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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000452 
 
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 - Rice Transformational 
Diplomacy Iran Energy War Palestinian Elections 
PARIS - Tuesday, January 24, 2006 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Rice Transformational Diplomacy 
Iran 
Energy War 
Palestinian Elections 
 
(B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
A vast array of topics is displayed on today's front pages, 
with the energy war and France's nuclear strategy making the 
front page of Le Figaro and La Tribune. While Nicolas Barre in 
Le Figaro suggests France must play the "money war" to counter 
Russia's "gas war," La Tribune's editorialist explains why 
everyone is once again "rediscovering the charms of the atom." 
(See Part C) 
 
Secretary Rice's transformational diplomacy is written up in a 
 
SIPDIS 
report in Le Monde entitled: "American Diplomats to Be 
Redeployed." (See Part C) 
 
Catholic La Croix devotes its lead to the kidnapping of 
children in Iraq and tells a story from the viewpoint of a 
grandmother who wrote and sent her tale to La Croix's 
reporter, Agnes Rotivel. As part of the same report, Catherine 
Rebuffel interviews Pierre Salignon, President of Doctors 
Without Borders: "We have decided to leave Iraq because things 
were becoming too dangerous. We do not want to encourage 
further kidnappings through our presence." 
 
The Palestinian elections elicit a report in Le Figaro 
explaining that Arafat's El Fatah party must deal with "an 
unprecedented challenge from Hamas." (See part C) 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Rice Transformational Diplomacy 
 
"American Diplomats to Be Redeployed" 
Corine Lesnes in left-of-center Le Monde (01/24): "Some one 
hundred U.S. diplomats will leave their posts in Europe to 
work in posts in China and Africa. Secretary Rice announced a 
reform aiming to put the State Department in harmony with the 
new world order. These new diplomats will be preaching 
democratization as defined by President Bush. More than 
Consulates, the State Department hopes to open `American 
Presence Posts.' which cost less to operate. Diplomats will 
also need to work more closely with the military and be 
involved in reconstruction efforts. Secretary Rice also 
announced that foreign aid would now be overseen by the State 
Department.' 
 
Energy War 
 
"Energy Diplomacy" 
Nicolas Barre in right-of-center Le Figaro (01/24): "There is 
no doubt that we are in the midst of an energy war, from Niger 
to the Middle East to Venezuela and Indonesia. Paradoxically, 
this energy war seems to be leaving Europe totally 
unconcerned. But things could change drastically, because 
China is becoming the second largest energy importer in the 
world, and the major cause for tension on the energy market. 
Many countries are using energy as a weapon . in order to 
operate strategic changes. But Europe has a weapon it can use 
against Russia, because Europe is Russia's second largest 
energy purchaser: we must not shy away from using the money 
diplomacy to counter Moscow's gas diplomacy. Our future 
depends on it." 
 
"Rediscovering the Charms of the Atom" 
Francois-Xavier Pietri in centrist La Tribune (01/24): 
"Today's energy situation is leading formerly anti-nuclear 
nations to revise their positions on the charms of nuclear 
energy. With the Ukrainian gas conflict, Russia has recently 
reminded Europe of its strategic importance. Separately, Iran 
has been threatening to cut oil supplies if the West tries to 
counter its nuclear aspirations. If one adds the chronic 
instability of the Middle East and Africa, the picture is 
complete and is enough to make western nations jittery about 
their vulnerability. The forced equilibrium imposed by fear of 
the nuclear has been replaced by a more perverse threat: an 
energy war not easily fought with conventional weapons. It is 
easy to understand, therefore, why President Chirac. and 
nations like Germany, Great Britain and Italy, traditionally 
opposed to the atom, are little by little rediscovering its 
charms." 
 
Iran 
 
"A Heterogeneous International System" 
Thierry de Montbrial in left-of-center Le Monde (01/24): "We 
would be committing a major error if we believed that Iran's 
population in its entirety were eager to fall into our arms. 
With or without the Mullahs., it has adopted the idea that 
mastering the nuclear cycle is a national symbol. Tehran's 
strategists believe that the U.S. is weakened because of its 
Iraqi adventure. They fear neither a U.S military intervention 
nor an Israeli one. Neither Russia nor China wants to confront 
the U.S. or Europe. But both wish to maintain good relations 
with Iran. The true stakes in the present tug of war is 
acknowledging that the international system is indeed 
heterogeneous. In the short term it means accepting the idea 
of having to negotiate with Iran. In not accepting this 
reality, the U.S. and its western allies would be taking the 
risk of losing more of a grip in the Middle East and beyond, 
with incalculable consequences. In the game that is being 
played out in Iran, the Europeans are playing alongside the 
Americans. The difference will be made by the stance adopted 
by the Russians and the Chinese." 
 
Palestinian Elections 
 
"Fatah Preparing to Rule With Hamas" 
Patrick Saint-Paul in right-of-center Le Figaro (01/24): 
"Fatah, which for the past half a century has been the 
undisputed Palestinian political party, will for the first 
time have to give up its hegemony in the next elections. Since 
Arafat's death, his party has steadily been losing ground. 
Even if it manages to retain its parliamentary majority, Fatah 
will have no choice but to negotiate with the more radical 
Hamas, which is sure to make inroads in the next parliamentary 
elections, and the first one it is taking part in. Despite 
having been black listed by the Americans and the Israelis, 
Arafat managed, until his death, to control chaos in the 
occupied territories. His successor has not managed to do any 
better. Abbas, who has the support of the Bush administration, 
has been unable to put the peace process back on track. The 
Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, rather than re-enforcing the 
Palestinian Authority, has instead managed to weaken it even 
more. Because it was a unilateral measure and not the result 
of negotiations, it was chalked up to a victory of Hamas." 
STAPLETON