TFHA01: LUXEMBOURG PRESS FOCUSED ON OWN EFFORTS, POSITIVE

UNCLAS LUXEMBOURG 000017

SIPDIS
DEPT FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE
USAID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA
DEPT FOR EUR/WE - BELON
DEPT FOR EUR/PPD - PIPKIN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO KDEM EAID PHUM OIIP LU HA
SUBJECT: TFHA01: LUXEMBOURG PRESS FOCUSED ON OWN EFFORTS, POSITIVE
U.S. COVERAGE

REF: LUXEMBOURG 11; STATE 5277


1. (U) SUMMARY: Press reporting on U.S. efforts in
Haiti has been overwhelmingly - and nearly exclusively - positive.
The one exception Post has noted is a letter to the editor that ran
in weekly paper Le Jeudi, entitled "A Military-Humanitarian
Invasion" and penned by an unknown entity. Luxembourg's own
contributions to Haiti have dominated press coverage, focusing on
their own boots (and paws) on the ground and euros in the pipeline.
In the last couple of days, local press coverage has homed in on
the feel-good adoption story, running full page spreads of the
fourteen Haitian orphans arriving in Luxembourg to meet their new
families. END SUMMARY




2. (U) The Grand Duchy responded to the earthquake
in Haiti in lightning speed, sending a 17-man, 7-dog search and
rescue team to the devastated country within 48 hours. The press
highlighted the team's equally rapid return to Luxembourg, even if
the hasty departure appears to have been driven mostly by its ride
(the Belgian Army's air transport) leaving. Speculation that the
team left Haiti due to poor security and lack of force protection
played briefly in the press (ref a),but does not appear to have
any staying power. Even if it had, the GoL deftly augmented its
pledge of 700,000 euros to 1.2 million euros, returning the focus
to the humanitarian assistance.




3. (U) When the quake struck, Post learned that the
only reports of Luxembourg citizens on the ground in Haiti were of
two families traveling with the Red Cross to finalize adoptions.
When the families returned to Luxembourg with the search and rescue
mission without the children, there was noticeable disappointment.
However, as one hundred Haitian children prepared to leave their
homeland for the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the press seized on
the story - making front pages across the country. The arrival of
fourteen children in Luxembourg on Thursday (21 January) received
universal coverage in the following day's press, including, in some
cases, full page spreads and group photographs of the children with
their new families.


4. (U) The single critical article of U.S.
activities in Haiti appeared in a letter to the editor, published
Thursday (21 January) in the weekly paper Le Jeudi. The author,
unknown to the local PD staff, is an Italian philosopher and
journalist named Daniel Salvatore Schiffer. Salvatore's letter is
subtitled, "Is the U.S. taking advantage of the tragedy to
expropriate (difficult translation; original: s'approprier) Haiti?"
The tone of the letter is light on facts and heavy on insinuation,
claiming 10,000 American troops were immediately deployed to the
island not to rescue the wounded and starving population, but
instead to take over the airport. Salvatore also criticizes
Secretary Clinton's message upon arrival in Port-au-Prince. By
saying to the world that "Today, tomorrow and in the future America
will stand alongside Haiti," Salvatore contends that the United
States military is preparing for a long-term occupation in Haiti.
Finally, Salvatore contends that the U.S.'s objectives are not
humanitarian at all, but rather to reduce European influence in the
Caribbean and to better position its military against "long-term
enemy Cuba" and Venezuela, a precursor to a "Yankee invasion."


5. (SBU) Le Jeudi is the only 100% French weekly in
Luxembourg. In its ten years of existence, it has generated a
significant readership. Its tendencies tend to skew to the left of
center, and its track record is one of heavy criticism of the Bush
Administration, which has tempered significantly over the Obama
Administration's first year. The paper devotes significant
percentage of its print space to opinion pieces and letters to the
editor, often printing pieces from well-known former politicians
and other luminaries. The fact that this piece was written by a
virtual unknown (our Google search revealed he is not resident in
Luxembourg) takes away from its credibility. Post recommends
against responding at this point. Le Jeudi is known for allowing
"he said, she said" arguments to play out in its pages over periods
of time. This story is literally the only negative article Post
has observed, and the writer is an unknown. The paper is a weekly


- the story will likely be forgotten by next week. If not, and it
appears the letter gains traction or stimulates debate, Post is
prepared to take the appropriate response to correct the record.




6. (U) COMMENT: Ambassador Stroum presents her
credentials to the Grand Duke on 28 January, so she cannot make a
direct response to the media at this point. However, at events
attended by other Mission personnel, Post has observed a positive
buzz within the community about U.S. leadership in Haiti. Unlike
other issues where the U.S. garners heaps of attention (either
wanted or unwanted),it appears Luxembourg is pleased to appear
like-minded with the United States in this purely human interest
story. At present, Post is pleased with the Luxembourg public and
media perception of the U.S. efforts in Haiti.




7. Minimize considered.
Stroum