MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-Mexico, U.S.-Pakistan, Mideast,

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SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-Mexico, U.S.-Pakistan, Mideast,
U.S.-Disarmament, Russia, Piracy


1. Lead Stories Summary

2. (U.S.-Mexico) Obama Trip

3. (U.S.-Pakistan) Criticism of Zardari

4. (Mideast) Mitchell Trip, Peace Process

5. (U.S.) Obama's Disarmament Proposals

6. (Russia) Medvedev Interview

7. (Africa) Anti-Piracy Efforts


1. Lead Stories Summary

Editorials focused on the debate over the ban on genetically
modified organisms, the reaction to the financial crisis, and the
debate over what to do with Somali pirates. ZDF-TV's early evening
newscast Heute opened with a report on a study saying that gas
prices should be considerably lower than they are today, while
ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened with a story on
protests by farmers and environmental activists in Munich against
patents on animals and plants.


2. (U.S.-Mexico) Obama Trip

"No War Is Closer," Frankfurter Allgemeine headlines on President
Obama's trip to Mexico, and reported: "Barack Obama is traveling to
Mexico. Since members of his government said that the neighbor is a
'failed state,' relations between the two nations are strained. But
in the fight against drug cartels, both sides need each other. For
more than four weeks, the Obama government is now trying to
eliminate the tensions with Mexico for which itself it is
responsible. During her visit to Mexico City at the beginning of
April, Secretary of State Clinton several times emphasized the
shared responsibility for the drug war because of the U.S.'s
"insatiable demand" for drugs and offered further support...in the
fight against drugs. But of the promised 1.4 billion U.S. dollars
that are to be used within three years, only seven million dollars
have been transferred to Mexico."

Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported under the headline: "Neighbor out of
Control," that "President Obama will have a 24-hour stopover in
Mexico on his way to the 'Summit of the Americas,' which will take
place in Trinidad & Tobago over the weekend. But this will be more
than a courtesy visit. President Caldersn is demanding a reform of
the U.S. immigration restrictions that Obama's predecessor planned
to implement. Another bone of contention is drug policy. Thus far,
10,000 people have died since 2006 when Caldersn declared war on the
'narcos.' In 2008, more people have died in this war than in Iraq
and Afghanistan. The State Department is alarmed, and drug
traffickers are also on the rampage in the United States."

Tagesspiegel wrote: "In Mexico and Latin America, President Obama
wants to remove the psychological obstacles of the Bush era. One
week after his return from a lengthy European tour, President Obama
will depart on Thursday for another lengthy trip to Mexico and the
'Summit of the Americas.' Like in Europe, Obama is striving for a
change of the tone compared to the one of his predecessor George W.
Bush. On the issues, however, there are a number of differences of
opinion between Obama and the Latin American states. Psychological
obstacles make rapprochement also difficult. In Mexico, President
Caldersn expects Obama to say: Mexico is a functioning state and
will win the war on drugs. At the OAS summit, psychology will also
be important: the Latin American states blame the United States for
the financial crisis."


3. (U.S.-Pakistan) Criticism of Zardari

Under the headline: "White House Strongly Criticized Zardari,"
Frankfurter Allgemeine reported: "The White House strongly
criticized the introduction of the Islamic Sharia in Pakistan's Swat
Valley, which the Pakistani government tolerated. In return, the
Taliban have offered the government in Islamabad a cease-fire.
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, like the National Assembly,
approved the deal on Tuesday. White House spokesman Gibbs said that
this step would undermine the respect for human rights."

Under the headline: "Capitulated," Frankfurter Allgemeine
editorialized: "It was rather a capitulation in February, when the
Pakistani government approved a bad peace agreement with the radical
Islamic Taliban in the Swat Valley. But like similar agreements
before which were concluded with radical Islamists in autonomous
tribal areas, it has only strengthened the Pakistani Taliban. With
the approval of the Pakistani president, not only was Sharia
introduced but the number of armed fighters also increased. Thus
the Pakistani state is giving up its territory step by step, even
though without its active support, as special U.S. envoy Richard
Holbrooke emphasizes, stabilization in Afghanistan and the entire
region cannot succeed."


4. (Mideast) Mitchell Trip, Peace Process

Financial Times Deutschland carried a report under the headline:
"Mission Damage Control," and wrote: "U.S. special envoy George
Mitchell is now travelling the Middle East to sound out the chances
for peace. But with the government of hardliners in Israel,
Israeli-U.S. friendship is facing a new stress test."

A Handelsblatt report headlined: "Two-State Solution Burdening
Washington's Relations with Jerusalem," noted: "The U.S. government
plans to breathe fresh air into the Middle East peace process The
special envoy for the Region, George Mitchell, will meet Israel's
new Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem today. New conflicts are
already evident. While U.S. President Obama unmistakably backed the
foundation of a Palestinian state, the government in Jerusalem
rejects the two-state solution. The differing positions are
threatening to burden close U.S.-Israeli relations."

Sueddeutsche deals with the planned concert of conductor Daniel
Barenboim in Egypt and writes about Arab-Israeli relations: "The
fuss about Barenboim's appearance is also symptomatic for the
political division of Egyptians. Many, including the ones in
government and establishment, want to be more Palestinian than the
Palestinians themselves. They know that their country concluded a
peace agreement with Israel in 1979, but they think that they can
still ignore it 30 years later. They refuse to normalize relations.
What is lacking in Egypt and many Arab countries is the insight
that normalization of relations with Israel cannot be equated with a
lack of criticism of Israel. It is a reality that Israel exists and
is globally recognized, that it will give up the Palestinian
territories only after tough pressure and that nothing can be
achieved with military violence. That is why reconciliation and
dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis remain a precondition and
the only chance to realize the rights of the Palestinians."


5. (U.S.) Obama's Disarmament Proposals

In a front-page editorial, Frankfurter Allgemeine judged: "While the
new U.S. president has launched a new disarmament initiative, North
Korea is turning the escalation screws. It is probably the attempt
to find out how steadfast Obama is and what concessions can be
forced out of him. If North Korea continues to stick to its
announcements, one thing must be kept in mind: all previous attempts
to prompt the regimes in North Korea, but also in Iran, to show
moderation and to bring about a lasting and verifiable change of
their nuclear policies have failed. This is the initial point where
the U.S. government finds itself right now. Over the past few
weeks, the new U.S. president outdid himself with niceties and with
gestures of rapprochement. But they do not offer any certainty that
Iran will real show any willingness to make concessions in the
matter itself. Why should it do this anyway? Why should it now
enter into serious talks whose goal it would be, according to
western views, to stop a project on which Iran has worked for more
than 20 years? What would be more appropriate for Iran than
behaving in a brittle way and to wait and see what real concessions
Obama will offer? Thus far, Tehran has gone scot-free despite UN
resolutions. Why should it now change its strategy? In Prague,
Obama said that America wants to maintain a nuclear arsenal to deter
'potential enemies' and that the U.S. wants to build a missile
defense system as long as Iran's activities pose a threat. Russia,
which wants to prevent such a system, would now have a stimulus to
use its influence on Iran - if it wanted to."


6. (Russia) Medvedev Interview

Under the headline: "Medvedev Disassociates Himself From Parts of
Putin's Policy," Die Welt noted; "Russian President Medvedev
presented himself as a friend of surprising changes. After almost
one year in office, he gave his first interview to the opposition
paper Nowaja Gazeta, the paper which as one of the few Russian
papers critically follows the Kremlin's policy and which is hated
within the state's bureaucracy and the military because of its
stubbornness. The interview confirms the impression people could
get before: the President is taking on an attitude towards the
newspaper which differs from the one of his predecessor Putin. But
it is highly uncertain whether the new relations with the Russian
opposition indicate a phase of greater tolerance and democracy."

Handelsblatt editorialized: "Dmitrij Medvedev has never been and
will never be Vladimir Putin. Russia's Premier and ex-President is
a product of the Cold War. The KGB has formed his understanding of
democracy, while his successor is a member of the younger generation
which considers the West not an enemy but a model. That is why
Medvedev can now present himself as a perfect democrat in a
newspaper interview and foil Putin. But this does by no means mean
that a new spirit is now prevailing on top of the state. Medvedev,
too, knows his limits. He confines himself to making nice words and
symbolic gestures, but he does not act either in the Chodorkovsky
trial or in the farce concerning the hunt for the murderer of Anna
Politikowskaja."


7. (Africa) Anti-Piracy Efforts

Frankfurter Allgemeine judged: "It is not that easy: On the one
side, we have the unerring Americans who do not include justice
authorities in their efforts to fight pirates and the self-confident
French who put the pirates immediately on trial in the mother
country of human rights. On the other side, we have the Germans who
believe in the rule of law but who allow lawyers and Somali pirates
to make a fool of them. The EU has reached an agreement with Kenya
on the transfer and the sentencing of pirates. But the EU states,
including Germany, are trying to safeguard the respect of minimum
standards. This solution may be more favorable than a trial in
Europe. But it would be even better if the fertile ground for
piracy could be dried or military actions could be more efficient.
This does not mean not to make prisoners, but it would require
deterrence and a disciplined attitude of all cargo ships."

Weekly Die Zeit argued: "Tough action against the pirates is
necessary to prevent something that has thus far been a nightmare
for anti-terror strategists: that the Somali Ocean gangsters in
flip-flops ally with Islamic terrorists. Once before, al Qaida has
copied an old terror model, the hijacking of aircraft, for its
purposes. Two hijacked giant tankers, being blown up in the Gulf of
Aden would force the global economy to its knees for weeks. This
would be a maritime 9/11."

Regional daily Stuttgarter Zeitung had this to say: "Thus far it was
up to Americans and French to free their hostages with commando
actions. There is always a great risk that innocent people will
also die in such rescue operations. That is why each case must be
carefully weighed. On the other hand, the global community cannot
allow the hijacking of ships day by day. Not only the EU, NATO, and
the United States have maritime forces off the Horn of Africa,
China, India, Japan and Russia have also sent war ships to the Gulf
of Aden. They must begin to use their weapons in clearly targeted a
moderate way."