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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001611 
 
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 - International Justice - 
Milosevic Iran and Nuclear Proliferation Human Rights 
Commission 
PARIS -Tuesday, March 14, 2006 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
International Justice - Milosevic 
Iran and Nuclear Proliferation 
Human Rights Commission 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
The major international story continues to be Milosevic's 
death, its consequences for the Balkans and the utility of 
trials on crimes against humanity. Several editorials comment 
on the "Butcher of the Balkans" with one regional editorial 
saying "Milosevic is turning out to be more cumbersome dead 
than alive." (See Part C) 
 
The possibility of a mistrial in the Moussaoui case is front 
paged in Le Figaro: "Moussaoui Could Escape Death Penalty." 
The possible violation of the rule about witnesses was widely 
reported on the electronic media. An article in Le Figaro 
reports how French pressure was instrumental in keeping 
Moussaoui in the civilian justice system rather than ending up 
in Guantanamo. Separately, Le Monde devotes two pages to 
Guantanamo: "After an intense legal battle, the American press 
agency Associated Press was able to force the Pentagon to 
release the contents of thousands of pages of interrogations 
of `enemy combatants'. The documents describe some outlandish 
situations of prisoners being held on the flimsiest of 
pretexts."  An accompanying article looks at "typical" 
treatment of a detainee: "he's told he'll be held 
indefinitely, unless he cooperates; he is forced to listen to 
loud music; he is kept awake for hours on end, etc." An ad for 
a "rolling restraint chair" is also highlighted, showing how 
detainees can be strapped in, and emphasizing how the chair 
limits staff's "liability." 
 
Le Figaro reports that "Iran is planning a second nuclear 
plant. "The announcement," comments Delphine Minoui, "sounds 
like a new challenge to the West." In Catholic La Croix an op- 
ed pleads in favor "of getting rid of nuclear proliferation." 
(See Part C) A short item in Le Figaro notes that "for the 
first time, President Bush has accused Iran of directly 
fomenting rebellion in Iraq." 
 
La Croix reports on the creation of the UN Council on Human 
Rights, to replace the UNHR Commission, which has been 
suspended. (See Part C) It also interviews Kenneth Roth of 
Human Rights Watch, who "believes in the Council and calls on 
the U.S. to support it." 
 
An OECD report on European systems of education is very 
critical of France's system, reports France Soir. "Our 
National Education is outdated, its practitioners work in 
complete isolation. the French system suffers from a lack of 
coherence and an immense gap between the world of education 
and reality." 
 
Most editorials are devoted to PM Villepin, his battle for the 
CPE, his youth employment plan and the student movement, which 
appears to be gaining momentum. Says editorialist Herve Fravre 
in regional La Voix du Nord: "Villepin's speech in favor of 
the CPE Sunday evening on television was seen by many, but 
heard by very few, if one is to go by the general assemblies 
held in our universities on Monday. This is no surprise, 
considering that he did not answer the key questions put to 
him." Most reports indicate that President Chirac may speak up 
in favor of his Prime Minister during his visit to Germany. 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
International Justice - Milosevic 
 
"The Limitations of International Justice" 
Yves Threard in right-of-center Le Figaro (03/14): "Milosec's 
trial was to serve as an example, despite its imperfections. 
Everything was going along according to the rules. While the 
former butcher of Belgrade was on trial, several other tyrants 
under scrutiny managed to evade justice: Hissene Habre, 
Charles Taylor, Augusto Pinochet. And of course there is 
Saddam Hussein. But his trial in Baghdad does not offer every 
possible guarantee of impartiality. Especially since the 
outcome, the death penalty, is already a given. Experience 
shows that universal justice is selective, somewhat like the 
right to intervene of the `90s. It is easier to file suit 
against an African leader than against a leader from China, 
known for its little respect for human rights and its great 
firepower in diplomatic relations. Universal justice will 
always come up against national interests and sovereignty. For 
this reason, and in these times of Guantanamo and torture at 
Abu Ghraib, the U.S. has been a staunch adversary of the 
International Crimes Court. While universal justice will never 
rid the world of barbarity, and will remain in the hands of 
the victors, it remains a form of progress that must be 
offered to all those who suffer from the arbitrary." 
 
"After Milosevic" 
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (03/14): "The guilt 
of the `butcher of the Balkans' may never be legally proven. 
This is regrettable, as is the fact that his trial lasted so 
long. But we must not forget that international justice, if it 
wants to merit its name, has to offer every guarantee to the 
accused. who in this case made use of every possible artifice 
to prolong and delay the outcome. But with or without a final 
judgment, Milosevic's responsibility is undeniable." 
 
Iran 
 
"Getting Rid of the Nuclear, Completely" 
Bertrand Badie of the Institute for Political Studies in 
Catholic La Croix (03/14): "The system at hand, where deviance 
pays better than respecting a hypothetical international norm, 
as illustrated with India, Iran and North Korea, is proof of 
its own absurdity. An absurdity which is at once dangerous and 
cruel because it turns transgression into a clever means of 
consolidating one's position. It could even lead medium powers 
to rethink their policies of abstention. Especially since the 
international community's ability in terms of sanctions with 
regard to Iran, is one more example of its myopia. In our 
context of global trade and shortage of energy, wanting to 
punish a nation, which is a major oil producer, is a dangerous 
adventure. Worse even: such diplomacy weakens multipolarity. 
This therapeutic and diplomatic persistence in trying to save 
a system of proliferation which is full of holes and dates 
back to a world which is now obsolete, and the complete lack 
of imagination and will in rethinking how to protect the world 
against the new and numerous dangers presented by nuclear 
weapons is putting the world at great risk. In this day and 
age when the Middle East is at the crossroads of every danger, 
it would be more equitable and more rational to think about 
ridding the world of the nuclear." 
 
Human Rights Commission 
 
"UN Hopes for a Human Rights Council" 
Francois d'Alancon in Catholic La Croix (03/14): "The U.S. 
opposes the text for the UN Human Rights Council as it stands 
now, although it has the support of a large majority of 
nations. Of late, the Commission came under fire because 
countries such as China and Libya were part of it. For quite 
some time, the Commission served as a fighting arena for 
countries that did not see eye to eye, such as the U.S. and 
Cuba. which used anti-American feelings to recruit the support 
of countries such as Pakistan and Sudan. As a result, the 
Commission became the theatre of propaganda to the detriment 
of effective work." STAPLETON