MEDIA REACTION: AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, VP BIDEN IN EUROPE,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BERLIN 001320 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 AF US PL IR GM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, VP BIDEN IN EUROPE, GITMO, COPENHAGEN;BERLIN ¶1. Lead Stories Summary ¶2. Iranian Nuclear Program ¶3. VP Biden in New Europe ¶4. Guantanamo ¶5. Climate Protection ¶6. Afghanistan ¶1. Lead Stories Primetime newscasts opened with a story on plans to reform long-term care insurance. Many newspapers continue to lead with reports on the criticism of the new governmentQs plans to create a Qshadow budget. Sueddeutsche led with a story that the Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, and President ObamaQs advisors are demanding radical financial reforms from their governments. Frankfurter Rundschau led with a story on recent bank profits. Editorials focused on the coalition talks. ¶2. Iranian Nuclear Program Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized: QFive weeks prior to the end of his term, IAEA Director General al Baradei still hopes that Tehran, Moscow and Paris will accept the pact negotiators in Vienna were not yet able to agree upon. The head of the UN nuclear inspectors knows from his own experience that Iranians are masters in gambling for time. Baradei believes the project to process Iranian nuclear material abroad for a Tehran research plant has the potential to help normalize relations between Iran and the international community completely. But this will only happen if the contract is finalized soon. Baradei has given Iran two days. ¶3. VP Biden in New Europe Die Welt headlined QU.S. Vice President caresses PolandQs soulQ and adds: QSuperficial observers might have thought the visit to Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania was a kind of therapy and consolation However, this notion is not true at all. Poland was not interested in fighting Iran with a missile defense shield but instead wanted to see the American flag east of the river Oder. Poland is closer to this goal than ever before. Washington announced that it will deploy U.S. ground-to-air Patriot missiles to the country in the first half of next year. This means that U.S. soldiers will be stationed in Poland 
for the first time. After arduous discussions, Poland will have reached its goal... In retrospect, ObamaQs apparent move to give into Russia now appears to be a stroke of a genius. Under the headline QDisappointed Poles,Q Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized: QIn politics, small symbolic gestures can sometimes BERLIN 00001320 002 OF 004 make costly engagement unnecessary. In the relationship with Poland, the U.S. has recently not made such gestures. What is even worse: the Obama government was insensitive towards Poland to such an extent that the damage can hardly be repaired in the predictable future... The complete disinterest in the faithful ally became obvious when Obama cancelled the deployment of a missile defense shield on the 70th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Poland Vice President Biden did not have much more to offer during his visit to Warsaw than goodwill to assuage Eastern European concerns. The vague prospect of a mobile missile defense shield will not repair PolandQs damaged confidence. New Europe is beginning to change its focus. Particularly Poland is beginning to understand that begging for special relations with America does not pay off. The sixth largest EU country can achieve more if it engages in and for Europe. ¶4. Guantanamo While most German media positively remarked in factual reports that QPresident Obama has made a very important step towards keeping his promise of closing GuantanamoQ (ZDF-TVQs Heute) now that the Senate has voted to allow prisoners to be tried in the United States, editorials are more critical. Sueddeutsche opined: QTime is flying for Barack Obama. After his inauguration, he promised to close the blot of Guantanamo. Congress approval of his plan only applies to 40 out of 221 detainees. For the rest, no solution is in sight... Some 100 detainees are believed to be so dangerous that they cannot be released. However, there is very little evidence that a court trial would not be appropriate. In addition, there is no legal basis that justifies detaining them permanently. In January, Obama promised to abide by the rule of law in every individual case. So what should be done with them? There is no clear answer. Obama will not be able to keep his promise. Guantanamo will still exist in January 2010. Berliner Zeitung editorialized: QPresident Obama has come a step closer to his goal of closing the infamous military prison. For most of the 220 detainees, it is just a question of time until they are allowed to leave the camp. This is a good day for human rights, isnQt it On the other side of the world, in the U.S. prison in Bagram, everything remains as it was. Like once in Guantanamo, the army rules there unlimitedly. However, hardly anyone is interested in Bagram. ¶5. Climate Protection Under the headline QObama is important,Q Sueddeutsche commented: BERLIN 00001320 003 OF 004 QIndustrial countries, which created their prosperity in the past at the expense of the environment, are resistant to changing their environmental policies. They are not willing to give financial aid to poorer countries so they can prepare themselves for the consequences of climate change. The situation seems to be hopeless. At best, the most important players will do nothing. Europeans are at odds over financial aid, Japan and Australia are making their promises dependent on many conditions, and everybody is waiting for the United States, where there is a new climate for negotiation, but not a new policy. Also President Obama has rejected the notion of legally binding international agreements, which, after implementation, could then be enforced by the UN. It almost makes sense that the developing nations demand that rich nations make the first steps before they contribute to climate protection. If the Americans do not comply in Copenhagen, no demanding agreement can be expected. The large industrial countries, particularly within the EU, therefore have to agree now on the basics of a new treaty. Then, they must remind the developing countries and the U.S. of their duties. Obama will have to sign a binding agreement one day if he does not want to lose credibility. Berliner ZeitungQs editorial headlined QClimate diplomacy fails once moreQ and remarked: QThe negotiations over a global climate protection agreement are no longer about the climate because nobody questions these goals any longer. The international community must radically reduce greenhouse gases to limit the rise of temperatures to two degrees Celsius within this century. Translated into numbers this means that emissions must be cut by up to 40 percent by 2020 and by at least 80 percent by 2050. The talks at the UN and within the EU are already about tough industrial and economic policies. In the foreground of the discussions is the question of who will bear what burden. This has to do with jobs and prosperity. Developing countries do not see why they should pay the costs for the extravagant policies of industrial nations. The emerging countries in eastern Europe and Asia do not want to endanger their catch-up process, while countries like Germany refuse to be paymaster for the rest of the world. Nothing is moving forward because of these contradictory interests. However, the world cannot go on like this. Everybody must make compromises, otherwise there will be no agreement, not in Copenhagen and not later. This would be devastating. ¶6. Afghanistan FT Deutschland headlined that in the preparations for the runoff, QFear is leading into the second round,Q highlighting that Qnot many BERLIN 00001320 004 OF 004 people in Afghanistan are excited about the runoff elections that were forced on them by the international community. Fear of new attacks by the Taliban is spreading everywhere. MURPHY