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 001141 
 
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 - Middle East - Iraq 
PARIS - Friday, February 24, 2006 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Middle East - Iraq 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
The spread of Avian Flu in France and of the Chicungunya virus 
in the Indian Ocean island of Reunion are two of today's front 
pages stories. Iraq and the "War of the Minarets" (France 
Soir) is the major international story, with Le Figaro 
reporting on its front page: "Iraq Sinks Into Civil War." But 
inside, Iraq's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed 
Hij Hamoud says in an interview: "The violence perpetrated by 
foreigners will not lead us to a civil war. The Iraqis will 
not fall into that trap. The Americans must leave Iraq, but 
not before the security forces have been able to reinstate 
order." In France Soir, Middle East expert Barah Maikail 
contends the confrontation in Iraq is not triggered by 
religious sectarianism, but he does say that "Iraq is on the 
way to being a federated nation, with a central government and 
at least three federal powers: Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish." Two 
harsh editorials (France Soir and regional Les Dernieres 
Nouvelles d'Alsace) comment on "the political defeat of the 
U.S. in Iraq" and the regional chaos that is creating. Le 
Figaro analyzes Secretary Rice's Middle East trip. (Se Part C) 
 
The visit of Lech Kaczynski, Poland's new President, is widely 
reported. Le Figaro calls it a "visit of reconciliation. after 
the disagreements in 2003 over the positions adopted by France 
and Poland vis--vis the war in Iraq." Le Figaro carries an 
interview of Kaczynski. Asked to comment on Poland's 
partnership with the U.S. in Iraq, Kaczynski says: "The 
expectations concerning reconstruction contracts were rather 
nave. In fact it is the media that formulated them, not the 
political leaders. Poland has attained its political goals in 
Iraq even if the result could be better. I am still hoping for 
the economic effects to come about." 
 
Reactions to the murder of Ilan Halimi, the arrest in Congo of 
the gang leader who kidnapped the young Jewish French man and 
the memorial ceremony yesterday in the presence of President 
Chirac make up the rest of today's front page and editorial 
stories. Le Parisien devotes its lead to a PM Villepin and a 
poll which indicates that "after eight months of popularity, 
, 
the Prime Minister is experiencing his first crisis." The poll 
shows he is losing percentage points in all areas: 33 percent 
think he would make a good president (-2%); 34 percent think 
he listens to the plight of the French (-3%); 35 percent 
believe he can reform the nation (-4%). 
 
Le Figaro carries an op-ed penned by Defense Secretary 
Rumsfeld entitled "The War Against Terrorism Is Also a Media 
War." The op-ed is announced on the front page alongside a 
color photo of Donald Rumsfeld. 
 
A short report in Le Figaro by Brussels correspondent 
Alexandrine Bouilhet on hearings on the kidnapping of the 
cleric Omar Abou in Milan, allegedly by the CIA, concludes: 
"The investigation by the Milan judges is exemplary. It 
demonstrates the impunity with which CIA agents operate. The 
abduction was orchestrated from the U.S. Embassy by consular 
agents, in other words, by diplomats. Their accomplices, who 
arrived from the U.S., stayed in hotels under their real 
names. They used Embassy telephones and Langley was kept 
informed regularly of the operation's progress, including via 
e mails." 
 
Le Figaro also carries an op-ed by two sociologists on 
integration versus separate communities. Chantal Bordes- 
Benayoun and Dominique Schnapper conclude: "Multiculturalism, 
which followed the notion of the melting pot is slowing down. 
Democracies continue to be confronted to the same duality: 
while each community's culture is part of that group's right, 
is it not also necessary to share a history and common values 
between the various communities?" 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Middle East - Iraq 
 
"Luminous Horizons" 
Serge Faubert in right-of-center France Soir (02/24): "The 
Iraqi conflict, which we had almost forgotten, consumed as we 
are with Avian Flu, could be taking a turn for the worse. Iraq 
is on the brink of a civil war, despite the presence of 
150,000 U.S. soldiers. This is a perfect opportunity to recall 
the pretext for the intervention: WMD that never existed 
except in falsified American intelligence documents. 
Meanwhile, close-by, Iran is manufacturing real weapons of 
mass destruction. Its somewhat nutty President is upping the 
ante. And why shouldn't he? The Americans, who are mired in 
the sands of Iraq, are not going to launch a military 
operation against Iran. unless the Shiites in both countries 
unite against the invader. What is left is Europe. In this 
regard it is interesting to note that the aircraft carrier De 
Gaulle is on its way to the Indian Ocean. On its way to the 
Emirates for military exercises, it will be sailing by the 
coast of Iran. with British submarines. Certain sources do not 
exclude the possibility of an international military operation 
aimed at Iran's Iranian installations. Oh and we should not 
forget the fact that Iran has just decided to finance Hamas. 
Welcome to the new world order." 
 
"The U.S. Must Deal With Its Allies' Concerns" 
Pierre Prier in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/24): "The recent 
bloodshed in Iraq have caught up with Condoleezza Rice and her 
tour of the Middle East, which had already gotten off to a bad 
start. Wednesday, when she was in Saudi Arabia, the Shiite 
mosque in Samarra was being destroyed. Retrospectively, her 
statement on Tuesday in Cairo that civil war in Iraq is 
unlikely was unfortunate. In Saudi Arabia Rice had to face the 
concerns of the regime over the Iraqi chaos. Saudi Arabia 
feels it is caught between two Shiite states, with one of 
them, Iran, pulling the strings in the other. Secretary Rice, 
who was counting on Saudi Arabia to isolate Iran, did not get 
what she wanted. While Saudi Arabia can hardly break relations 
with Iran, and proclaims Iran is developing a `commercial' 
nuclear program, it is also concerned about the prospect of 
Iran acquiring the bomb. Secretary Rice registered a second 
public affront when she asked that funding of Hamas be cut 
off, except for humanitarian funds. The Saudi Prince answered 
curtly during the press conference that it was impossible to 
distinguish between the two. Previously, she had registered a 
similar refusal by the Egyptians. The Egyptian leg of the 
visit revealed America's indecisiveness in face of recent 
changes in the Middle East. And while the Secretary had tried 
to demonstrate to a floor of Arab journalists that the U.S. 
was bearing up to its responsibilities and mistakes vis--vis 
the lack of freedom in the region, she apparently was not able 
to draw the consequences from her own analysis: she 
acknowledged the electoral success of the Muslim Brotherhood, 
but did not condemn the postponement of the Egyptian municipal 
elections or ask for the liberation of Ayman Nour, the 
political opponent." 
 
"Vietnam in the Sands" 
Jean-Claude Kiefer in regional Les Dernieres Nouvelles 
d'Alsace (02/24): "The U.S. has lost in Iraq. Not militarily 
speaking, but politically. The situation is spinning out of 
control. This was obvious since the `triumph of democracy' in 
the form of free elections, which have in fact turned Iraq 
into an ungovernable nation. Who is responsible for the chaos 
and the religious confrontation? There is Al-Qaeda, and Iran. 
and Syria, which has been humiliated by the West, and all 
`Jihaddists' everywhere. What all these fanatics share is 
their desire for the U.S. and its allies to leave Iraq. Inside 
Iraq, tribes, clans, religious minorities, criminals and 
bandits are all fair game in the promotion of a civil war. 
What can the U.S. do in this new Vietnam? While President Bush 
contemplated for a time bringing the Boys home, to satisfy 
public opinion, the worsening situation could lead to the 
exact opposite: sending more troops to reinstate order. Simply 
because the implosion of Iraq, fanned by Iran and others, will 
soon spread to neighboring countries, especially those 
officially catalogued as U.S. allies. This would be a 
political catastrophe, leading to an oil crisis without 
precedent and not to be compared with the one that hit the 
West in the `70s." HOFMANN