FRANCE: PARIS AIRPORT SECURITY UNDER INCREASING

UNCLAS PARIS 007425 SIPDIS SENSITIVE FOR EB/TRA, S/CT, EUR/WE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR PTER PREL KHLS FR SUBJECT: FRANCE: PARIS AIRPORT SECURITY UNDER INCREASING PUBLIC SCRUTINY ¶1. (U) Airport security has come in for increasing public scrutiny with the airing by the Euronews network November 15 of a September videotape purporting to show holes in security arrangements at Paris' Charles De Gaulle airport (CDG). The footage demonstrated how cleared airport baggage handlers could bypass physical searches and showed an employee smuggling a simulated brick of plastic explosive into an area where it could be easily placed in secure freight for an outgoing cargo flight. ¶2. (U) The tape was shot by the General Workers Confederation union (CGT),and was publicized as part of its defense of workers recently suspended by the Prefect in charge of airport security based on Interior Ministry determinations that they represented security risks. Union spokesmen have argued that the suspensions are a form of discrimination against Moslems, and that the true problem at CDG is lax security procedures, which if corrected would make suspension of access passes unnecessary. In a related development, an administrative judge temporarily restored badges to two of the 72 airport employees suspended since last May, while maintaining the suspension of five others. This brings to four the total number of baggage handlers who have regained access to their badges. Further complaints seeking administrative redress of suspended clearances are expected to be filed. ¶3. (SBU) Michel Wachenheim, Director General of the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) called Embassy Transportation Security Administration Representative November 14 to warn of the impending publicity, and to tell us that DGAC would not be responding publicly to the union's charges, but did intend to take legal action against the union and the employee who circumvented CDG security arrangements. The issue is politically sensitive here, and grows out of charges of widespread Islamic radicalism among airport workers initially raised by far-right Presidential candidate Philippe de Villiers in a book published last April, widely viewed as an attack on Interior Minister (and rival candidate for the Presidency) Nicholas Sarkozy. De Villiers based his charges on a leaked confidential memo produced by the French Border Police that reportedly identified extremist affiliations of some CDG airport employees as a potential security risk. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Though press discussion of these suspensions has been abundant, in the current highly charged pre-electoral climate, separating truth from politically-motivated conjecture or selective leaking of information is particularly difficult. Based on these first cases, it seems unlikely that administrative review will reverse large numbers of these suspensions, or dampen press speculation about the information contained in the confidential files of the Interior Ministry. In view of the SIPDIS evident deficiencies shown by the suspensions and the videotape, we expect that the GOF will continue to follow through on its efforts to proactively identify airport security risks and to take corrective action where necessary, in spite of opposition from unions or potential fallout in the presidential election campaign. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON