrounding the base. Absurd not because the fortress has no reason for being - some detainees are proven Jihaddists - absurd because the detention has its own laws which escape common sense. The concept of `error' has not arrived here yet, despite a few liberated inmates. While the U.S. General in charge reiterates that all inmates `are here for a reason,' none is here for a good reason: `a reason' that only the law could determine. The absence of light at the end of the tunnel erases every effort by the U.S. Military to give a `positive image' of this `model prison.'" "A Second Guantanamo in Bagram" Pascal Riche in left-of-center Liberation (02/27): "There is worse than Guantanamo: it is the U.S. base in Bagram, outside Kabul. Initially meant as a center for triage of prisoners to be dispatched elsewhere, Bagram has become a permanent detention center. Some 500 prisoners, Afghans for the most part, are detained in conditions which are much worse than those in Guantanamo. A situation until now undisclosed, but reported in the New York Times, and which emphasizes that contrary to the detainees in Guantanamo, those in Bagram cannot contest their detention before a U.S. court and have no legal representation. The number of detainees here has been steadily growing, since the U.S. has been under fire about its Guantanamo detention center conditions." STAPLETON