MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Iraq Islam - Democracy -

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TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Iraq Islam - Democracy -
Europe Energy War - Suez Merger
PARIS - Tuesday, February 28, 2006


(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

Iraq
Islam - Democracy - Europe
Energy War - Suez Merger

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

A majority of front pages are devoted to the concept of
"economic patriotism" in connection with the Suez-Gaz de
France merger/cum privatization. While La Croix offers its
pages as a platform for a debate "for or against" economic
patriotism between industry captains and union members, Le
Monde criticizes France for "ignoring Europe." In its
editorial on the energy war, Le Monde recalls Putin's stance
with Ukraine and Europe's lack of unity. (See Part C) In
popular right-of-center France Soir, Thomas Cantaloube
reports: "the Americans have no hang ups when it comes to
blocking undesirable takeovers." Financial La Tribune notes
that financial markets are "perplexed" by the government's
attitude, while economic Les Echos reports that "The Suez-EDF
Merger Elicits Strong Reactions in Europe" but leads with PM
Villepin's first reversal on the unemployment front, with
figures for January slightly higher, up .7%. Le Figaro devotes
its lead to the gang leader arrested in Abidjan in connection
with the abduction and murder of the young Jewish man, Illan
Halimi. Le Figaro's second front-page story is devoted to the
controversy surrounding the role of Germany before the
military intervention in Iraq. While Pierre Bocev reports on
this "politically delicate" affair for Berlin, Philippe Gelie
reports on Washington's concerns about "civil war in Iraq."
(See Part C)

Le Figaro carries an op-ed on Islam and democracy, where the
author analyzes democracy as an electoral process and
democracy as culture. (See Part C)

Much continues to be written about the spread of Avian Flu in
France as well as on the first vaccination campaigns of ducks
and geese in departments where dead poultry has been diagnosed
with the H5N1 virus. Trade Minister Christine Lagarde
announced yesterday that "some twenty countries have decided
an embargo against importing poultry and foie gras from
France" but these, she added, "represent only 5% of France's
annual exports."
Popular France Soir makes an early start on next week's
Women's Day and devotes its lead to Segolene Royal, "the
socialist Representative who could become President," and
Francoise de Panafieu, the UMP candidate that can threaten
Paris Mayor Delanoe in the next election. The headline reads:
"These Women Are Dynamite" while editorialist Serge Faubert
compares them to "the new Amazons, incensed by the public, but
annoying to their party's head honchos."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

Iraq

"Washington Embarrassed by Threat of Civil War in Iraq"
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/28): "Most
experts are predicting a slowdown in U.S. troop withdrawal. As
much from reflex as from a lack of options, the Bush
administration is hiding its head in the sand following the
explosion of the mosque in Samarra. Once again, not changing a
thing is seen in Washington as the best strategy.
Embarrassment appears to be permeating the corridors of the
Bush administration whose margin of maneuver remains narrow.
While touring the Middle East, Secretary Rice acknowledged
that the situation was `extremely grave and delicate' but did
not expound on a solution. Experts agree on one thing: the
American calendar has been upset by the recent violence, and
salvation, according to them, lies in a strong U.S. presence
remaining in Iraq."

"Berlin Said to Have Given Bush the Keys to Baghdad"
Pierre Bocev in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/28): "While the
allegations made by the New York Times have been rejected by
the German government's spokesman, the situation remains
politically delicate for a nation that espoused a `policy of
peace.' But Merkel's new government has been saying that
Germany was not as opposed to the Americans as it said it
was."

Islam - Democracy - Europe

"Islamists, Democracy, France and Europe"
Zaki Laidi of the European Center for International Research
(CERI) in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/28): "There are three
approaches to the Middle East and democracy. The cultural
stance sees democracy as a luxury imported from the West and
whose so-called virtues will be exploited by Islamic
extremists. The realistic American approach called the
Kissinger doctrine, adopted in France under the name
`Chevenement doctrine,' believes that stability is the key
word and that it is better to have an authoritarian secular
regime rather than an Islamic extremist regime, even if
democratically elected. Then there is the Bush approach, which
believes that the absence of democracy in the Muslim world
explains its lower social rank, and favors imposing democracy,
including through force. Democracy has two dimensions which
are often confused: democracy as a process and democracy as
culture. The former is the condition for any democracy and
does not exist in the Muslim Arab world, except in Turkey.
Democracy as culture requires internalizing a number of
precepts. The opposition between the French and the Americans
over the dilemma of importing democracy must be overcome.
Democracy does not resolve all, but without democracy nothing
can be resolved. In this context, America's failure in Iraq
must not lead us to believe that we were right. The old French
belief that an authoritarian regime is better than an Islamic
regime is absurd and counter productive. Europe needs to
acknowledge that there is a problem of democracy in the Arab-
Muslim world and that the lack of pluralism impedes
development. It must find a middle of the road approach, away
from the `Chevenement doctrine' but without imitating the
ineffective `Bush doctrine.' France has a responsibility in
this matter: first because our diplomacy has been complacent
towards these regimes, but also because France enjoys a
certain credibility in that part of the world."

Energy War - Suez Merger

"Nationalism"
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (02/28): "When
Vladimir Putin shut off the gas going to Ukraine, the EU
discovered it lacked unity to deal with Russia, its number one
energy provider, thus putting itself at the mercy of Russia.
This is why everyone believes that Europe's energy security
requires the construction of pan-European groups rather than
`national groups.' Giving up on Europe is bad for the
consumer; it is bad for Europe. In 1998, the just as strategic
defense industry's salvation came from the creation of EADS.
The same must be done for the energy industry."

"Old and Musty"
Jean-Michel Thenard in left-of-center Liberation (02/28):
"Once again Europe has suffered a harsh blow when it comes to
the EU and its industrial policy. Rather than feeling
threatened by Italy's take-over attempt of Suez, it would have
been better to work on a transnational alliance to build a
European energy giant. Instead, France's `economic patriotism'
signals a France on the defensive and afraid of competition.
Villepin's France may well begin to look old and smell musty."

"Europe Loses to Provincialism"
Guillaume Goubert in Catholic La Croix (02/28): "The only
certainty in the confusion of the Suez deal is that Europe has
lost. What can be targeted as `economic patriotism' at the
national level, is more like provincialism when measured at
the level of a continent. The objective for member nations
should be to favor cooperative alliances in major industrial
sectors, as was the case with EADS in aerospace. When our
national `giants' become the target of hungry groups from
other continents, we will regret our lack of European
patriotism." STAPLETON