MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Islam and the West - Pope Benedict

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 006234 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. E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Islam and the West - Pope Benedict and Muslim Reactions Middle East - Hamas-Fatah Agreement Sarkozy to the U.S. - Chirac Annoyed PARIS - Monday, September 18, 2006 (A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: Islam and the West - Pope Benedict and Muslim Reactions Middle East - Hamas-Fatah Agreement Sarkozy to the U.S. - Chirac Annoyed B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: In an interview this morning on Europe One radio, his first since 2002, President Chirac commented on the Middle East, Lebanon, Iran and the Sudan. Asked about Interior Minister Sarkozy's trip to the U.S., Chirac asserted that he alone speaks for France. Liberation devotes a full page article to the Chirac camp's reactions to Sarkozy's visit to the U.S.: "Chirac Considers Sarkozy's Pro-Atlantic Stance Unfortunate," and runs Pierre Lellouche's op-ed, "Anti-Americanism is the Religion of Imbeciles." Several front pages are devoted to the Pope's message on Sunday to calm feelings of anger in the Muslim world. "Terribly Sorry" reads Sunday's Le Journal du Dimanche, "Pope Benedict Wants to Calm Muslim Anger" headlines Le Figaro, while Liberation reads "The Pope's Regrets." Catholic La Croix leads with: "Pope Benedict and Islam: the Misunderstanding." In its editorial, La Croix urges Muslim leaders to engage in dialogue "rather than answer the Pope with insults and threats..." Le Figaro's editorial, entitled "The Pope and the Manipulation of the Masses" comments: "The latest unfurling of hate is the responsibility not of Pope Benedict but of those ready to fabricate whatever pretext in order to manipulate credulous followers..." Liberation's editorial comments on the Pope's "Fallibility" but insists that Pope Benedict "regrets but did not apologize." (See Part C) An op-ed in Le Figaro warns that "for the Pope to ask for forgiveness would be madness." TF1 opened its evening newscast with the "The Pope's speech to calm things down." FR2 noted that the Vatican and all of Italy are now "being threatened by Muslims." This morning FR2 said that "tension between communities has not disappeared." FR3 reported an Italian nun was killed in Ethiopia by Muslims... adding "we still don't know if the woman was killed because of the pope's remarks." President Chirac on Radio Europe1 said "everything that sparks tension should be avoided" and asked not to "confuse Islam and Islamism." On Lebanon, the President said that he is confident that Israel will withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon... President Chirac defended his initial reluctance to commit large numbers of French troops to the U.N. peacekeeping force saying that "It would have been irresponsible to commit to action without being aware of the consequences." On Iran, President Chirac said that he is optimistic that a "solution through dialogue can be found with Iran which is a great nation." President Chirac suggested that an agenda for talks be set by the six nations currently involved in the Iran issue - France, Germany, Britain, Russia, China and the U.S. A column also in Le Figaro by senior reporter Laure Mandeville is entitled "Europe's Islam, Democracy and the Shock of September 11." Mandeville analyzes Europe's "awakening" to its Muslim populations, "when 9/11 made it face its vulnerability to political Islam..." Mandeville contends that in this reassessment of Islam and democracy, "France has a small advantage over certain European countries, because of its secular Republican system." Le Figaro devotes a full page to "Pakistan and the Islamic Powder Keg" since 9/11. Le Figaro says that "while Islamabad holds one hand out to the U.S. as an ally in the fight against terrorism, it pockets with the other hand the Islamists' American dollars... A strange game of cat and mouse is underway in this country with Washington in the role of the cat pursuing its hunt for Ben Laden... and Ben Laden in the role of the mouse who has seemingly taken refuge in the mountains of northern Pakistan, where he is far from isolated and continues to inspire scores of Jihadists..." Other international stories include the aftermath of the agreement between Hamas and Fatah. In Le Figaro Marc Henry writes about a "false start" for the Palestinian Authority, but notes that Mahmoud Abbas will meet with President Bush on Wednesday in New York after his meeting with Condoleezza Rice. One radio reported yesterday evening that Abbas was asking to meet with President Chirac. Le Journal du Dimanche devotes its editorial to Europe's decision to resume aid to the Palestinian Territories. (See Part C) Liberation devotes a full page to President Chirac's reactions to Interior Minister Sarkozy's visit to the U.S.: "Chirac Considers Sarkozy's Pro-Atlantic Stance 'Lamentable.'" (See Part C) Liberation also carries an op-ed penned by National Assembly Representative Pierre Lellouche entitled: "Anti-Americanism: the Religion of Imbeciles." Lellouche says "the dictatorship of 'the French-style politically correct,' is such that to admit to being a friend of the U.S. has become a sort of 'political error...' France is a great nation, and even if the French like Coke, and American mini-series, our nation has not sunk so low that it needs to define itself as America's opponent. This is why anti-Americanism is the nationalism of imbeciles..." Le Monde entitles one article "The Picture from Washington" which comments on the supposedly "surprised" look Sarkozy has in a picture in which he is shaking hands with President Bush. But says correspondent Corine Lesnes: "The meeting with the President was carefully orchestrated and the photo was released only after tight negotiations between Washington and Embassy advisors... President Chirac knew of the meeting: Washington Ambassador Levitte is a close friend of the President; Ambassador Craig Stapleton, who was also instrumental in arranging the meeting, is a distant cousin of President Bush..." Le Monde devotes its editorial to the Non-Aligned Summit in Havana, "whose war-cry has become anti-Americanism" (See Part C) The battle within the Socialist Party between the many presidential hopefuls rages on. Liberation, which headlines "A Reigning Royal" alludes to its poll which indicates that 43 percent of respondents among Socialist sympathizers pick Segolene Royal. Former PM Jospin comes next with 18%, Strauss-Kahn is next with 12% and Fabius comes last with 3%. The editorial says the Left is going through an identity crisis "symbolized by the 'Segolenism symptom'" but warns that this fall's trend may not last till the spring. Le Parisien carries a two-page report on "the third man or women" who might upset the Royal-Sarkozy battle. Among the contenders there is Minister of Defense Alliot-Marie, former Prime Ministers Juppe and Fabius, and Le Pen of the National Front. Financial La Tribune, Le Figaro Economie and Le Monde report on Ford's emergency plan to cut costs and its laying off one third of its U.S. employees. In its editorial La Tribune is not optimistic: "Nothing proves that the shock treatment adopted by Ford will help" and recalls that in Europe, "the automobile industry is also suffering" and concludes that "today, the only car running, is Japanese." Le Figaro carries an op-ed penned jointly by Rodrigo de Rato and Paul Wolfowitz, Chairman of the IMF and President of the World Bank respectively, in favor of world trade and open markets. The op-ed is the French version of a Project Syndicate column. (C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: Islam and the West - Pope Benedict and Muslim Reactions "The Pope and the Manipulation of the Masses" Yves Threard in right-of-center Le Figaro (09/18): "When Pope Benedict said that faith cannot be imposed by force, he underscored something shared by most Christians, Jews and Muslims... Those who are responsible for the unfurling of hate in the Arab-Muslim world are those who fabricate pretexts in order to manipulate credulous followers... for their own political agendas... Heads of state or religious leaders from Tehran and Naplouse to Mogadisciu and Baghdad find it convenient, in order to re-enforce their power, religious or political, to fan the fires of a clash between civilizations... It is unfortunate that in our part of the world we are not more critical of such conduct... Out of cowardice, we choose to remain shamefully silent, leaving the Pope alone to finger the dangers of fanaticism in general and Islamism in particular..." "Fallible" Jean-Michel Thenard in left-of-center Liberation (09/18): "How can the Pope repair an error when in fact, being infallible, he cannot have made an error? ... While regimes which are hardly democratic have a vested interest in manipulating the masses, the Pope cannot be assimilated to caricaturists: he holds political power and no one wants him to echo Bush's neo-cons in order to feed a clash between civilizations which has the looks of a crusade. The Pope is expected to preach coexistence between faiths. And while Islam should accept criticism, the debate will not be enhanced if Islam is confused with violence, and Muslims with terrorists..." Middle East - Hamas-Fatah Agreement "Good News?" Jacques Esperandieu in right-of-center Le Journal du Dimanche (09/17): "Can we trust Hamas? This is the 500 million euro question which the Europeans are asking themselves. They are tempted to answer in the affirmative... after the announcement of a Hamas-Fatah government of national unity... which followed on the footsteps of a document last June on 'national entente' and the tacit recognition of Israel... All players have a vested interest in the new agreement. Hamas, which is losing popularity and which understands, one hopes, that when facing the West's determination, it is in its best interest to compromise. President Mahmoud Abbas, who has an opportunity to regain his leadership, in the Territories as well as on the international scene, as shown by his scheduled meeting with President Bush... And Europe, convinced that bringing appeasement to a region which is increasingly frightening is the best policy... Much remains to be done: but good news from the Middle East is so scarce that we need to speak up." Sarkozy to the U.S. - Chirac Annoyed "Chirac Considers Sarkozy's Pro-Atlantic Stance 'Lamentable'" Antoine Guiral in left-of-center Liberation (09/18): "As one listened to Sarkozy's speech in New York, it was clear that two different visions of the world, two different doctrines were at odds, Sarkozy's and the President's... Says Dominique Moisi: 'Sarkozy spoke to America using a different tone. He does not have that reflex reaction of anti-Americanism dear to many French politicians...' Because of President Chirac's speech at UNGA this week, the Elysee has tried to minimize the President's reactions... insisting that Sarkozy's meeting with President Bush did not indicate a 'change' in France's policy... ' While the confrontation with the U.S. was a founding element in PM Villepin's career, and the decision to stay out of the war in Iraq one of the most highly acclaimed results of the President's policies. Sarkozy, says Moisi, 'is taking a real political risk by refusing to play on France's natural penchant for anti-Americanism.' Something the opposition immediately picked up on: Laurent Fabius said on Saturday that 'France did not need to be led by someone whose program was based on being the U.S. President's next poodle...' Since Thursday, the Socialist Deputy from Landes, Henri Emmanuelli has denounced 'Sarkozy, lying like a puppy in front of his master Bush. Chirac can't be far from thinking the same thing." "Anti-Americanism: the Religion of Imbeciles." National Assembly Representative Pierre Lellouche in left-of-center Liberation (09/18): "Interior Minister Sarkozy's visit to the U.S. celebrated a profound alliance, not an alignment... But because are seven months from a presidential election, and because certain French elites enjoy cultivating anti-Americanism as a national religion, criticism was quick to follow... Should we not have proven our solidarity with the Americans on this 5th anniversary of 9/11? ... The dictatorship of 'the French-style politically correct,' is such that to admit to being a friend of the U.S. has become a sort of 'political error...' France is a great nation, and even if the French like Coke, and American mini-series, our nation has not sunk so low that it needs to define itself as America's opponent. This is why anti-Americanism is the nationalism of imbeciles..." Non-Aligned Summit in Havana - Anti-Americanism "Non-Aligned" Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (09/18): "Originally, the non-aligned wanted to stay at equal distance from the two blocks which dominated the world, the U.S. and the Communist block... But since the 90s, the Movement is fueled by a one-way feeling of hostility towards the U.S. In Havana, Hugo Chavez is trying to federate the summit around anti-Americanism. But his task is difficult because, although African, Asian and Latin American leaders are ready to denounce' America's 'hegemony,' they are not all ready to break their ties with Washington... Many conduct liberal policies in their countries, while others depend on U.S. subsidies and have adopted to moderate their criticism of the U.S. They managed to eliminate from the Havana resolution the harshest of the texts on Iraq and Israeli policy... But one issue does unite them: the UN reform and their desire to 'democratize' the international organization, even if they disagree on many points. Which is why the much needed reform of the UN is not about to happen." STAPLETON