MEDIA REACTION: PAKISTAN; PRESIDENT SARKOZY'S VISIT TO

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000916

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE INR/R/MR; IIP/R/MR; WHA/PD

DEPT PASS USTR

USDOC 4322/MAC/OLAC/JAFEE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR OPRC OIIP ETRD BR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: PAKISTAN; PRESIDENT SARKOZY'S VISIT TO
WASHINGTON, MIDEAST; WESTERN HEMISPHERE: VENEZUELA, CHAVEZ; SAO
PAULO



1. "Self Coup In Pakistan"

Center-right national circulation daily O Estado de S. Paulo's
editorial remarked (11/10): "The US and its allies are facing an
extremely difficult situation in Pakistan. They cannot support the
violent abandonment of democratic appearances, nor can they impose
sanctions on a secular government formally engaged in the 'war on
terror' - which may be replaced by a fundamentalist theocratic
regime. Such an impasse contains all the elements of a disastrous
outcome for Western interests. Actually, such a situation has only
become possible because the West has treated the Pakistani military
regime with excessive leniency. In order to have a base near
Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, the US ignored Pakistan's internal
situation, thereby making possible the creation of a paradoxical
situation: Pakistan, which is ruled by an ally in the 'war on
terror,' is also a safe shelter for Al Qaeda's leadership and an
important center of Islamic radicalism. But what is most serious is
that the Western powers tolerated that Pakistan developed its own
nuclear capability and missile technology and delayed in preventing
its exportation to North Korea and Iran. Now, the West cannot 'miss'
Pakistan."


2. "US Relies On Sarkozy To Calm Down the@QVKTpask
such an extraordinary guy to help George W. Bush to calm down the
very complicated Middle East.... Bush wants to convince Iran to give
up nuclear power through diplomacy. Maybe this is due to French
influence. Sarkozy has proclaimed negotiation, not bombings....
France can help the US [in its relations] with moderate Arab
nations. Paris may act to convince them to stand back from Iran and
its insanity. But, everything is connected in the Middle East, a
fact that makes very difficult to undo such a knot. Tehran backs
Hezbollah and Hamas to oppose Washington and Paris efforts to keep
Iran away from moderate Arab nations because the Palestinian cause
has the support of even the West's allies.... Ahmadinejad says that
he wants to 'eliminate Israel.' It is a tactic to attract
respectable Arab nations, once hatred against Israel is the cement
that unites Tehran's crazy leaders and rational Arabs."


3. "'Why Don't You Shut Up?'"

Center-right national circulation daily O Estado de S. Paulo (11/13)
editorialized: "Hugo Chvez has never followed the elementary norm
of civilized political coexistence. He is violent by nature and
deprived from common sense.... Chvez's behavior, which is typical
of megalomaniacs, helped make more spectacular the enormous fiasco
of the 17th Iberian American Summit... Of course it was not expected
that the meeting would produce any positive result, given the
increasing evidence that the continental unity continues to be just
a Simon Bolivar's dream."
White