This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001859 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY; BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU; AF/PA; 
EUR/WE /P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA; INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA 
FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR 
AND PASS USTR/PA; USINCEUR FOR PAO; NATO/PA; MOSCOW/PA; 
ROME/PA; BRUSSELS/PA; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION TO WORLD 
BANK - BOLTON NOMINATION TO UN - SECRETARY RICE IN ASIA 
 
PARIS - MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2005 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
  ¶1.   WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION TO WORLD BANK - BOLTON NOMINATION TO 
     UN 
¶2.   SECRETARY RICE IN ASIA 
 
(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
THE INCREASING NUMBER OF "NO" VOTES ON THE EU CONSTITUTION 
REFERENDUM SHARES FRONT PAGES ALONG WITH DEMONSTRATIONS 
AGAINST THE BOLKESTEIN DIRECTIVE AND THE REPORT OF THE 
NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE ON RACISM IN 
FRANCE -- WHICH DETERMINED THAT JEWS AND MUSLIMS IN FRANCE 
WERE THE TARGET OF THE HIGHEST RECORDED NUMBER OF ATTACKS 
SINCE 1994. 
 
WHILE NOT A FRONT-PAGE STORY, THE CASE OF TERRY SCHIAVO 
RECEIVES CONSIDERABLE ELECTRONIC AND PRINT COVERAGE. CATHOLIC 
LA CROIX DEVOTES AN EDITORIAL TO THIS POLEMICAL SITUATION THAT 
PROVES THAT: "NO LAW CAN GOVERN THE ETHICAL DEBATE THAT EXISTS 
IN OUR SOCIETY ON EUTHANASIA." 
 
IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT PASCAL 
RICHE PENS AN ANALYSIS ON THE TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP AND 
THE MIXED SIGNALS THAT EUROPE FEELS IT IS GETTING FROM THE 
U.S. FOLLOWING THE NOMINATIONS OF PAUL WOLFOWITZ AND JOHN 
BOLTON. (SEE PART C) 
 
THE FRONT PAGE OF SATURDAY'S RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO LEADS: 
"WOLFOWITZ DEFENDS HIS CANDIDACY FOR THE WORLD BANK" 
ANNOUNCING THE INSIDE INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY THE DAILY'S 
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT UNDER THE SUBTITLE: "NUMBER TWO AT 
THE PENTAGON: WOLFOWITZ ANSWERS CRITICISM IN EUROPE OVER HIS 
NOMINATION TO HEAD THE WORLD BANK." 
 
THE SUNDAY-MONDAY EDITION OF LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE DESCRIBES 
THE NOMINATION OF PAUL WOLFOWITZ AS "AWKWARD FOR EUROPE" ON 
ITS FRONT PAGE. THE SECOND PAGE OF THE DAILY IS ENTIRELY 
DEVOTED TO THIS NOMINATION. NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT CORINNE 
LESNES WRITES: "SINCE HIS NOMINATION, PAUL WOLFOWITZ HAS BEEN 
ACTIVELY PROMOTING HIMSELF TO PUT FORWARD THAT HE IS NOT WHO 
WE THINK HE IS." 
 
COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE'S REPORT: "A WAR-MONGER AT THE HEAD OF 
THE WORLD BANK," SEES THE WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION AS A "SURPRISE 
FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. AND WITH THE NOMINATION OF 
JOHN BOLTON AS AMBASSADOR TO THE UN, MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A 
NEW ERA IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S HEGEMONIC AMBITIONS." 
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO'S CORRESPONDENT IN BEIJING JEAN- 
JACQUES MEVEL DESCRIBES SECRETARY RICE'S VISIT TO CHINA AS 
EMBLEMATIC OF THE POSITION THE U.S. HAS DECIDED TO ADOPT VIS-A- 
VIS CHINA: "THE U.S., AS OPPOSED TO EUROPE, IS OPENLY WARY OF 
CHINA. IT IS PRUDENTLY DIPLOMATIC. BUT INCLINED TO CURB THE 
CHINA'S POWER." (SEE PART C) 
 
THE AIRBUS-BOEING FEUD BETWEEN THE U.S. AND FRANCE WAS 
REFUELED THIS WEEKEND BREAKING THE 90-DAY TRUCE CONCERNING 
AIRCRAFT SUBSIDIES. CENTRIST ECONOMIC LA TRIBUNE HEADLINES: 
"THE END OF THE TRUCE BETWEEN AIRBUS AND BOEING," AND LE 
FIGARO'S ECONOMIC SUPPLEMENT ASKS: "WHO HUNG UP ON WHOM LAST 
FRIDAY? THE EU TRADE COMMISSIONER PETER MANDELSON CLAIMS THAT 
IT WAS HIS AMERICAN COUNTERPART ROBERT ZOELLICK WHO SAYS IT IS 
THE CONTRARY. BEHIND THIS SPAT. IS THE UNDERLYING FACT THAT 
BOEING CANNOT TOLERATE SEEING AIRBUS CARVE OUT A SIGNIFICANT 
SHARE OF THE MARKET FOR ITSELF. CONSIDERING THE TURN OF 
EVENTS, THE AGREEMENT THAT WAS EXPECTED FOR APRIL 11 WILL 
PROBABLY NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY." 
EU TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER, JACQUES BARROT, IN WASHINGTON 
TODAY AND TOMORROW GIVES AN INTERVIEW IN LA TRIBUNE ON "OPEN 
SKIES" NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE U.S. "I WILL ASSESS U.S. 
WILLINGNESS TO OPEN THE `TRANSATLANTIC SKIES' AND. I WILL BE 
NEGOTIATING THE CURRENT 25 PERCENT CEILING FOR FOREIGN 
OWNERSHIP OF AMERICAN AIRLINE COMPANIES." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION TO WORLD BANK - BOLTON NOMINATION TO UN 
 
"WHY WOLFOWITZ?" 
THE UNSIGNED EDITORIAL IN THE SUNDAY/MONDAY EDITION OF LEFT-OF- 
CENTER LE MONDE: "GEORGE W. BUSH'S SIGNS OF OPENING UP TO THE 
WORLD IN GENERAL AND EUROPE IN PARTICULAR SINCE HIS RE- 
ELECTION HAVE QUICKLY REACHED THEIR LIMIT. AND THE PRESIDENT 
IS REVERTING TO THE UNILATERALISM THAT CHARACTERIZED HIS FIRST 
TERM IN OFFICE. MR. WOLFOWITZ HAS STATED THAT HE WILL NOT BE 
WASHINGTON'S MAN AT THE WORLD BANK. BUT IT WILL BE DIFFICULT 
FOR HIM TO CONVINCE ANYONE OF THIS WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL 
COMMUNITY AS HIS PERSONALITY SUGGESTS ANYTHING BUT THE U.S.'S 
OPENNESS OR HUMILITY. ON THE CONTRARY, THIS NOMINATION LOOKS 
LIKE A NEW MANIFESTATION OF AMERICA'S ARROGANCE. INDIFFERENCE 
OR EVEN CYNICISM TOWARDS POOR COUNTRIES. WHAT IF EUROPE, 
SPURRED ON BY NUMEROUS NGOS, DECIDED TO VETO THIS NOMINATION? 
IT WOULD HAVE TO TAKE ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF YET ANOTHER 
DIPLOMATIC CRISIS WITH THE U.S. IN SHORT, MR. BUSH'S DECISION 
MAKES THE WARMING OF TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS INCREASINGLY 
DIFFICULT." 
 
 
"THE REAL FALSE AMERICAN SPRINGTIME" 
PASCAL RICHE IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (03/21): "WHERE IS 
GEORGE W. BUSH GOING? AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY HAS RARELY BEEN 
SO CONTRADICTORY. ON THE ONE HAND THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN 
REPEATING THE IMPORTANCE OF RECONCILIATION WITH THE EUROPEANS. 
AND ON SEVERAL ISSUES HIS NEW SECRETARY OF STATE HAS SHOWN 
THAT SHE IS DISTANCING HERSELF FROM THE HARD LINE OF THE 
ADMINISTRATION. ON THE OTHER HAND, WASHINGTON HAS SENT SIGNALS 
THAT SEEM TO BELIE THIS "AMERICAN SPRINGTIME." NAMELY WITH THE 
NOMINATION OF PAUL WOLFOWITZ AT THE HEAD OF THE WORLD BANK. 
AND ANOTHER HAWK, JOHN BOLTON. AS AMBASSADOR TO THE UN, AN 
INSTITUTION THAT HE OPENLY SCORNS. ACCORDING TO SOME EXPERTS 
BUSH IS TRYING TO FACILITATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE'S WORK BY 
RIDDING THE ADMINISTRATION OF ITS IDEOLOGUES. THESE TWO 
NOMINATIONS WERE MET IN EUROPE WITH SADDENED ASTONISHMENT. IT 
FEARS THAT BOLTON WILL UNDERTAKE A CRUSADE AGAINST THE UN. AND 
THAT WOLFOWITZ, WHO HAS DEVOTED HIS CAREER TO SPREADING 
WESTERN-STYLE DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD. WILL BE TEMPTED TO USE 
THE RESOURCES OF THE WORLD BANK TO PUNISH SOME AND REWARD 
OTHERS. EUROPEANS HAVE AN EASY WAY TO STOP THIS: BY VETOING 
HIS NOMINATION." 
 
SECRETARY RICE IN ASIA 
 
SIPDIS 
 
"FRANCE OPEN YOUR EYES!" 
LE FIGARO CARRIES AN OP-ED CO-SIGNED BY THREE CHINESE THINKERS 
WHO OPPOSE THE LIFTING OF THE ARMS EMBARGO AGAINST 
CHINA(03/21): "EUROPE AND FRANCE, FOUNDING COUNTRY OF HUMAN 
RIGHTS, ARE ON THE VERGE OF ABANDONING THEIR PRINCIPLES AND 
THEIR HUMANISM FOR COMMERCIAL PROFIT. FOR US CHINESE, THE REAL 
DEFENDERS OF DEMOCRACY TODAY ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE 
ATLANTIC, IN THE U.S." LEACH