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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 003902 
 
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AF/PA; EUR/WE /P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA; INR/P; INR/EUC; 
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TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Death of Zarqawi Iran 
PARIS - Friday, June 09, 2006 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Death of Zarqawi 
Iran 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Zarqawi's demise elicits widespread coverage. While Le Figaro's 
headline is neutral, "The Americans Eliminate Zarqawi," La Croix 
headlines: "Iraq: A Terrorist Dies, Violence Continues." A headline 
echoed on Liberation's front page: "Iraq: Zarqawi Dead, War 
Continues." Inside, Liberation's editorial calls for "Caution" while 
Christophe Ayad titles his report: "Zarqawi Leaves Terror as His 
Legacy." Pascal Riche reporting from Washington comments: "This is a 
profitable operation for Washington, restoring the military's image 
all the while giving public opinion a positive sign." Le Figaro's 
Washington's correspondent agrees: "At his lowest in the ratings, 
President Bush hopes to get benefits out of the operation." Pierre 
Rousselin's editorial is simply titled: "The End of a Terrorist" 
while La Croix's editorialist Dominique Quinio titles her column: 
"An Picture of Terror." Inside, Agnes Rotivel analyzes the 
consequences of the operation: "A good operation for the Americans 
which does not necessarily mean the end of violence or the war in 
Iraq." (See Part C) 
 
Le Figaro interviews Gerard Chaliand, an expert on international 
conflicts and the author of "Iraq: From One War to the Next," who 
says: "Iraq has not reached the point of a civil war. There is an 
insurrection and on the margins, the infrastructure of a civil war 
in the making... The new unity government is probably Iraq's last 
chance to avoid the radicalization of all of Iraq's antagonisms... 
But neither the Iraqi army nor the police... are in a position to 
put an end to the insurrection: American troops, even reduced, will 
have to stay for years. Because a political defeat would undermine 
the credibility of the U.S. which began a war in which the neo-cons 
and the Pentagon had only thought of preparing the military 
dimension..." 
 
FM Douste-Blazy was interviewed on Europe One radio: On Zarqawi's 
death and Iraq he said: "Zarqawi represents the bloodiest form of 
terrorism... Today's priority in Iraq is political, with Iraq 
recovering full sovereignty over its institutions... the new 
government is a step forward but there is still too few Iraqis who 
believe in this national reconciliation." On Iran he said: "Historic 
decisions were made last week; for the first time in the past 20 
years, the U.S. has accepted to give a helping hand to our European 
proposals. This is a victory for European diplomacy, and France's in 
particular... Chirac's visionary approach in the Iranian situation 
may have played a role in the U.S. president's thinking." 
 
Iraq's Prime Minister Al-Maliki is profiled in La Croix, while Le 
Figaro interviews the senior editor of Iraq's daily al-Jarida: "The 
Sunnis intent was never to wage a war against the Shiites, as was 
Zarqawi's wish. They wanted to put an end to Iraq's occupation. 
Zarqawi's death should help guerrilla groups go further in their 
political integration, possibly opening a new chapter in their 
relationship with the government in Baghdad... But his death does 
not necessarily mean the end of violence... The specter of a civil 
war will have completely disappeared with the system of religious 
quotas in the distribution of power... and when the American 
occupation ends." 
 
Le Figaro's article on Iran is entitled "The West Unbending about 
Iran." "Javier Solana who was in Paris said he was 'more optimistic 
than pessimistic' after his visit to Tehran where he presented the 
West's initiatives. Western capitals also estimate that Tehran's 
decision to 'take time' to analyze the proposals is a positive 
sign... But Paris firmly denies the idea that Solana might have 
offered the Iranians the prospect of some day being allowed to 
enrich uranium on their territory... All agree that this remains a 
yellow line not to be crossed..." 
 
Liberation carries an op-ed entitled "President Bush's Iranian Trump 
Card" by Francois Gere of IFAS (Institute for Strategic Analysis) in 
which he says "the U.S. has everything to gain from normalizing 
relations with Iran." (See Part C) 
 
Le Monde's article on the EU Council's report on CIA renditions is 
entitled "Europe Caught in the CIA's Spider's Web" and underscores 
that "France does not appear on the map of rendition flights 'for 
obvious political reasons,' according to Dick Marty..." 
 
Financial La Tribune devotes its lead to the Paris stock exchange's 
losses of the past week, and the investors' "concerns related to 
fears of a U.S. economic slowdown." On the Euronext-NYSE merger, La 
Tribune points out that Thierry Breton, the Minister of the Economy, 
has been reserved, compared to President Chirac's pro Deutsche Borse 
stance and suggested that "public powers don't have reason to 
intervene in the NYSE/Euronext deal." La Tribune looks at Henry 
Paulson, the new American Treasury Secretary, who has to "restore 
prestige to his job and stop the drop in the dollar, as well as 
reassure financial markets and reign in rampant protectionism in 
Washington." 
 
 (C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Death of Zarqawi 
 
"The End of a Terrorist" 
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (06/09): "The death of 
Zarqawi was saluted by President Bush and Tony Blair as was proper. 
The coalition leaders had not had such an occasion for celebration 
in a long time. Zarqawi had become America's number one enemy and 
the price on his head was higher than on Bin Laden's... By killing 
him, the coalition strikes a major blow to international terrorism 
while at same time ridding Iraq's insurrection of its most radical 
element. For President Bush, this is an un-hoped for event: with his 
ratings at their lowest, here is something to boost America's 
morale. And not only America's, for Zarqawi had promised to export 
his battles... In Iraq, this does not mean that the Sunni 
insurrection is finished... But just as Baghdad's independent 
government was being finalized, one hopes that Zarqawi's death will 
weaken the Jihadist movement... and put an end to the incredible 
violence targeting Shiite civilians with the goal of triggering a 
civil war... Iraq is at a turning point: Al-Maliki can begin to 
channel the Sunni insurrection and impose his authority, thereby 
giving the Americans a valid reason to reduce their troops... and 
concentrate on Afghanistan, which is becoming a sanctuary for 
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Maybe even look to Somalia, which has just 
fallen into Islamic hands. But these other tests must not dampen 
today's satisfaction of having killed one of the most sanguinary 
terrorists on this planet." 
 
"Caution" 
Antoine de Gaudemar in left-of-center Liberation (06/09): "Zarqawi's 
death comes at the perfect time: finally a victory can be announced 
after months of demoralizing news. The fact that this good news 
coincides with the final nominations in Iraq's government adds to 
Washington's satisfaction. And yet, Washington is not gloating. 
Because the Americans know Zarqawi may not have been their number 
one enemy in Iraq... for he had already lost some of his 
authority... Another reason for America's restraint is what it knows 
about Al-Qaeda, whose leaders Bin Laden and Zawahiri are still at 
large. The network has a central cell but has many smaller ones that 
form locally if any one head is cut off, making the elimination of 
the leaders somewhat ineffective. The network's threats continue to 
reach out and are all the more frightening." 
 
"The Picture of Terror" 
Dominique Quinio in Catholic La Croix (06/09): "There is so much bad 
news coming from Iraq that the death of Zarqawi is good news for a 
country which seems condemned to a never ending cycle of violence... 
His death is a success for the coalition and the Iraqi government... 
and a relief. But it is not enough to balance out the results of 
America's intervention in Iraq. The chaos confirms the worst fears 
of those who opposed the intervention. The war between the Sunnis 
and the Shiites is akin to a civil war... while the American troops 
are accused of torturing civilians... The blow to Al-Qaeda was 
immediately commented on by President Bush and Tony Blair: they 
expressed their satisfaction but shied away from triumphalism: while 
it is possible to win against Al-Qaeda, this blow does not signal 
the end of international terrorism... More than ever caution is of 
the essence and international cooperation indispensable to keep 
Islamic extremism from feeding on the world's ills and prospering." 
 
Iran 
 
"President Bush's Iranian Trump Card" 
Francois Gere, Director of IFAS (Institute for Strategic Analysis) 
in left-of-center Liberation (906/09): "Washington's diplomatic 
isolation... and limited military options have led Washington to 
reassess its position on Iran and the possibility of a dialogue, 
albeit a conditional one... On three fronts, Iraq, oil and 
Afghanistan, Washington needs a constructive dialogue with Iran... 
This is an opportunity to turn a tactical maneuver into a strategic 
dialogue. But Washington needs to separate the different issues: the 
nuclear issue must be separated from the regional security issue... 
On the nuclear issue, it is possible for Iran to retain research 
capabilities, but with the IAEA's supervision... Regional security 
talks can be envisaged on a 2+1 approach: The first part of the 
equation involves bilateral talks between Iran and the U.S., while 
the second term would involve an international conference on 
regional security." STAPLETON