MEDIA REACTION: IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, MIDEAST, GEORGIA, EU,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 BERLIN 001225 STATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PAPD, EUR/PPA, EUR/CE, INR/EUC, INR/P, SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/DSAA, DIA FOR DC-4A VIENNA FOR CSBM, CSCE, PAA "PERISHABLE INFORMATION -- DO NOT SERVICE" SIPDIS E.0. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO IR AF XF GG EU GM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, MIDEAST, GEORGIA, EU, CHINA, GERMANY;BERLIN ¶1. Lead Stories Summary ¶2. (Iran) P5+1 Talks ¶3. (Afghanistan) Rasmussen-Obama Meeting ¶4. (Mideast) Goldstone Report, Hamas-Fatah Relations ¶5. (Georgia) Final Report on Georgian War ¶6. (EU) Irish Referendum ¶7. (China) 60th Anniversary ¶8. (Germany) Foreign Policy, Aftermath of Elections ¶1. Lead Stories Summary The print media gave broad coverage to the future of the SPD and the subsequent changes at the party's leadership. This is also the topic of today's editorials in the press. ZDF-TV's early evening newscast heute and ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened with reports on the election of SPD chancellor candidate Steinmeier as the head of the new SPD Bundestag group. ¶2. (Iran) P5+1 Talks Frankfurter Allgemeine (9/30) editorializes: "A few days prior to the Geneva talks, the Iranian missile tests are not exactly a confidence building measure. They are a demonstration and a provocation, which could have an effect that was not intended by the Tehran leadership because every test is one reason more to build a missile defense shield. Also, Russia is now increasingly worried that the Iranian military capacities are increasing." ¶3. (Afghanistan) Rasmussen-Obama Meeting Primetime ARD-TV's Tagesschau (9/29) notes in a report on President Obama meeting with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen that "NATO has obviously not yet agreed on a future strategy on Afghanistan. Rasmussen assured Obama in Washington that the alliance will do the job until it is done. However, he recently described demands by the U.S. army to send more soldiers as premature." The newscast quotes Obama as saying: "This is not an American battle. This is a NATO mission as well. And we are working actively and diligently to consult with NATO at every step of the way." Berliner Zeitung (9/30) headlines on its front page "Rasmussen stands behind Obama's Afghanistan course," highlighting that "President Obama emphasized that NATO allies share the responsibility for the military mission in Afghanistan." In a lengthy analytical article inside the paper, Berliner Zeitung (9/30) notes under the headline "wishful thinking determines the war in Afghanistan" that "the fact that the Taliban are successful shows that something is not right about the strategy... The Taliban benefit BERLIN 00001225 002 OF 006 from the mistakes of the international community: the bombardment of civilians, the unbalanced distribution of development aid, the shortcomings in the setting up of the administration, justice, the state apparatus, police and army. In addition, they benefit from the false impression that is communicated about them. They possess modern means of communication and an effective propaganda apparatus; they pursue a strategy and adjust to the situation; they are powerful, well-informed and cleverly exploit ethnic tensions.... Also, the idea to buy the loyalty of Afghan leaders is based on wishful thinking, not on facts. This approach, which was tried out in Iraq, assumes that there are differences between Taliban commanders...,that there is a rift between the Taliban and foreign al Qaida fighters, that there are differences of opinion regarding schools for girl, the bombing of bridges, or the power in certain districts. However, in these cases, Taliban fighters are arguing with regional warlords who are defending their own interests and might align with others for a purpose. They are sometimes, for reasons of simplicity, also described as Taliban.... Simplicity might help to explain the conflict to citizens in western countries. However, it does not help Afghans." ¶4. (Mideast) Goldstone Report, Hamas-Fatah Relations Berliner Zeitung (9/30) opined under the headline: "Israel Must Face up to the Criticism of the Gaza War" and judged: "To attack someone is the best defense. According to this slogan, Israel's government tried to discredit the Goldstone report on the Gaza War...but Israel is ignoring the fact that an internationally renowned judge chaired the investigation: Richard Goldstone, who as prosecutor, brought the perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia to trial. He is not a 'self-hating Jew' but a self-confessed Zionist. During the hearing in Geneva, even the U.S. representative appealed to the Israeli and Palestinian sides to discuss the report self-critically. Jerusalem's calculation that those who fight in Afghanistan and in Iraq will not play the role of moralizer, could, nevertheless, come true. But in the end, Israel and the West would be faced with the damage." Sueddeutsche Zeitung (9/30) deals with the announcement of HAMAS leader Meschal that reconciliation document will be signed in October and judged: "Obviously the radical Islamists [of Hamas] have realized that they maneuvered themselves into a dead end street with their coup two years ago. The break with their compatriots of Fatah has resulted in a division of the Palestinian society and to a severing of ties to BERLIN 00001225 003 OF 006 the rest of the world. These surprisingly soft tones from HAMAS promise an exciting fall. In October, Israel and the Palestinians will officially resume their peace talks. HAMAS cannot make a better present than peace between brothers to U.S. President Obama after his failed New York Middle East summit." ¶5. (Georgia) Final Report on Georgian War Frankfurter Allgemeine (9/30) opines in a front-page editorial on the publication of the EU report on the war in Georgia: "The report commissioned by the EU on the five-day war in the Caucasus now made official what has hardly been doubted recently, that it was Saakashvili who crossed the line in 2008.... With that, he caused much misery for Georgians and Ossetians and probably lost the two renegade provinces forever.... However, Saakashvili's guilt does not mean that Moscow has not made mistakes or that Russian policy was any better. The Kremlin had been torpedoing all efforts of the international community for years to resolve the tensions in the southern Caucasus. Instead of using its influence to resolve the conflict between Georgia and the renegade provinces, it strengthened separatists, who were directly led by Moscow. The escalation in 2008 began with the Russian provocation in Abkhazia in spring 2008." ¶6. (EU) Irish Referendum "New Complaint Against EU Treaty" is the headline in Die Welt and Tagesspiegel (9/30). The papers reported that "a few days before the Irish referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty, the Czech Republic is threatening to further delay the ratification process. The member of the Czech Senate, Jiri Oberfalzer, who is well known as a critic of the EU, filed a constitutional complaint together with 16 other senators against the Lisbon Treaty." In a lengthy report, Berliner Zeitung (9/30) noted: "It is a myth that the Irish, with their 'no' in 2008, wanted to show Europe a cold shoulder, that they wanted to snub a partner who financed their good life. On the streets in Dublin you will hardly find an Irishman who has the kind of ambivalent relationship with Europe and the EU that, for instance, a considerable number of the British have. On the contrary, the Irish have acknowledged in general to what extent their island profited from their link to the continent. The fact that they rejected the Lisbon Treaty has little to do with content and much more with a deeply rooted dissatisfaction with the changes that can be observed everywhere in the era of globalization." Under the headline: "Ireland Again The Country That Can Tip The scales," Die Welt (9/30) editorialized: "The weeping and gnashing of BERLIN 00001225 004 OF 006 teeth is again widespread in Ireland. The government in Dublin has also had to prevent the total collapse of its economy with an economic stimulus program. But this does not mean that Ireland is a basket case, because the regenerative powers of this old European society have by no means been exhausted. What will guide the Irish soul on October 2? It won't be the Polish or British or German concerns and considerations, nor will it be Europhilia or Euro-skepticism, but only the unfathomable reasons of each Irish individual who freely uses his or her right to self-determination. The result has to be accepted, for better or worse." ¶7. (China) 60th Anniversary "Beijing Cordoned Off on 60th Anniversary," headlined Tagesspiegel (9/30) and reported: "Shortly before the beginning of festivities for the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, authorities preliminarily arrested 6,500 people...including regime critics and human rights activists. Many of them received warnings by state security agencies to keep quiet during the festivities. In addition, the authorities released a ban on petitions, for it is a tradition in China that ordinary people from the whole country come to Beijing to hand in complaints about corrupt officials, illegal land expropriations, and other injustices. The Party views as a special risk those people it regards to be Tibetan and Uighur separatists." ¶8. (Germany) Foreign Policy, Aftermath of Elections Under the headline "Limits of harmony," Handelsblatt (9/30) editorializes: "It is likely that the government will face controversy in the upcoming legislative period over foreign policy, which has been undisputed for most of Germany's post-war history.... In the last huge demonstrations over foreign policy issues, the protesters represented exactly the position of the German government: resistance to the war in Iraq. In general, there had been an agreement on Germany's interests as a medium-sized power and the motor of the European integration. This consensus will now be tested. The reason is not that the FDP pursues a completely different foreign policy. On the contrary! All experts only foresee slight changes. The FDP will indeed have difficulties to make its mark obvious. Current Foreign Minister Steinmeier often quoted his pre-pre- predecessor Hans-Dietrich Genscher for good reasons. Their views are very close. The FDP wants to put more emphasis on human rights and disarmament, and accused the SPD of not having pursued them vigorously enough. The most important reason for harsher controversies will be BERLIN 00001225 005 OF 006 the topic of Afghanistan. All parties are aware of the fact that a majority of the people is skeptical about the Bundeswehr mission in Afghanistan. While in government, the SPD could subdue this part of the debate by its realpolitik. The Greens were restrained over last four years because they had given the starting signal for the mission during their coalition with the SPD. However, a new era is beginning. The harmony of the grand coalition is over. Although the SPD will not join the Left Party's course in opposition and call for the immediate withdrawal of the troops. It will sharpen its profile by increasing its call for a gradual withdrawal of the Bundeswehr. This development will accelerate if [Foreign Minister] Steinmeier cannot maintain his position as the leader of the SPD Bundestag caucus.... In addition, the FDP has been taking a more critical approach on foreign missions than the CDU and SPD. Unlike the German government, the FDP voted against the UNIFIL mandate after the war in Lebanon and against the mission in Congo... This makes clear that their will be tensions: If the CDU/CSU- FDP government takes a more reserved position on military missions under the pressure of the opposition and the more skeptical FDP, the honeymoon with Washington will be over soon.... However, if the government stands united by military missions, it will face opposition by three parties that suddenly discover their peace-loving heart." Sueddeutsche Zeitung (9/30) judged: "As in 2005, when after her near defeat, Markel made the CDU/CSU Bundestag group confirm her as CDU chairwoman and thus took critics by surprise, she was again the first one who reacted: On election eve she said that she did not want to be a lobbyist but 'the chancellor of all Germans.' This was a clear message to economic liberals in the FDP ranks, i.e. there will be no infringement? of workers rights and there will be no savings orgy either. Since then, she has set up new pillars on an hourly basis, and that is why Westerwelle's hormone level is likely to have taken a different direction. Existing minimum wage levels will not be changed. The same is true for healthcare reform; tax cuts will be possible only to a minor degree, and the phasing out of nuclear energy will not be changed either. The latitude for Westerwelle to score points in the coalition talks has now been considerably reduced. The political changes of which FDP spokespersons permanently speak will not happen with this chancellor. And on Tuesday, Westerwelle no longer spoke of them either." Regional daily Rheinische Post of Dsseldorf (9/30) argued; "This BERLIN 00001225 006 OF 006 pussyfooting election campaign is now over and it is necessary to get to work. Angela Merkel only has a small window of opportunity to set the course for a successful government. At the latest in the winter of 2010/2011, the unemployment figures will explode and the government must be ready to cope with them. This means that the Federal Labor Office must be restructured, a better placement service is needed, and there will be cuts in benefits. And she must also get the pension, nursing care, and healthcare systems out of their demographic traps. A content-free coalition treaty will not help. The fact that Merkel tabooed a number of issues right from the start does not speak for a vigorous new beginning." Stuttgarter Zeitung (9/30) had this to say: "In spite of all the nice words we hear about a future coalition, we should not ignore that both alliance parties are separated by many things: the question to what extent we need our current social welfare state, what will be the balance between civil rights and security claims, do we need the draft...etc. With respect to lowering taxes and reforming the social security system, the CDU/CSU and the FDP have also different positions. The chancellor clearly knows that her popularity is not based on her faded reputation as a reform politician but on her talent to achieve an accommodation. That is why she has already put the brakes on Westerwelle's lan." MURPHY