MEDIA REACTION: MIDEAST, IRAN, NUCLEAR WEAPONS, ZIMBABWE,

UNCLAS BERLIN 000829 STATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PAPD, EUR/PPA, EUR/AGS, INR/EUC, INR/P, SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/DSAA, DIA FOR DC-4A VIENNA FOR CSBM, CSCE, PAA "PERISHABLE INFORMATION -- DO NOT SERVICE" E.0. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO GM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: MIDEAST, IRAN, NUCLEAR WEAPONS, ZIMBABWE, OIL, US-GERMANY, FRANCE ¶1. Lead Stories Summary ¶2. Palestinian Conference in Berlin ¶3. EU Sanctions against Iran ¶4. U.S. Nuclear Weapons ¶5. Zimbabwe ¶6. Oil Price ¶7. Berlin Airlift Anniversary ¶8. French President Sarkozy in Israel ¶1. Lead Stories Summary ZDF-TV's early evening newscast heute and ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened with stories on calls by the German opposition for the withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons from Germany. Newspapers led with stories on inflation and the failure by the national and regional governments to agree on how to deal with budget deficits. Editorials focused on diverse topics. ¶2. Palestinian Conference in Berlin Several regional papers carry editorials on the meeting. Wetzlarer Neue Zeitung comments: "The West must have a great interest in a stable West Bank. The better people are off and the more secure they are, the smaller is the risk that they will join the radical Islamists and run into the arms of Iran.... If court and police structures are successfully set up in the West Bank, an essential basis for a two-state solution is set and long-term peace in the permanent crisis region of the Middle East is more likely." Der Neue Tag opines: "Establishing police and justice in the West Bank is a measure that can help the Palestinians to build a state. But this is not enough to create confidence among the people. Setting up democratic control, transparency and the rule of law would be more important." ¶3. EU Sanctions against Iran Handelsblatt comments: "Mankind is supposed to be able to learn and make civilian progress. Those who watch the naive approach to politically-motivated sanctions that aim at the financial sector might have their doubts..... The best example for the political ineffectiveness of sanctions is the U.S. blockade of Cuba. Even after decades it has not removed the Castro regime.... New sanctions against Iran will also not have any effects. Concerning trade partners, the country has enough alternatives in Asia. The most annoying thing about sanctions is that in some cases they produce a monster that tougher sanctions are then supposed to tame." Frankfurter Allgemeine remarks: "Recent sanctions left their mark on Iran, but they did not lead to a change of mind. It is likely that this will not be different now. If we want to continue on this path, sanctions must become much tougher." Die Welt states: "No talks with mullahs ever led to the desired results." ¶4. U.S. Nuclear Weapons FT Deutschland comments: "If you are not popular among the German electorate, these words might work magic: nuclear weapons base, American, lack of security, demand withdrawal.... If you take a closer look at the outrage most parties now express it is rather embarrassing for those who said it because this is about a useless leftover from the Cold War that German politicians have not cared about for years. And it is about a lack of security Germans are responsible for. To turn this into a debate over German peace policy and nuclear deterrence is absurd..... It would be reasonable for the Germans and Americans dispose of the useless bombs. This would increase the security of the country." Tagesspiegel assumes: "One result of climate change is that the political silly season is starting earlier every year. There cannot be a different explanation for why the opposition, the SPD and the regional government in Mainz is united in its calls for the United States to withdraw its remaining nuclear weapons from Germany.... If nuclear weapons indeed fail U.S. security requirements, then this must be changed. But U.S. nuclear bombs are certainly more secure in Germany than post-Soviet bombs in the mafia-plagued parts of Siberia." ¶5. Zimbabwe Under the headline "The Nightmare Goes On," Frankfurter Allgemeine comments: "With the announcement not to participate in the runoff election against Mugabe, the Zimbabwean opposition leader Tsvangirai has not served his country well.... An election fraud would have made it easier for the neighboring states to isolate Mugabe." FT Deutschland headlines: "It's The Neighbors Turn," and adds: "Negotiations will be necessary to reach a peaceful deal between the opposition and Mugabe's gangs. However, Mugabe's time is up. It would be a historical move if the neighbors announced this." ¶6. Oil Price Frankfurter Allgemeine comments: "The oil price is going wild. The conference in Jeddah did not relax the situation. Producers did not make commitments to produce more, also because only Saudi Arabia has more capacities.... Both sides are helpless and blame each other.... The common ground found in Jeddah was that the markets are not transparent enough and there is a lack of reliable data. Nobody really knows how much is being produced and how great the demand is." Tagesspiegel remarks in a front-page editorial: "Oil will dry up one day. Nobody knows when, but probably quicker than previously assumed. That is one reason why this fuel of our industrialized and motorized civilization has become so expensive. Finally! Energy has been too cheap for too long. Given the consequences of the consumption of energy, energy was dirt cheap." ¶7. Berlin Airlift Anniversary Handelsblatt comments on its front-page: "The image of the good American friend is being invoked again in these years, unfortunately only in retrospect. We are nostalgically commemorating that 60 years ago Candy Bomber planes flew over Tempelhof. With the airlift, the U.S. thwarted Stalin's malicious plan to seize the free part of Berlin from the West. [Former President] George Bush senior's upcoming visit to Berlin for the opening of the U.S. Embassy at the Brandenburg Gate is also dedicated to a good phase of U.S.-German relations. The father of today's president energetically engaged in favor of German reunification after the fall of the wall in 1989 against the initial resistance of many European leaders. This confidence in Germany has earned him the kind of acknowledgement and friendship his son can only dream of..... The transatlantic view must focus in the future on those powers that are staking out their claims without regard to old powers in Europe and their relationship with America. Especially concerning energy policy, we currently watch helplessly as Russia and Arab oil countries begin to play off industrial countries against China and India.... It will be difficult to do something against the dictatorships' race for vital resources." ¶8. French President Sarkozy in Israel S|ddeutsche comments: "All Sarkozy does at the moment is to prepare for his Mediterranean conference. If the planned union is to be more than a paper tiger, this will not be possible without Israel, according to the President. But this is precisely the reason why several Arab countries will not attend the opening on July 13." TIMKEN