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

281138Z Feb 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 001235 
 
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 - Iraq Islam - Democracy - 
Europe Energy War - Suez Merger 
PARIS - Tuesday, February 28, 2006 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Iraq 
Islam - Democracy - Europe 
Energy War - Suez Merger 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
A majority of front pages are devoted to the concept of 
"economic patriotism" in connection with the Suez-Gaz de 
France merger/cum privatization. While La Croix offers its 
pages as a platform for a debate "for or against" economic 
patriotism between industry captains and union members, Le 
Monde criticizes France for "ignoring Europe." In its 
editorial on the energy war, Le Monde recalls Putin's stance 
with Ukraine and Europe's lack of unity. (See Part C) In 
popular right-of-center France Soir, Thomas Cantaloube 
reports: "the Americans have no hang ups when it comes to 
blocking undesirable takeovers." Financial La Tribune notes 
that financial markets are "perplexed" by the government's 
attitude, while economic Les Echos reports that "The Suez-EDF 
Merger Elicits Strong Reactions in Europe" but leads with PM 
Villepin's first reversal on the unemployment front, with 
figures for January slightly higher, up .7%. Le Figaro devotes 
its lead to the gang leader arrested in Abidjan in connection 
with the abduction and murder of the young Jewish man, Illan 
Halimi. Le Figaro's second front-page story is devoted to the 
controversy surrounding the role of Germany before the 
military intervention in Iraq. While Pierre Bocev reports on 
this "politically delicate" affair for Berlin, Philippe Gelie 
reports on Washington's concerns about "civil war in Iraq." 
(See Part C) 
 
Le Figaro carries an op-ed on Islam and democracy, where the 
author analyzes democracy as an electoral process and 
democracy as culture. (See Part C) 
 
Much continues to be written about the spread of Avian Flu in 
France as well as on the first vaccination campaigns of ducks 
and geese in departments where dead poultry has been diagnosed 
with the H5N1 virus. Trade Minister Christine Lagarde 
announced yesterday that "some twenty countries have decided 
an embargo against importing poultry and foie gras from 
France" but these, she added, "represent only 5% of France's 
annual exports." 
Popular France Soir makes an early start on next week's 
Women's Day and devotes its lead to Segolene Royal, "the 
socialist Representative who could become President," and 
Francoise de Panafieu, the UMP candidate that can threaten 
Paris Mayor Delanoe in the next election. The headline reads: 
"These Women Are Dynamite" while editorialist Serge Faubert 
compares them to "the new Amazons, incensed by the public, but 
annoying to their party's head honchos." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Iraq 
 
"Washington Embarrassed by Threat of Civil War in Iraq" 
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/28): "Most 
experts are predicting a slowdown in U.S. troop withdrawal. As 
much from reflex as from a lack of options, the Bush 
administration is hiding its head in the sand following the 
explosion of the mosque in Samarra. Once again, not changing a 
thing is seen in Washington as the best strategy. 
Embarrassment appears to be permeating the corridors of the 
Bush administration whose margin of maneuver remains narrow. 
While touring the Middle East, Secretary Rice acknowledged 
that the situation was `extremely grave and delicate' but did 
not expound on a solution. Experts agree on one thing: the 
American calendar has been upset by the recent violence, and 
salvation, according to them, lies in a strong U.S. presence 
remaining in Iraq." 
 
"Berlin Said to Have Given Bush the Keys to Baghdad" 
Pierre Bocev in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/28): "While the 
allegations made by the New York Times have been rejected by 
the German government's spokesman, the situation remains 
politically delicate for a nation that espoused a `policy of 
peace.' But Merkel's new government has been saying that 
Germany was not as opposed to the Americans as it said it 
was." 
 
Islam - Democracy - Europe 
 
"Islamists, Democracy, France and Europe" 
Zaki Laidi of the European Center for International Research 
(CERI) in right-of-center Le Figaro (02/28): "There are three 
approaches to the Middle East and democracy. The cultural 
stance sees democracy as a luxury imported from the West and 
whose so-called virtues will be exploited by Islamic 
extremists. The realistic American approach called the 
Kissinger doctrine, adopted in France under the name 
`Chevenement doctrine,' believes that stability is the key 
word and that it is better to have an authoritarian secular 
regime rather than an Islamic extremist regime, even if 
democratically elected. Then there is the Bush approach, which 
believes that the absence of democracy in the Muslim world 
explains its lower social rank, and favors imposing democracy, 
including through force. Democracy has two dimensions which 
are often confused: democracy as a process and democracy as 
culture. The former is the condition for any democracy and 
does not exist in the Muslim Arab world, except in Turkey. 
Democracy as culture requires internalizing a number of 
precepts. The opposition between the French and the Americans 
over the dilemma of importing democracy must be overcome. 
Democracy does not resolve all, but without democracy nothing 
can be resolved. In this context, America's failure in Iraq 
must not lead us to believe that we were right. The old French 
belief that an authoritarian regime is better than an Islamic 
regime is absurd and counter productive. Europe needs to 
acknowledge that there is a problem of democracy in the Arab- 
Muslim world and that the lack of pluralism impedes 
development. It must find a middle of the road approach, away 
from the `Chevenement doctrine' but without imitating the 
ineffective `Bush doctrine.' France has a responsibility in 
this matter: first because our diplomacy has been complacent 
towards these regimes, but also because France enjoys a 
certain credibility in that part of the world." 
 
Energy War - Suez Merger 
 
"Nationalism" 
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (02/28): "When 
Vladimir Putin shut off the gas going to Ukraine, the EU 
discovered it lacked unity to deal with Russia, its number one 
energy provider, thus putting itself at the mercy of Russia. 
This is why everyone believes that Europe's energy security 
requires the construction of pan-European groups rather than 
`national groups.' Giving up on Europe is bad for the 
consumer; it is bad for Europe. In 1998, the just as strategic 
defense industry's salvation came from the creation of EADS. 
The same must be done for the energy industry." 
 
"Old and Musty" 
Jean-Michel Thenard in left-of-center Liberation (02/28): 
"Once again Europe has suffered a harsh blow when it comes to 
the EU and its industrial policy. Rather than feeling 
threatened by Italy's take-over attempt of Suez, it would have 
been better to work on a transnational alliance to build a 
European energy giant. Instead, France's `economic patriotism' 
signals a France on the defensive and afraid of competition. 
Villepin's France may well begin to look old and smell musty." 
 
"Europe Loses to Provincialism" 
Guillaume Goubert in Catholic La Croix (02/28): "The only 
certainty in the confusion of the Suez deal is that Europe has 
lost. What can be targeted as `economic patriotism' at the 
national level, is more like provincialism when measured at 
the level of a continent. The objective for member nations 
should be to favor cooperative alliances in major industrial 
sectors, as was the case with EADS in aerospace. When our 
national `giants' become the target of hungry groups from 
other continents, we will regret our lack of European 
patriotism." STAPLETON