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