Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BERLIN422
2009-04-09 12:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Berlin
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION: CUBA, MOLDOVA, GITMO, COUNTER-PIRACY,

Tags:  OPRC KMDR KPAO GM US CU MD SO IT RS UP GG KG 
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R 091251Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3809
INFO WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
DIA WASHINGTON DC
CIA WASHINGTON DC
DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
FRG COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY ROME 
USMISSION USNATO 
USMISSION USOSCE 
HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE
HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//J5 DIRECTORATE (MC)//
CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
UDITDUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
UNCLAS BERLIN 000422 


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"

E.0. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO GM US CU MD SO IT RS UP GG KG
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CUBA, MOLDOVA, GITMO, COUNTER-PIRACY,
UNFCCC, ITALY, DEMOCRACY

UNCLAS BERLIN 000422


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"

E.0. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO GM US CU MD SO IT RS UP GG KG
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CUBA, MOLDOVA, GITMO, COUNTER-PIRACY,
UNFCCC, ITALY, DEMOCRACY


1. Lead Stories Summary

2. (U.S.-Cuba) Congressional Delegation in Cuba

3. (Moldova) Unrest

4. (U.S.) Renditions, ICRC Report

5. (Somalia) Fate of Pirates

6. (Environment) Bonn UNFCCC

7. (Italy) Berlusconi on Earthquake Victims

8. (Eastern Europe) Democracy



1. Lead Stories Summary

Early evening newscasts by ZDF-TV's Heute and ARD-TV's Tagesschau
opened with stories on German government plan's to expand the
car-scrapping bonus. Newspapers led with various stories, including
counter-piracy, and the change in leadership at Deutsche Bahn.


2. (U.S.-Cuba) Congressional Delegation in Cuba

"Barack Obama is getting serious about the beginning of the end of
the blockade of the regime that has now existed for more than 47
years," Sueddeutsche Zeitung editorialized, and added: "For the
Castro brothers, the new openness is a greater challenge than the
blockade measures that were imposed by the Bush government. An
invasion of [U.S.] tourists could be more dangerous for the regime
than the failed invasion of the Bay of Pigs. If there is no longer
an enemy image, it will become increasingly difficult to explain to
the Cubans why they behave as if they are on a besieged island and
forego wealth and freedom. For the old Castros, it is time to
acknowledge that their revolution is over. Obama's offer would now
be an act of decency. They could end their internal blockade, a
kind of second revolution in Cuba so to speak."


3. (Moldova) Unrest

ARD-TV's primetime Tagesschau reports that "the protests against the
government in the former Soviet Republic of Moldova have ebbed away.
Police officers are patrolling in the streets of the center of
Chisinau. Thousands of protesters had stormed the parliament the
day before and accused the government of election fraud. The
president accused Romania of being behind the protests. Bucharest
rejected the allegations. Moldova was part of Romania until 1940."


Frankfurter Allgemeine comments: "The Communist Party in the
Republic of Moldova has won the elections again. Although it appears
odd that the party holds exactly the 61 votes necessary to elect the
president, irregularities during the election will be difficult to
prove. The violent protests, which were quickly ended by a massive
police operation, probably rather damaged the opposition parties.
In Moldova, we cannot expect another colorful revolution."

Under the headline "Longing for Europe," Handelsblatt editorializes:
"Unnoticed by the world, a torturing process is going on in Moldova
18 years after its declaration of independence. This is a process
all countries of the Balkans and the former Soviet sphere of power -
apart from Belarus - have already gone through. Moldova just can't
cut the cord to Moscow. We cannot really accuse the victorious
Communists of manipulating the elections.... The fact that the
young people started riots in the streets and stormed the parliament
can be explained only by their frustration. The young people want a
new beginning and to join Europe. This is their right. However, it
does not justify the violence.... Apart from economic assistance,
the country cannot expect much from Europe. The events are not
important for Brussels as long as there is no second Georgian case
on the EU's south-eastern flank. The young people are angry and
feel abandoned. This is the bitter lesson in a forgotten country."



4. (U.S.) Renditions, ICRC Report

Die Welt editorializes on the confidential ICRC reports on alleged
mistreatment of Guantanamo detainees that "the CIA's policy after
2001 is a disgrace to the West's value community. The paper notes
that "the ICRC report discloses a world that falls short of the
standard of countries with which we want to share values."


5. (Somalia) Fate of Pirates

Sueddeutsche Zeitung deals with the problem of what to do with
Somali pirates after their arrest and opined: "In principle it is
right to put African pirates on trial in the region. Since Somalia
does not function as a state, it is now up to Kenya to try them.
But if pirates fire at a Bundeswehr ship, it will not create a good
impression if four Federal Ministries are at odds with each other
about whether it would be too much for Germany to put several
alleged bandits on trial and whether the situation could get even
worse if the seven applied for asylum. It is becoming increasingly
obvious that the EU 'Atalanta' mission lacks a uniform and efficient
criminal prosecution. According to all previous experience, an
International Criminal Court on Piracy would really be the best
answer. It should have its seat in Kenya and pronounce judgments
according to international standards."


6. (Environment) Bonn UNFCCC

Frankfurter Rundschau comments: "The good news of the UN climate
conference in Bonn is that the U.S. rejoined the negotiations on
global climate. Concerning Kyoto, Washington applied the brakes for
almost 15 years. However, the conference also made clear that the
global climate summit in Copenhagen is still a long way away.... A
signal is due during the next G8 summit in July in Italy."


7. (Italy) Berlusconi on Earthquake Victims

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said: "Italian crisis management has
learned its lessons from the earthquake in Irpinia in 1980 and in
Umbria in 1997. Firefighters, police officers, Carabinieri, and the
military arrived quickly to help. Civil defense organizations were
able to rely on [emergency] plans and reserves. Prime Minister
Berlusconi talked a lot - and sometimes he said even strange things
- but he acted purposefully, like a company owner who wanted to
resolve problems but did not want to talk... He and his ministers
conveyed the impression that they were prepared for such a
situation, that they knew which measures to take and that they would
not leave the people alone. Government and the rescue sources are
still far away from being perfect, but they have backed the affected
people to keep them from sinking into misery, and the rest of the
nation to offer reasonable assistance."

In the view of Tagesspiegel, "Silvio Berlusconi again put his foot
in it. He is a master at doing this. He has not learned his
lesson, not even the dying in the debris can refrain him from making
embarrassing statements that are as numerous as the grains of sand
on the Adriatic coast. In reality, the term 'embarrassing' is too
weak for the things he inflicts on others. With his clowneries,
Berlusconi is exposing his country to ridicule, he defames Italy.
And nowhere in Italian politics is anyone in sight who could save
Italy."

Regional daily Ostsee Zeitung of Rostock opined: "We can rely on
Silvio Berlusconi: If there is some way for him to put his foot in
it, then the Italian political lout will do so. Yesterday, the
media billionaire, in his capacity as prime minister, added another
'pearl' to his anthology of quotations. He compared the misery of
the homeless people in L'Aquila with a 'camping weekend.' Italy is
certainly a special case. It is a country where Berlusconi has
become the prime minister for the fourth time thanks to his power in
the media. Nevertheless, Berlusconi is the living evidence of not
gaining in stature in an office that is being transferred to him.

Thanks for this, Silvio!"

Regional daily Nuernberger Zeitung argued: "Those who have lost
their legs do not need to spend money on shoes, and if a roof
collapses during an earthquake, the people affected can be delighted
with a camping holiday paid for by the state. This is the view of
Italy's Prime Minister Berlusconi. Disasters cannot shock a man
like him, since he is a disaster himself. Is it worthwhile saying a
word about him? Especially during crises, the world loves this
clown. As long as he governs, the whole world is like a circus, and
nothing is really serious. Not everyone lives in L'Aquila."


8. (Eastern Europe) Democracy

According to Sueddeutsche Zeitung, "a fatal tendency for
authoritarian structures and defiant, sometimes aggressive, but
always irresponsible foreign policy have turned the democratic
wonder children [Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan] into trouble spots
for the international community. Why is this so? Was Western
solidarity too small, pressure from Moscow too great? Has the time
for radical regime change expired? This would be depressing, but
this is not the case. Each of the former colorful revolutions has
failed in its own way. But they all have in common that they were
not revolutions. The authoritarian system was not changed, only the
personnel. All trailblazers [of the past] now have high-ranking
government positions. To resolve conflicts through compromises is
strange to them. They continue their often disgusting traditions:
corruption, paranoia, violence. America and Russia do everything
possible to polarize the situation, and Europe is turning to other
problems. But this cannot distract attention from the
responsibility for the failure [of these revolutions]."

KOENIG