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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000568 
 
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 - Hamas Elections Aftermath 
President Bush - State of the Union 
PARIS - Monday, January 30, 2006 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Hamas Elections Aftermath 
President Bush - State of the Union 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Domestic stories dominate, with the hostile take over attempt 
of France's Arcelor by India's Mittal Steel in the lead this 
weekend and in today's economic press. In international news, 
Israel's stance towards Hamas, Europe and the U.S.'s questions 
about what attitude to adopt are today's top stories. (See 
Part C) Le Figaro leads with "Should Financial Aid to the 
Palestinians Be Cut Off?" Alexandrine Bouilhet comments: 
"Europe may be tempted to align with America's intransigence. 
The EU remains firm about the principles, and like the U.S., 
is hesitating about using financial sanctions that may 
penalize the people."  Le Monde interviews Europe's FM Javier 
Solana: "A terrorist group does not gain legitimacy because it 
has won an election." 
 
Le Journal du Dimanche interviews David Frum, former Bush 
advisor and the man who coined the phrase "axis of evil," on 
the Hamas victory: "Little is said about President Bush's plan 
to spread democracy, and that is that democracy forces 
leaders, but also the people, to be accountable. The 
Palestinians have chosen people who promised integrity but 
will deliver violence and instability. This says a lot about 
Palestinian society." 
 
Liberation reports on the disappointment felt by Iraqis 
because the Saddam trial has been disrupted by resignations 
and interruptions, while Le Journal du Dimanche carries a full 
page report on "The Hidden Wounds of Iraq's Veterans" by Karen 
Lajon who interviews wounded soldiers at the National Naval 
Medical Center in Bethesda. "The obsession with zero casualty 
has brought on a new reality: nine wounded for one casualty, 
and one amputee out of three." A marine is interviewed to 
conclude the article: "Yeah, I guess it is a positive mission. 
We brought freedom and democracy to the Iraqis. I do not 
regret having served in the Marines. But I have contradictory 
feelings. What happened had to happen. But we must draw the 
lesson." 
 
Regional L'Alsace in its editorial wonders "why President Bush 
chose to comment on Abu Gharaib at this time." And goes on to 
list all the negative issues which the President will have to 
deal with in his State of the Union message. (See Part C) 
 
Liberation devotes a three-page report to "New Orleans, The 
Ghost Town" as announced on their cover. Inside, editorialist 
Gerard Dupuy says Katrina "showed the world the dark face of 
Louisiana." Dupuy who titles his column "Abandonment" 
criticizes the lack of federal reconstruction efforts, noting 
that private initiative is favored. One story reports that 
"Louisiana is stagnating in the ruins," while another notes 
that "aid is slow in coming." 
 
In another U.S. related story, Alan Greenspan's departure on 
Wednesday is front-paged in La Tribune: "The U.S. Turns the 
Greenspan Page." La Tribune comments: "Greenspan contributed 
to major growth, but he leaves behind abysmal deficits and a 
worrisome real estate bubble. Bernanke is taking over just 
when the U.S. economy is slowing down." 
 
But what holds the attention of the economic papers is the 
"hostile" attempted takeover of Arcelor by the Indian company 
Mittal. Arcelor rejected Mittal's offer. La Croix's editorial 
believes the hostile takeover will serve as a "test for 
Europe. All must be done to find an alternative solution to 
Mittal's takeover of Arcelor." France Soir's headline: "Hold- 
up on Steel" and editorial put forward that "it is a happy 
coincidence that this takeover is happening at the same time 
as the close of the two opposing summits in Davos and in 
Caracas because this serves to remind governments of the 
insubstantiality of borders with regard to markets." In La 
Tribune, editorialist Francois-Xavier Pietri comments: "Beyond 
Arcelor and its fate, what is at stake is the future of 
Europe's major industries, caught as they are between the 
proverbial North American rock and the Asian hard place." 
Coincidentally, Le Journal du Dimanche carries an opinion 
column asking "In 2010, India or China?" while Le Monde 
carries an analysis entitled: "China and India Supplant 
Europe." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Hamas Elections Aftermath 
 
"A Narrow Path in Face of Hamas" 
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (01/30): "The 
West has a narrow path in which to maneuver in face of Hamas, 
forcing it to re-assess its peace process. On the one hand, 
one cannot punish the Palestinian people for having taken part 
in a political process, which no one is contesting. To do this 
would mean opening a door to more radicalization. On the other 
hand we cannot help finance a radical movement which today 
questions the legitimacy of Israel and can tomorrow call for 
its destruction. If we adopted this line of conduct, it would 
mean that the peace process has created a monster. The stakes 
go well beyond the Palestinian situation. Western democracies 
need to define the rules that must be applied to radicalism. 
because electoral legitimacy is not enough. As the EU FM 
Solana said, an electoral victory does not give legitimacy to 
a terrorist organization. Hamas must comply with four 
conditions if it wants to be a political partner in the peace 
process: it must disarm, renounce violence, recognize Israel 
and adopt the commitments made by the Palestinian Authority to 
date. But Hamas will not easily accept these conditions. and 
may turn out to be a harsher negotiator than the PLO. The 
international community can play a major role, as long as it 
is aware that the slightest sign of internal disagreement will 
be exploited by Hamas. The next few weeks will be grueling." 
 
President Bush - State of the Union 
 
"A Campaigning President Bush" 
Francois Becet in regional l'Alsace (01/30): "All of a sudden 
today President Bush is `regretting' the Abu Gharaib episode 
and the photographs which he says `cover us with shame.' Has 
it taken him all this time to realize this? And why is he 
returning to this episode now? While it is true that Bush's 
America continues to seek love and wants to sincerely, albeit 
clumsily, spread democracy, there must be other reasons 
explaining why President Bush is apologizing. His Sunday 
message has probably something to do with the new terrorist 
threats, which the Bush administration is taking very 
seriously. President Bush may be trying to soften the 
resentment felt in the Arab Muslim world. But President Bush 
is also campaigning. He will need to explain much and be very 
convincing. Acknowledging the Abu Gharaib mistake could be the 
first step of a new Presidential offensive. We will know more 
tomorrow, after his state of the union message. He will 
reiterate his `optimism' and his determination to `defend the 
cause of freedom in the world.' But we are also waiting for 
concrete acts, especially in the Middle East." STAPLETON