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

191242Z Jun 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004183 
 
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; 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - U.S. Diplomacy - Iran 
PARIS - Monday, June 19, 2006 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
U.S. Diplomacy - Iran 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Last evening's "passable" performance by France's World Cup team is 
widely covered in editorials and on today's front pages, with the 
exception of La Croix which leads with the International Court of 
Justice, "progressing but still too slowly" in the eyes of victims, 
and Le Monde which headlines "The Europeans Want to Resume Financial 
Aid to the Palestinians." The decision in Brussels to give 100 
million euros in aid without going through Hamas... was announced on 
Friday. "The EU, afraid that the territories may be economically 
asphyxiated wanted to find a solution to help the population while 
by-passing Hamas." La Croix's question of the day, "Are the 
Palestinian Territories in the Grips of a Civil War?" is answered by 
an elected member of the Palestinian Authority, Hind Khoury: "This 
is an exaggeration. There are military skirmishes, but political 
leaders are talking to one another..." 
 
America's foreign policy under the leadership of Secretary Rice is 
the subject of a laudatory op-ed in Le Figaro entitled "Condi Rice's 
Method to Widen Spectrum of U.S. Diplomacy" and is largely devoted 
to her new Iran policy. Saturday's Le Figaro reports that "Beijing 
is pushing Iran to Compromise." (See Part C) Le Figaro devotes a 
major report to "Tension Between Ethiopia and Somalia's Islamists" 
drafted from dispatches. 
 
Liberation carries the French translation of UN Secretary General 
Kofi Annan's op-ed entitled "A UN World Cup?" Annan acknowledges 
that the soccer World Cup is truly "a global game, which has made 
the UN jealous... It is a rare phenomenon with the same universal 
reach as the UN..." 
 
Le Figaro reports on FM Douste-Blazy's trip to Doha to promote 
French business in Qatar. "Qatar is planning to invest 130 million 
dollars to strengthen its infrastructures, and the FM said that 
'French companies wanted to be in on the development... with 
constructive partnerships, in particular in the area of 
biotechnologies,' (a strongpoint of the city of which he is also 
Mayor, Toulouse) and a sector which is controlled by the Americans. 
This pole of excellence is of great interest to the French, who are 
well positioned in weapons sales and coastal security, but are 
overtaken in other economic sectors by the Americans." 
 
Le Figaro carries an op-ed on the proposed merger between the Paris 
stock exchange Euronext and the NYSE. The five signatories explain 
why a marriage with the Americans is best "despite a paradox: the 
agreement with Wall Street would better preserve the European 
model..." 
 
Economic news is dominated by EADS, Airbus's parent company. 
La Croix's editorial recalls EADS's recent internal leadership 
battle, the Clearstream scandal and the industrial difficulties it 
is experiencing with the A380. Guillaume Goubert urges the 
government to "Save EADS" from itself, "because EADS is one of the 
greatest examples of European cooperation." Monday's La Tribune and 
Saturday's Le Parisien carry interviews with EADS executive 
co-president Nokl Forgeard, who maintained a defensive attitude, 
expressing shock at the accusations of insider trading. In La 
Tribune Forgeard said: "At the time of EADS' creation, a crisis like 
the one we face today would have been enough to destroy the 
enterprise. Today, our group has the maturity to face it." In Les 
Echos, editorialist Gilles Senghs writes: "The Airbus' problem lies 
with EADS' management: the 'double helm' system EADS has implemented 
(with two co-presidents, two general directors, and two assistant 
general directors) is obviously faulty and has led to the crisis." 
 
Le Monde reports on its front page that "the war between Airbus and 
Boeing is also a war of images... This has been a longstanding 
practice. But today the attacks against Airbus in the U.S. are 
targeting its A380 as an inadequate consumer product." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
"Condi Rice's Method to Widen Spectrum of U.S. Diplomacy" 
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (06/19): "Led by 
Condoleezza Rice, a musical virtuoso since early childhood, 
America's diplomacy has returned to complex chess games where pawns 
make unforeseen moves... The conditional offer for a direct dialogue 
with Iran stands as proof, as do the rehabilitation of Libya and the 
possibility of a peace treaty with North Korea. She has moved 
smoothly into the State Department, a bastion of pragmatism. And in 
order to lead diplomats reluctant to follow President Bush's 
revolutionary ambitions, she has surrounded herself with a 
pugnacious team, which includes Robert Zoellick, and Nick Burns, 
while sending hawks like Bolton away to the UN. She has widened the 
spectrum of the tools at her disposal, rethought most strategies and 
opened up the game in a spectacular manner... Rice, contrary to her 
predecessor who did not have the President's ear..., uses all of her 
influence to avoid dissension. The May 31st decision (concerning 
Iran) carries her trademark... Although the new Iran strategy may 
appear as an about face, it has in fact been thoroughly thought 
out... Rice sets the course and adapts the means to her objectives. 
Her offer for a dialogue (with Iran) aims to bring together the 
international coalition which is suspicious of U.S. intentions and 
which tends to decipher its diplomacy in light of the Iraqi crisis. 
It also offers the advantage of testing Iran's desire for peace... 
The road traveled since March 2005... is astounding. It is proof of 
the considerable influence she exerts over the President... Some may 
be waiting in the wings to see whether her policy succeeds or fails, 
or she may truly have convinced them. Time will tell... But it is a 
fact that nothing is taboo for America's diplomatic leader." 
 
"Beijing Urges Tehran to Compromise" 
Jean-Jacques Mevel in right-of-center Le Figaro (06/17): "For the 
first time, Iran has looked favorably on the initiative of the Big 
Five plus Germany that would lead them to suspend their nuclear 
enrichment program... 'We are considering the offer as a step 
forward,' said President Ahmadinejad in Beijing... Another high 
placed Iranian official expressed hope for the opening of 
negotiations...  Ahmadinejad was in Shanghai hoping to receive 
support from China in blocking any eventual western sanctions... 
China, which is divided between its responsibility as a great power 
and its immediate oil interests, is not ready to abandon Teheran... 
But President Hu took care not to cede to the Iranian charm 
offensive." STAPLETON