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141506Z Dec 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 008445 
 
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; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Syria-Lebanon Rice European 
Visit and Renditions IraqPARIS - Wednesday, December 14, 2005 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:Syria-Lebanon 
Rice European Visit and Renditions 
IraqB) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:Domestic social and economic issues 
 
dominate, with France's national debt in the lead in several 
outlets. Liberation devotes a harsh editorial to Assad's 
involvement in recent assassinations in Lebanon, calling the 
international community to "not allow him to go unpunished." 
Le Figaro's editorial urges France and the U.S. to support 
Lebanon's PM's "courageous" request for an international 
tribunal. (See Part C) 
 
Iraq and the legislative elections are today's second 
international story. Le Figaro titles one of its stories: 
"France, Concerned for the Region, Is No Longer Eager to See 
the Americans Leave." In his report Alain Barluet contrasts 
France's position before the war and now, quoting Interior 
Minister Villepin in his interview last week with CNN. (See 
Part C) 
 
Les Echos carries an opinion piece by editorialist Sergio 
Romano entitled: "Europe-U.S.: A Strange Cordiality" in which 
he contends that "Rice's visit did not dissipate every 
misunderstanding" regarding rendition flights and torture. 
(See Part C) 
 
Two summits, the WTO in Hong Kong and the EU summit in 
Brussels elicit commentaries on the difficulties both summits 
face in reaching agreements, as well as the need to succeed, 
despite the difficulties.  Catholic La Croix leads with 
tomorrow's EU Summit on the budget and headlines "Barroso 
Confident in Europe's Strength." Barosso gives an interview in 
which he states: "Failure this week would have negative 
economic consequences for the new members. No one would gain 
from a new European crisis." On the WTO Ministerial he says: 
"We would all gain from a successful summit in Hong Kong 
because Europe leads in matters of trade." The editorial 
suggests that the EU summit will be a "bartering session 
between friends." Les Echos carries an op-ed by British 
Ambassador Sir John Holmes titled "Our Project for Europe" to 
explain Blair's EU budget proposals: "I believe that the 
negotiations, although difficult, can lead to a successful 
agreement at the EU summit. Everyone will have to make an 
effort, even if everyone may not come out a winner. But the 
need for justice must apply to everyone, including Great 
Britain."  Le Monde carries an open letter from WTO Director 
Pascal Lamy to participating Ministers: "These negotiations 
could turn out to be the most complex ever. You will need 
political courage in the next few days. Either we close the 
Cycle at the end of 2006, or the entire world trade system 
will lose its purpose." 
Popular right-of-center Le Parisien devotes its lead to a 
Senate report which indicates that "every year in France, 600 
000 blank passports and ID cards are stolen." Inside, a small 
article reports on the new passport and visa requirements to 
travel to the U.S. and comments: "France is unable at this 
date to provide (biometric) passports. They will begin to be 
issued during the first semester of 2006. Some French 
travelers may therefore see their trips to the U.S. 
compromised. The U.S. Embassy in Paris is unable to satisfy 
all the visa requests. People living outside Paris are doubly 
penalized because they have to travel to Paris for their 
visas, which costs 90 euros." The story was also reported this 
morning on France 2 television. Le Figaro equally notes: 
"Visas: U.S. Embassy Swamped." 
 
The tenth anniversary of the Dayton-Paris Accords is noted in 
Liberation: "This anniversary reminds the Europeans of their 
tragic inaction then, and the primary role that is theirs 
today in the pacification and reconstruction of the region." 
 
The execution of `Tookie' Williams is front-paged in Le Monde 
and communist l'Humanite which titles: "Blood on America's 
Hands." France Soir titles its story: "Terminator Executes 
Tookie." Le Figaro focuses on the "changed man" and the 
"remarkable transformation" of Williams. 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:Syria- Lebanon 
 
"Saddam Assad" 
Patrick Sabatier in left-of-center Liberation (12/14): "In an 
interview with Time magazine, Syria's al-Assad tried to 
convince everyone he was not another Saddam Hussein, that he 
wanted to cooperate with the UN. But the Mehlis report proves 
Syria has not cooperated. Assad is increasingly looking like 
the brains behind the recent attacks in Lebanon. Since 
Hariri's assassination, Syria is waging a real war in Lebanon. 
Everyone knows that the terrorists who are killing in Beirut 
get their orders from Syria. Assad, like Saddam before him, 
has chosen a strategy of tension. against the international 
community. His wager is that it will not try to destabilize 
Syria and Lebanon, for fear that the chaos that reigns in Iraq 
might spread, thus playing into the hands of Islamic forces. 
He knows that some UN members are, out of principle, against 
sanctions. But the UN, although it is not all that credible, 
must not back down: it must punish Assad, investigate the 
Harriri assassination fully, as well other assassinations. It 
must isolate Assad until he gives up on his dream of 
annexation of Lebanon. Or until his own people topples him and 
serves him a fate similar to Saddam's." 
 
"The Lebanese Stakes" 
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (12/14): 
"Lebanon continues to pay the price for freeing itself from 
Syrian interference. The latest assassination proves to what 
extent terror is the only way for Damascus to keep its hold on 
Lebanon. Skeptics will counter by saying that nothing has 
changed and that international pressure, for once jointly 
applied by Washington and Paris, only serves to push Bashar-al- 
Assad into a corner and to become more dangerous than ever. 
all the while discrediting the UN and mocking America's 
powerlessness because stuck in the sands of Iraq. Others may 
even go so far as to denounce Paris's rallying with American 
diplomatic efforts to bring about change in the Middle East. 
While the Mehlis report does not explicitly point to Syria. 
clues are beginning to emerge. This is why the investigation 
into Harriri's assassination must continue. No one must oppose 
the Lebanese PM's courageous initiative in asking for an 
international tribunal. France and the U.S. must do everything 
so that this initiative can succeed." 
 
Rice European Visit and Renditions 
 
"Europe-U.S.: A Strange Cordiality" 
Sergio Romano in right-of-center Les Echos (12/14): "During 
her recent trip, Condoleezza Rice tried to pacify America's 
allies with reassuring remarks. The UN Convention on torture 
would be respected and errors, if any were made, would be 
rectified. But other voices, (Dick Cheney's) spoke 
differently. But the fact is that during her trip, Secretary 
Rice changed course. Before her trip, she reminded European 
governments, not without some arrogance, about America's role 
in safeguarding them from terrorism. At the end of her trip, 
having noted the nature of European public opinion, she 
thought it necessary to adopt a different approach. Must we 
conclude then that the entente has become once again cordial? 
Europe and the U.S. share too many common interests to let 
differences affect their relationship for too long. But it 
would be dangerous to delude ourselves. The controversy of the 
past weeks (about renditions and torture.) illustrate a 
philosophy adopted by the U.S. which is clearly in 
contradiction with that of European countries. For a large 
part of the American political class, the end of the Cold War 
meant an opportunity for America's might to become free and 
expand in all directions. After the election of President Bush 
and 9/11, the trend intensified. Today, there exists an 
American space of security which goes beyond America's 
geographical boundaries and in which Washington believes it 
can operate as it pleases. If Europe hopes to build its 
identity and its sovereignty, it cannot accept this 
philosophy." 
 
Iraq 
 
"France, Concerned for the Region, Is No Longer Eager to See 
the Americans Leave." 
Alain Barluet in right-of-center Le Figaro (12/14): "After 
standing up against the war, France today is rather in favor 
of Americans staying in Iraq. In an interview last week on 
CNN, PM Villepin warned that `chaos in Iraq, which would be a 
disaster for the region, needs to be avoided at all costs.' 
France is not so eager to see the Americans leave Iraq because 
it is aware of the threats that hover over the country and the 
region. In this context, the legislative elections are seen by 
Paris as an important step towards the stabilization of Iraq. 
The difficult situation with Syria and Iran has prompted Paris 
to rethink American troop withdrawal. Seen from Paris, 
America's presence (in Iraq) has not reduced the terrorist 
threat. Revelations about CIA secret prisons and renditions 
via European airports have cast a new shadow on America's war 
against terror. But it is undeniable that these practices have 
elicited few and weak official reactions, including from 
France." STAPLETON