MEDIA REACTION REPORT - ETA Cease-Fire

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001891

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 - ETA Cease-Fire
Iraq
PARIS - Friday, March 24, 2006

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

ETA Cease-Fire
Iraq

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

From crisis to dialogue seems to be the message sent by
today's headlines in their appraisal of the confrontation
between PM Villepin and the opponents to his youth employment
legislation, the CPE. Union leaders will be meeting with
Villepin, which leads Liberation to headline "Forced Dialogue"
adding: "Important demonstrations force Villepin to meet with
unions." Le Figaro's article is entitled: "Villepin and Unions
Begin to Talk While Demonstrations Get Out of Hand." Indeed
pictures of burning cars are featured on most front pages and
led last evening's news broadcasts. For Le Parisien, there is
no doubt: "This CPE Is Dead . But the Ransacking Continues."
Le Parisien carries a poll showing that 66% of the French are
in favor of withdrawing the CPE, 35% among right-leaning
sympathizers and 85% among left-leaning sympathizers. Many
commentators bemoan the lost time over a dialogue which, for
Liberation, is bringing together two "reluctant"
interlocutors: "Villepin spurned by signs that his majority is
beginning to show signs of fatigue, and the unions who realize
that the situation in the streets is getting out of hand."

The ETA cease-fire leads Le Monde and Le Figaro to comment on
the "first signs of hope." Both invite France to "help
Zapatero" and "side with Spain." (See Part C) Catholic La
Croix interviews Joseba Arregi, a former minister from the
Spanish Basque region: "This cease-fire is the result of a
joint judicial and police Franco-Spanish cooperation. France's
contribution has been vital. Now France's help will be even
more important to keep small cells which disagree with the
movement from creating autonomous groups."

The Israeli election campaign, the EU Energy Summit, Belarus,
the liberation of three hostages held in Iraq and the
Washington Post story about a Minister of Saddam Hussein
having worked for France and the CIA, make up today's
international stories. Le Monde entitles one of its reports on
the Iraqi Minister: "Skepticism in Paris But the Cooperation
Confirmed" notes the "ambivalence in the French attitude that
along with Germany led the opposition to the war in Iraq. But
this is forgetting the context of the time." An unnamed source
at the French Defense Ministry is quoted: "Up until the
departure of Hans Blix's team from Iraq, cooperation between
Paris and Washington was complete." The article goes on:
"NBC's revelations will probably not have the same impact in
France as in Germany where public opinion discovered in the
past few months that their government's manifest opposition to
the war had not prevented it from cooperating with American
intelligence services backstage."

Le Monde reports on a U.S. study by two Harvard scholars who
claim that "the U.S. is experiencing acts of terrorism in part
because of the strong pro-Israeli lobbies in Washington." A
separate article relates the Israeli press's "concern" over
the study, which it interprets as "a warning signal."

At the EU Summit France's "economic patriotism" served to set
the tone, according to Le Figaro, which comments on Angela
Merkel's criticism of France's economic stance. All outlets
report on President Chirac walking out of the conference
center to protest a speech given in English, the "language of
business", according to Ernest-Antoine Selliere, the
"culprit." Seillere was previously President of the French
Association of Business Captains, MEDEF, and has now a similar
role at the European level.

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

ETA Cease-Fire
"Basque Hope"
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (03/24): "Caution is
the word. While the cease-fire is what PM Zapatero was waiting
for, he refrained from sounding triumphant. He also cautioned
that the peace process would be `long, hard and difficult.'
This `permanent cease-fire' looks much more promising than the
previous `indefinite truces.' While the idea of a `Great
Basque Nation' does not fit with either the Spanish or French
national approaches, Zapatero has initiated a reform that will
grant the region more autonomy. He will need the political
support of the French authorities, who cooperated closely
these past years in policing the borders. If Zapatero manages
to bring his plans to fruition he will have proved one can
reconcile standing firm in the face of violence with political
dialogue. Without the former, the war against terrorism is
condemned to fail. Without the latter, eradicating terrorism
remains a chimera. This lesson goes for more than just Spain.
This is why Zapatero must be able to count on France's
support."

"Hope for Peace for Basque Country"
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (03/24): "Let us
hope that this `permanent cease-fire' is the beginning of the
end for ETA. Spain deserves to be rid of this terrorist weight
it has been carrying for the last thirty years. Zapatero is
right to be cautious when he says he expects a `long, hard and
difficult' peace process. because the terrorists have
renounced none of their goals. But despite this, the hopes are
on a par with past hardships. The question remains whether the
terrorists will be willing to renounce some of their demands
in order to be part of the democratic process. France was
explicitly mentioned in their communiqu as being part of the
solution to the Basque situation. France will contribute to a
definitive peace in the Basque region only if, when it comes
to repression on this side of the Pyrenees, it keeps all of
Spain's well-defined interests clearly in mind."

Iraq

"Iraq and the U.S. Three Years Later"
Bernard-Henri Levy, author of American Vertigo, in his column
in right-of-center weekly Le Point (03/24): "This is an
opportunity for me to repeat what I have said before: that the
war was absurd, mismanaged, aiming at the wrong target and
achieving a tour de force: instead of reducing the number of
Islamic terrorists and their power, doing the exact opposite.
Having said this, anti-American paranoia is taking such
proportions, with exaggerations of a `satanic' America, that I
must also reiterate certain truths. The oil scenario is not
enough to explain the war. The truth is that Wolfowitz, Perle
and the others launched a war which cannot be explained by
such rationalization. As to America's `imperialism,' history
will in fact tell whether it was Jacksonism, Hamiltonism or
Wilsonism which were operative in the launching of the war.
What is certain is that the old concept of American
imperialism setting up a bridgehead in Iraq does not fit with
American tradition. Finally, the notion that princes of
darkness without morals or principles engaged in the most
immoral of all wars goes against logic. If morality were an
issue, the decision to topple Saddam made this war sensible.
It is only much later, when the political management of the
conflict came up, when winning peace rather that winning the
war turned into a disaster. America's mistake was not being
political enough. All this may appear theoretical for many:
but reality will hit when America reverts to its isolationism.
and abandons Iraq to its fate and a civil war. This is when we
will regret the time when America, despite its failings, still
cared about the world." STAPLETON