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 004381 
 
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. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - CIA - Terrorist Finance Tracking 
Program Iraq North Korea 
PARIS - Monday, June 26, 2006 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
CIA - Terrorist Finance Tracking Program 
Iraq 
North Korea 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
French domestic stories dominate today's news, but the lead 
front-page story revolves around the Mittal Steel-Arcelor merger, 
which was finally approved yesterday by Arcelor's Board of 
Directors. The two economic papers, Les Echos and Le Tribune 
headline: "Arcelor Resigned to Mittal Takeover." Le Figaro headlines 
"Arcelor Gives In to Mittal." Also on the domestic front, President 
Chirac will be the guest of this evening's France 2 8PM newscast 
where he is expected to renew his support to PM Villepin. 
 
Le Monde carries a full-page interview with Former Foreign Minister 
Hubert Vedrine, who wants Europe to get out of its impasse and find 
again its own capacity for political initiative. He says it is 
"dangerous" for Europe to tag along behind the U.S. "The U.S. is the 
biggest power the world has ever seen, yet, the West is losing its 
monopoly on the conduct of world affairs. Not its influence, for the 
West's influence continues to be colossal. But on the strategic 
level, the world is slowly resembling the WTO, where the wealthiest 
nations do not make the laws... and have to agree to paradoxical 
alliances. For centuries we have been leading, and defining the 
criteria of good and evil... The Americans are dreaming of a global 
alliance of democracies under their aegis. Hence their reasons for 
an expanded NATO... and Echelon. This American strategic concept 
will be adopted by the Europeans because they lack their own. This 
is a concept for combat. It may be legitimate, but is it legitimate 
for NATO to operate outside its zone, in Afghanistan? These are 
major turning points which are not being sufficiently debated." 
 
Le Parisien carries a one-page report on Guantanamo by correspondent 
Thomas Cantaloube entitled "In the Hell of Guantanamo" after his 
visit to the detention camp. Cantaloube begins: "The iguanas did not 
want to move when the camp was built. Cohabitation is great between 
the reptiles and the detainees. Not so between the prisoners and 
their wardens. Nevertheless the Americans are very proud of the 
installations: they point to the arrow painted on the floor showing 
the direction of Mecca... They are very proud of their carrot and 
stick system, of the white, off-white and orange jumpsuits..." But 
Cantaloube contends the carrot and stick system does not work: "camp 
4, the 'easy' camp, is practically empty..." About the JTF-GITMO he 
writes: "The military men in charge show no doubts about their 
mission, like their President... They are all convinced they are 
fighting terrorism, like their colleagues in Iraq or Afghanistan... 
despite the daily insults from prisoners..." But Cantaloube quotes 
an American soldier at the end of his article: "We Americans are 
naove, we think we can continue to detain these men indefinitely... 
Some are guilty, but some are innocent... They have no hope... In 
their place I would also rebel or commit suicide. One of these days, 
things are going to blow up here..." 
 
Le Journal du Dimanche interviews Health Minister Xavier Bertrand on 
the latest avian flu alert in Indonesia where a human-to-human 
transmission was detected: "We need to take this information 
seriously because it is the first time we have proof of a human 
transmission of the disease. But fortunately, the virus has 
undergone a minimal mutation." 
 
The Sunday-Monday edition of Le Monde leads with "The CIA Accused of 
Banking Espionage." The front-page article quotes Under Secretary 
Stuart Levey: "The system gave us an incredible vista onto the 
operations of terrorist networks..." (See Part C) 
 
France Inter radio's Bernard Guetta devotes his commentary to Iraq's 
Prime Minister's plan for national reconciliation. (See Part C) 
 
In Le Journal du Dimanche Gilles Delafon devotes his column to the 
"Nuclear Alert in the Pacific" (See Part C) while Le Figaro devotes 
a full page to the situation in Somalia, and to Ethiopia's new 
concerns. Le Figaro interviews Kofi Annan's special representative 
for Somalia, Francois Fall, who is "encourage by the recent 
agreement between the federal government and the Islamic Tribunals." 
Falls says "deployment of foreign troops in the region is not being 
considered for the moment..." Fall is favorable to "the lifting of 
the weapons embargo" but he is concerned about "a potential armed 
clash between Somalia and Ethiopia. This is why we have asked all 
the major powers to use of their influence to stop the Islamic 
militia from concentrating on the Ethiopian border..." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
CIA - Terrorist Finance Tracking Program 
 
"The CIA Spied on International Banking Transactions" 
Eric Leser in left-of-center Le Monde (06/26): "The existence of the 
Terrorist Finance Tracking Program was confirmed by the Secretary of 
the Treasury, albeit reluctantly. But says that it is limited to 
banking operations by individuals suspected of having ties to 
Al-Qaeda. The program could not have been implemented without the 
cooperation of the Swift network... The existence of this secret 
spying network was known to the G-10 central banks. But as in the 
case of the NSA's eavesdropping, it would appear that the Bush 
administration has deliberately bypassed the laws protecting 
individuals in the framework of civil liberties... The Bush 
administration asked the NYT to refrain from publishing its 
information, but to no avail." 
 
Iraq 
 
"If the Iraqi Prime Minister Says So..." 
Bernard Guetta on government-run France Inter radio (06/26): "Prime 
Minister al-Maliki's national reconciliation plan is akin to 
admitting that in Iraq there is no rule of law... Each of his 
proposals, at once desirable and necessary, underscores what should 
be and therefore what hasn't been done, and the resulting picture is 
terrifying. When he asks all political factions to adopt a moderate 
discourse to instill a climate of confidence, he is saying there is 
neither confidence nor moderation... The PM has acknowledged the 
existence of death squads by asking for an end to summary 
executions... And when ha calls for commissions to decide on the 
liberation of imprisoned innocents, he acknowledges that innocents 
have been unfairly detained... Punishing those who carry out torture 
means they have gone unpunished... When he calls for a dialogue with 
the multinational forces -read the U.S. army - to prevent human 
rights violations, the implications speak for themselves... 
Al-Maliki asked for warrants before arrests and searches can 
proceed... In short, the Prime Minister has just confirmed that in 
Iraq, instead of an emerging democracy, what reigns is the law of 
the jungle." 
 
North Korea 
 
"Nuclear Alert in the Pacific" 
Gilles Delafon in right-of-center Le Journal du Dimanche (06/25): 
"Unpredictable North Korea is preparing its missile launch. The 
fueling of the launcher has started, scrutinized by American spy 
satellites. Cleverly orchestrated, the provocation has had its 
effect. South Korea is convinced its neighbor is not bluffing. Japan 
is deploying its radars and is threatening Pyongyang. Australia is 
threatening to cut its food aid program. But it is in Washington 
that the embarrassment level is most obvious. The talks on U.S. 
economic aid, in exchange for North Korea giving up its nuclear 
program, between the group of six and North Korea are at an 
impasse... Washington has opted for diplomacy. But it is not making 
progress. The North Korean maneuver is clearly of the blackmailing 
type. Pyongyang knows that Washington is betting on the fall of the 
North Korean regime, the most ludicrous in the world. Pyongyang 
knows also that Iran has just been offered the chance of a direct 
dialogue with the U.S., which North Korea has unsuccessfully been 
asking for. Hence the danger that North Korea choose an electroshock 
approach in order to remind Washington of its capacity for harm." 
STAPLETON