MEDIA REACTION; US-FRENCH RELATIONSHIP; FORMER US VICE

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000945 SIPDIS STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL MEDIA REACTION SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION; US-FRENCH RELATIONSHIP; FORMER US VICE PRESIDENT GORE'S ADDRESS TO BIO-FUELS CONGRESS IN BUENOS AIRES; US FTAS WITH PERU AND PANAMA; US NATIONALISTIC STRATEGY; 05/14/07; BUENOS AIRES ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Weekend international stories include the status of the US-French relationship following Sarkozy's victory in presidential elections; the impact of former US Vice President Al Gore's address to the first Bio-Fuels Congress for the Americas, held in Buenos Aires; President George W. Bush and Republican legislators reaching a 'historic' agreement with the Democratic opposition to unblock ratification of the FTAs negotiated with Peru and Panama; and an argument that the US humanitarianism has been taken to nationalistic levels, as revealed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS - "The French revolution" Jorge Elias, international columnist of daily-of-record "La Nacion," penned (05/13) "... At Bush's worst moment (he is on the verge of losing Blair's complicity),Sarkozy wants to revisit the US-French relationship, which was damaged by the war in Iraq. Chirac had rejected its unipolar features and acted in line with France's cultural rather than political anti-US feeling. "Sarkozy preaches the reinforcement of national identity, which includes an administrative siege on immigration, zero tolerance for rebelious actions, fewer civil servants and more working hours. He rejects Turkey's entry into the EU, and supports rapprochement with Israel and a renewed friendship with the US. "The five presidents of the Fifth Republic... implemented a Gaullist view of sovereignty - they attempted to avoid any excess of the American friend so as not to follow the steps of Thatcher, Blair or whoever ruled the UK... The other France, perhaps feeling guilty, cooperated with the US in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iran as well as, in general, in the struggle against terrorism. As a matter of fact, the rapprochement between Bush and Sarkozy is less surprising than the distant and cold relationship between Bush and Chirac. "That other France, the real one, elected Sarkozy, who is close to Merkel and admires Blair, the latest Blair, similar to Thatcher. That other France, the real one, reflects the feeling of Europe, more willing to reaffirm its national identity without disregarding globalization than to recreate utopia." - "Al Gore defends bio-fuels although he also highlights the risks involved" Natasha Niebieskikwiat, political columnist of leading "Clarin," writes (05/12) "Al Gore's closing address to the First Bio-Fuels Congress of the Americas held in Buenos Aires surprised his audience in many ways. "When everyone expected a 50-minute lecture, the former US president took almost two hours to minutely explain why countries should adopt urgent measures to reverse the environmental deterioration of the planet. "He also considered bio-fuels 'the solution to the climate crisis without damaging the environment.' However, he also warned that bio-fuels involve some risks. "Gore also highlighted that 'every potential solution (to global warming) should be cautiously handled and that the danger posed by bio-fuels is that extremely valuable forests will be unnecessarily destroyed.' 'Another risk is that if bio-fuels are not carefully handled, this alternative could raise food prices.'" - "FTA - Democrats and Republicans reach a deal" Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading "Clarin," comments (05/12) "President George W. Bush and Republicans legislators reached a 'historic' agreement with the Democratic opposition, which will unlock the signature of the FTAs that have been negotiated with Peru and Panama, but leaves those reached with Colombia and South Korea in suspense. "According to the deal, the so-called FTA will from now on include the commitment to the 'basic and internationally recognized labor and environmental standards.' "Democrats believe that the agreement reached is a victory bearing in mind the efforts being developed on behalf of the workers' right to organize and the need to ban the labor of minors' ... "... According to Deputy Sander Levin, in the case of Colombia the difficulty lies on the history of political violence and murders of trade unionists in the country... while in the case of South Korea, the problem is that many legislators is that the FTA would grant Korean cars unilateral access to US markets. "On the other hand, it is still unclear whether the deal reached between Republicans and Democrats will be enough to approve the Fast Track Authority renewal... However, it is a step in the right direction." - "A long tradition of the US" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" carries an op-ed piece by former Argentine President Raul Alfonsin, who writes (05/14) "Last Sunday May 6, I read an advance copy of Eric Hobsbawm's latest book "War and peace in the 21st century," in which he says that US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have not reached the professed purpose of establishing democratic regimes according to Western values. Regarding Iraq, the author says that 'no one would dare seriously deny that the condition of the people, whose liberation was the excuse to undertake the war, is worse than before.' "... The 'humanitarian' element has a long tradition in US nationalism... At first, this curious nationalism, seemingly based on ethical reasons, limited itself to the conquest of Texas... "... The presidency of George W. Bush took the humanitarian view of US nationalism to unknown extremes and also gathered broad consensus following the September 11 attacks. In this way, the US national interest doctrine was re-established based on strategic security and the concept of pre-emptive wars but always in the seeming framework of that nationalist tradition. According to Hobsbawm, it meant bringing the US institutions to the Arab world. "Hobsbawm said 'If there is a problem in the world, everyone expects us to deal with it. It is the price of power'... The outcome of this fundamentalism is that instead of reinforcing democratic values in Iraq, it ultimately weakens values in the US." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE