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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 000526 
 
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 - Palestinian Elections 
NATO - EU Relations Iran 
PARIS - Thursday, January 26, 2006 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Palestinian Elections 
NATO - EU Relations 
Iran 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Domestic social and economic issues are once again prominently 
featured on today's front pages, with several editorials 
devoted to PM Villepin's employment strategy or the EU tug-of- 
war over reducing the VAT on construction. Inside, the 
Palestinian elections get wide coverage, with commentaries on 
the impact of a Hamas victory, both for the peace process but 
more widely for the region. In Le Figaro Alexandre Adler's 
weekly column concludes: "a unified Islamic front against the 
West is not in the cards because interests remain diverse." 
(See Part C) 
 
Le Monde reports on the interim report to the European Council 
by the Swiss Senator Dick Marty on CIA renditions in an 
article entitled: "Europe Closes Its Eyes on CIA Methods." 
"Marty is faulting European nations for their lack of 
cooperation in the investigation." Another article relays the 
testimony of British former diplomat, Craig Murray, who is 
quoted: "When I was a diplomat I had proof that the U.S. 
transferred detainees to Uzbekistan to be interrogated. I saw 
CIA documents containing depositions of detainees who had been 
tortured. The lack of names in the report is what allows 
Condoleezza Rice. to pretend the U.S., as far as it knew, was 
not involved in such practices." Natalie Nougayrede comments: 
"A 2002 UN report revealed torture was practiced in Uzbek 
prisons." 
 
A short article in Le Figaro emphasizes France's opposition to 
NATO anti-terrorism operations. (See Part C) 
 
In Liberation editorialist Jacques Amalric comments on a 
"threatened UN reform." "The UN General assembly ended in a 
fiasco. The only idea that survived the debacle, was the need 
to end the scandal of the Human Rights Commission, which, 
through a system of bizarre nominations, had become a haven 
for nations which ignore the most basic human rights." 
 
The U.S. visa situation in France is featured in Le Monde: 
"Passports to Discord Between France and the U.S." "To go to 
the U.S. one had better not be French." The report goes on: 
"Is it America's fault? Yes, since it is the U.S. that has 
made it mandatory, in the name of heightened security, for 
countries that are part of the visa waiver program to have a 
biometric passports to travel to the U.S.. On the other hand 
France was one of the signatory countries that agreed to 
comply in time.but has not." Weekly L'Express's article on 
visas is entitled: "American Visas: The end of the Crisis?" 
The report concludes: "Of the 27 countries that are concerned 
by the visa-waiver program, France is the only one that has 
not yet complied to the American regulation. Is this another 
example of our cultural exception?" 
 
Economic Les Echos reports that the Americans and Japanese are 
returning in full force to France. Americans increased their 
visits by 6% over 2004 figures. 75 million tourists came to 
France in 2005. Several other outlets report on the figures, 
and regional Nice Matin carried the following commentary: 
"This is enough to boost our spirits: while France counts 63 
million unhappy people, it also attracts 75 million visitors. 
Proof that all is not bad in France." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Palestinian Elections 
 
"Hamas Challenges Fatah Monopoly" 
Patrick Saint-Paul in right-of-center Le Figaro (01/26): "The 
radical Islamic wing of Hamas is collecting the lion's share 
of the votes. upsetting the make-up of the peace process in 
the Middle East. With Hamas part of the government, new 
questions are arising. The situation is a source of 
embarrassment for the EU and the U.S., which has black-listed 
the movement." 
"Everyone Wins" 
Francis Brochet in regional Le Progres (01/26): "An election 
does not democracy make. And democracy is not peace, 
especially in the Middle East. Still, these elections are the 
bearers of at least three sets of good news because they make 
three parties happy: Fatah wins with enough votes to remain in 
power; Hamas has lost enough in order to stay in the 
opposition, and Israel will be facing Fatah at the negotiating 
table, as it had hopped." 
 
"From Terrorism to Democracy" 
Jean Levallois in regional La Presse de la Manche (01/26): "To 
move from terrorism to democracy, one needs to have the 
blessing of the ballots and become part of the government, so 
as to negotiate with Israel. This also means that like Fatah, 
Hamas will have to recognize the existence of Israel. This is 
a profound evolution, which may lead to the radicalization of 
certain extremists and inevitably lead to further violence. 
But the Palestinian elections, in which all the Palestinians 
were either able to take part or run in, sheds light onto an 
evolution which may at last be going in the right direction." 
 
"Palestinian Elections and Islamic Offensive" 
Alexandre Adler in right-of-center Le Figaro (01/26): "With 
the Palestinian elections we are reaching the farthest point 
of the Islamic offensive. The Muslim Brotherood in Palestine, 
which has close ties to its Egyptian counterpart, will achieve 
a comfortable score. In the extreme, there could be a 
hegemonious take-over by unified Islamic forces. In Iran, 
Ahmadinejad would get rid of the more pragmatic wing. and 
suggest a common action `against all adversaries of the Muslim 
world.' In Egypt, the Brotherhood is closely monitoring what 
develops in Iran. Meanwhile, Hamas cannot abandon its basic 
ideology of the destruction of Israel. Despite this 
pessimistic overview, there are regional political and 
religious differences which continue to hamper this 
unification. It seems to me that Bin Laden's message of a 
truce, (the first time he has used such a word,) is a message 
to the Iranian Islamists: in essence, he is saying if you 
initiate a crisis with the U.S., we will not follow, because 
you continue to threaten Saudi Arabia, the heart of our 
movement. Therefore the initiative of a unified Islamic 
offensive will break up on the shoals of the diverse interest 
at stake." 
 
NATO - EU Relations 
 
"Paris Opposes NATO-EU Anti-Terrorism Meeting" 
Alexandrine Bouilhet in right-of-center Le Figaro (01/26): 
"For France, the Atlantic Alliance's role `is not to police 
the world.' With this statement, France opposed a meeting last 
week between the EU and NATO on terrorism. arguing that 
terrorism was not one of the subjects of discussion between 
the two institutions. The problem raised by France, which 
considers that NATO's role is not to police the world, casts 
light on the worsening relations in Brussels between two 
institutions, which have increasingly become competitors in 
matters of security, with the Franco-American quarrel serving 
as backdrop to the controversy. A French diplomat clearly 
said: `We do not want NATO to impose its agenda on the EU.' 
Solana, the EU foreign affairs representative, agrees. In the 
past several years, NATO has deployed forces in Afghanistan, 
Iraq and Sudan, something that irritates France. Civilian NATO 
operations, such as humanitarian, reconstruction and anti- 
terrorism operations, overlap areas which the EU considers to 
be its own." 
Iran 
 
"Iran Wants to Cajole its `Russian Friend'" 
Maurin Picard in left-of-center Le Figaro (01/26): "The U.S. 
yesterday rejected Iran's gesture, insisting on bringing the 
issue before the UNSC. Tehran previously announced that it 
would now accept the Russian offer of a compromise, which it 
had rejected in November. The Iranian maneuver, if one looks 
at it closely, looks more like a gesture to cajole its 
`Russian friend' than a real token of goodwill being given to 
the West. Torn, Russia is loath to choose sides: it does not 
want to implement sanctions against Iran. Tehran is taking 
advantage of the opportunity and playing on Russia's 
hesitations. The strategy looks very much like a new tactic on 
Iran's part to avoid the February 2nd deadline. But the West, 
which has been given the runaround for the past three years, 
is wary of Iran's latest offer." STAPLETON