MEDIA REACTION: IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, CLIMATE, EU,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BERLIN 001358 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 EU XF SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, CLIMATE, EU, MIDEAST;BERLIN ¶1. Lead Stories Summary ¶2. (Iran) Nuclear ¶3. (Afghanistan) New Strategy ¶4. (Environment) Climate Change ¶5. (EU) Future Presidency ¶6. (Middle East) Conflict Over Water Resources ¶1. Lead Stories Summary Print media and electronic media opened with reports on the constituent assembly of the Bundestag, the address of Bundestag President Lammert and on the EU's climate policy (Frankfurter Rundschau). Sueddeutsche opened with a report on the election of a new bishop for Germany's Protestant Church. Editorials focused on the opening of the Bundestag and on the formation of a coalition government between the SPD and the Left Party in Brandenburg. ¶2. (Iran) Nuclear "Iran is Playing a Poker Game in Nuclear Conflict," headlined Sueddeutsche Zeitung (10/28) and wrote: " Iran obviously wants to make considerable changes to the draft, which provides for the shipment of fuel rods for a research reactor in Tehran if Iran delivers a great deal of its uranium supplies for reprocessing in countries abroad. Controversial reports of Iranian media on the likely reaction of the Iranian leadership are indications of internal conflict." Tagesspiegel (10/28) headlined: "Iran Has Objections To Nuclear Compromise Deal," and reported: "Iran has objections to the latest compromise offered in the conflict over its nuclear program. Iran's state-run TV reported on Tuesday that the government in Tehran would not be willing to ship its entire supply of low enriched uranium for reprocessing abroad. French Foreign Minister Kouchner then accused Tehran of pursuing delaying tactics. In Berlin, unease over the behavior of the Iranian leadership is also rising. A government official said on the sidelines of the Foreign Ministers Conference in Luxembourg: 'All this again looks like the well-known Iranian playing- for-time strategy.' He added: We cannot be put on an infinite loop that does not result in any progress.'" Frankfurter Allgemeine (10/28) wrote that "EU foreign policy commissioner Solana said that there is no reason to make amendments to the draft treaty, because the proposal laid down in the draft "is a good proposal' and would not require profound changes. In the meantime, Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan opened talks with the Iranian leadership in Tehran. Iranian TV reported that President Ahmadinejad thanked his guest for his criticism of Israel and for his support of Iran's nuclear program.... Turkey's armed forces are trying to build a protective shield against Iran's Shahab long-range missile and want to buy an anti-missile defense system. But Turkey is lulling itself into a false sense of security because the two neighbors have not waged war on each other for the past quarter of a century. Bu in view of the shift of the strategic balance in the region, Turkey is not interested in the nuclear armament of Iran. In addition to the nuclear program, the shipment of Iranian gas to Turkey is the second major issue in bilateral relations. However, there is agreement between Turkey and Iran with respect to Iraq. Both countries support an Iraqi central state and reject a division of the country." In an editorial, FAZ (10/28) opined under the headline: "As Always," that "we could have bet, after an alleged indication of concessions, that Iran would again create confusion and play for time.... This has been going on for years. That is why western officials should not be surprised to find themselves again on an 'infinite loop.' We can only be surprised at the resolve which the Turkish government has demonstrated in supporting Tehran. The words which Iran's president used to praise Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan and his support of Iran's criticism of Israel, speak for themselves. Yes, it is true: BERLIN 00001358 002 OF 004 Iran has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty - and kept its nuclear program secret for decades." ¶3. (Afghanistan) New Strategy Electronic media led with the story, "Taliban storm the UN guest house in Kabul" (Spiegel Online),killing several people. ARD-TV's Morgenmagazin (10/28) noted: "Bad news from Afghanistan... The attack was clearly connected with the planned runoff elections. A Taliban spokesman took responsibility for the attack and referred to recent threats that they will attack those who organize the runoff elections. And the UN is one of the important organizers of the runoff. Worryingly, the Taliban have followed through with many of their threats in the past and troubling, despite the strict security measures in the Afghan capital, they are in the position to hit at any time and at several places simultaneously." Regional daily MQrkische Oderzeitung (10/28) of Frankfurt on the Oder commented: "Rarely has helplessness been greater. For weeks, President Obama has been postponing his decision on the future policy in Afghanistan. The generals want to drastically increase the number of troops, but Obama tends to favor targeted hits against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Both options are doomed to fail because they are far from reality. The NATO-led ISAF mission has already lost the battle over the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. ¶4. (Environment) Climate Change Under the headline "Obama's climate protection initiatives are insufficient," Berliner Zeitung (10/28) editorializes: "Barack Obama has announced a green revolution to the American people and he is working on it step by step. He has made a green expert his energy secretary, not an oil baron, and he has launched a heavy investment program for green technologies at the height of an economic crisis. Yesterday, he announced plans to build smart grids and to promote regenerative energies. These are giant steps, environmentally speaking, for a developing country of America. This would not have been possible under Obama's predecessor. However, concerning his most important environmental project, the climate protection bill, he i stuck in a deadlock. The whole world is waiting for this bill... Only if a bill is agreed upon, will the world climate summit in Copenhagen in December be a success. Otherwise, none of the other countries will take measures to continue to reduce carbon emissions. However, Obama's climate bill has been stuck in the Senate for months and the President is already considering not traveling to Copenhagen. If it comes to that, Obama will lose his image as a green revolutionary. This must not happen. Obama must now take the lead." Sddeutsche (10/28) headlined on its front page "UN head expects failure of world climate summit," and opined: "Hardly anybody would currently claim that the preparatory talks for the Copenhagen summit are going well. Particularly the U.S. policy is disappointing. Environmentalists had hoped that Barack Obama would be the new model. In addition, the decisions made in October have remained especially vague: no agreement has been developed on financial aid for developing countries to adjust to climate change or on the reduction goals for carbon dioxide emissions. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reduced the pressure by saying that there would probably not be an agreement... One might call Ban Ki-moon a realist, but the man who used to see climate change as one of his top priorities must play a differen role - one of a moral authority who integrates people and sets deadline for saving the world. Someone who says that Copenhagen must not fail. Ban will not be responsible for the agreements failure, but neither was he helpful." Under the headline "Modest Beginning," Handelsblatt (10/28) highlighted in an editorial: "Barack Obama decrees an electric BERLIN 00001358 003 OF 004 change in the U.S., so he does not come to Copenhagen with empty hands. The paper wrote: "President Obama would have liked to travel to Copenhagen with a climate bill. However, stuck in the debate over the heath care reform, Congress will not deal with it this year. So that Obama does not arrive empty-handed, the White House has started a green initiative. One of the measures is to modernize power supply networks, as announced yesterday. This is not only intended to create jobs, but also to raise America's ailing energy supply system to international standards. Ecologically, the switch to smart grids could be a big step forward.... Indeed, the U.S. approach to energy consumption is currently careless.... Modernizing this sector is therefore overdue - also because the U.S. will use more energy in the future.... However, much time will be needed before Americans are convinced that solar facilities on the roof and mini-power plants in the cellar are the solution." ¶5. (EU) Future Presidency Under the headline; "Fog on the Continent," Sueddeutsche Zeitung (10/28) judged: "The British have hopes of securing a top position in the EU even though they do not understand Europe. Britain's electoral law is brutal and unfair but it leads to clear majorities. But what is considered a domestic advantage is turning out to be a great deficiency - especially in Europe because the European Union is a complicated give and take construction made up of mutual favors. Those who do not know the rules will always come off worst, such as the British, whose political class does not understand the art of compromise to the same degree as its European partners. The consequences of this can now be observed with respect to British efforts to make ex-PM Tony Blair the next Europe president or to prevent his candidacy with tooth and nail. These efforts will have no impact on his real chances of winning, because the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council agreed long ago that a social democrat will not get the job. Personal experience and capabilities will not play any role, but solely the candidate's original political leaning. Because a left-winger will take the job of European foreign minister, a conservative politician must become European president. It is as simple as that." In his weekly column in Die Welt (10/28),Lord Weidenfeld argued: "If Blair succeeded in getting the post in Brussels, he would cultivate and strengthen transatlantic relations like no one else. Another advantage is the fact that he, as a moderate social democrat, would be able to produce the wanted balance between two conservative heavyweights in Europe: Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy. The list of Blair's counter candidates is short and unconvincing. One thing is certain: Tony Blair, with his many facets, cannot be easily ignored." ¶6. (Middle East) Conflict Over Water Resources Frankfurter Allgemeine (10/28) editorialized: "The most recent confrontation between Israel and Amnesty International again attracts attention to the scarce commodity of water in the Middle East. But the problem goes beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and affects the entire region, since the Middle East has always been an extremely arid region. Syria, Jordan, and Iraq, let alone other desert states, have known this tense situation for a long time. The conflict over water has an even greater explosive potential than oil. Only together will these countries be able to explore new water resources an distribute the existing ones fairly. But this would require peace that does not exist." die tageszeitung (10/28) judged in an editorial: "In its latest report on the unfair distribution of water, Amnesty International (AI) is creating the impression that the settlers have the solution to the drought in their hands. This is not only wrong but also totally superfluous as they have already been criticized in view of BERLIN 00001358 004 OF 004 infringements on their Palestinian neighbors. This unfair water distribution affects less the settlers than the Israeli government and the Palestinian Autonomous Authority. The distribution of water must be settled in a peace agreement. Until then, the occupying force is responsible for the people in the occupied territories. In the case of the Gaza Strip, neighboring Egypt should also take on some responsibility. At the moment, however, Israel is not doing justice to its task and the AI report should be reason for Prime Minister Netanyahu to change this. We must also praise AI because it is directing its appeal not only to Israel but also to the Palestinian Authority; and there is no doubt that it is also responsible for the misery of Palestinians." MURPHY