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 004449 
 
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 - Middle East - Hamas - Kidnapped 
Soldier Afghanistan 
PARIS - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Middle East - Hamas - Kidnapped Soldier 
Afghanistan 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Although France's World Cup victory over Spain is today's top story, 
the situation in the Middle East is today's lead international 
story. For Liberation "Hamas Is Torn Between War and Peace" in the 
draft document it signed on "national entente", "which implicitly 
recognizes Israel." An analysis by Christophe Ayad entitled "A 
Four-Sided Hamas" explains how, "since its election, Hamas must 
juggle between armed conflict and compromise." The editorial is 
entitled "Small Steps." La Croix's Jean-Christophe Ploquin wonders 
how "Israel is going to react to the document, a demarche somewhere 
between the olive branch and the Kalashnikov." Le Figaro underscores 
the "intense pressure which the Israelis are putting on the 
Palestinians" to free the Franco-Israeli soldier. Its editorial is 
entitled: "Saving Private Shalit." Bernard Guetta on France Inter 
radio talks about "War and peace colliding in the Middle East."(See 
Part C) 
 
Both Le Figaro and Liberation interview Abdel Madi, the 
French-fluent Shiite Iraqi Vice President who is visiting Paris. In 
Le Figaro: "The Iraqi government has launched a major offensive to 
restore security in Baghdad, and these executions are clearly a 
response to this offensive. The terrorists need to be on the front 
pages... These attacks are also a response to Zarkawi's 
assassination... It is premature to talk of a troop withdrawal. We 
must be realistic. We need to work on the conditions of such a 
withdrawal." In Liberation: "Iraq needs time. Lots of it. We started 
at the lowest possible point: three wars, an international embargo, 
sanctions, years of repression... Zarqawi's elimination will help to 
reduce the violence. His death means that the level of infiltration 
and intelligence has reached a high point..." 
 
The French army's battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan is 
reported by embedded journalist Adrien Jaulmes in Le Figaro while in 
Liberation, a report says that "The Taliban Are Under Iraqi 
Influence." (See Part C) 
 
With the title "The Madness of the Mightiest," Liberation reprints 
an op-ed by Noam Chomsky in translation, which appeared previously 
in the NYT and the IHT. Above the title Liberation comments: "The 
U.S. use the concept of 'just war' to justify illegitimate 
aggressions." 
 
Les Echos interviews French Minister of Agriculture Dominique 
Bussereau about WTO negotiations this week. Bussereau says that 
although France's position has not changed since the October 28 
meeting in Hong Kong, France is willing to make the sacrifices 
necessary for opening the EU's vast agriculture market. Defending 
the EU's credibility in negotiations, Bussereau claims that Europe 
already imports the most agricultural products from developing 
countries, particularly from Africa: "Europe must not accept being 
the sole financier of the Doha round." Bussereau expresses doubt, 
however, about U.S. acceptance of European terms, citing the 
Congress's resistance to lowering agricultural subsidies. "This 
project is unacceptable as is. But France is disposed to work to 
make changes in a realistic sense." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Middle East - Hamas - Kidnapped Soldier 
 
"Small Steps" 
Pierre Haski in left-of-center Liberation (06/28): "At times, it is 
when the worst is expected that progress is made. The kidnapping of 
Gilad Shalit looked like a test, threatening to trigger a new wave 
of violence in Gaza and a new confrontation between Hamas and Abbas. 
It is at this point that the historic announcement was made... It 
would be easy to ignore the draft document ... because it does not 
refer to Israel's existence explicitly and has not led to the 
liberation of Sergeant Shalit. But the history of the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is made up of such small steps, which 
can appear at first as irrelevant... If this agreement can dispel 
the threat of a civil war and change mentalities, it will not have 
been useless. A glimmer hope at a very dark time." 
"Saving Private Shalit" 
Pierre Rousselin in right-of-center Le Figaro (06/28): "The draft 
agreement makes the liberation of Sergeant Shalit even more 
urgent... Beyond the fate of Gilad Shalit, and the danger of 
reprisal, what is really at stake here is whether the Hamas 
politicians are able to impose their views on the radical faction. 
The kidnapping of Shalit was an attempt to sabotage the plans for a 
national entente. It is good that Ismail Haniyeh ignored the 
blackmail attempt of the kidnappers and went ahead with the 
signature. It is a start. One hopes the PM will have the means to 
impose his authority definitively... But is Fatah playing a double 
game? Everything must be done to resolve the crisis, including 
saving private Shalit." 
 
"On the Edge" 
Jean-Christophe Ploquin in Catholic La Croix (06/28): "The 'national 
entente' draft document announced yesterday appears to be born out 
of desperation... The urgency is not so much the risk of an Israeli 
incursion to save the kidnapped soldier, but stopping a Palestinian 
civil war... It remains to be seen how Israel is going to react to 
the Palestinian demarche which stands somewhere between an olive 
branch and a Kalashnikov." 
 
"A Crazy Day in the Middle East" 
Bernard Guetta on government-run France Inter radio (06/28): "War 
and peace are colliding in the Middle East. The question, which 
cannot be answered yet, is which will prevail? Hamas has de facto 
recognized the existence of two states along the 1967 borders... For 
the first time in the history of this long conflict, Hamas and Fatah 
are converging towards a compromise... This, in short, is a 
revolution. To get to this point, the U.S. and Europe were forced to 
suspend their aid... and Mahmoud Abbas had to threaten calling for a 
referendum... The skeptics will call and are calling the agreement a 
'tactical move' and 'a smokescreen.' But this is policy: the 
Islamists are adhering to reality. This is a window of opportunity 
for peace and, in terms of the future, this is what counts." 
 
"A Four-Sided Hamas" 
Christophe Ayad in left-of-center Liberation (06/28): "Yesterday 
stands practically as the caricature of the dilemma facing Hamas. An 
armed movement on the one hand, Hamas draws much of its credibility 
from its ability to strike blows on Israel, like the kidnapping of 
Gilad Shalit. Since its election, Hamas is also part of a 
government, which needs to take into account its population's 
aspirations to live in peace. It is with this in mind, and in order 
to avoid a civil war, that the Prime Minister signed the draft 
document on a national entente... By implicitly recognizing Israel, 
Hamas is fulfilling one of the three conditions set by the Quartet 
to resume contact and aid. But Washington was reserved yesterday 
when it learned of the entente, reminding Hamas it needed to also 
give up violence and recognize former agreements." 
 
Afghanistan 
 
"The Taliban Under Iraqi Influence" 
Jean-Pierre Perrin in left-of-center Liberation (06/28): "Even in 
the darkest hours of the Afghan war against the Red Army, suicide 
attacks were never used by the Taliban... Today, not only are 
suicide attacks being perpetrated, they are becoming everyday 
occurrences. This leads a Pakistani journalist to comment that 'a 
relationship has been established between the Iraqi and Afghan 
insurgents.' In fact, the Taliban who have returned en force are not 
the same who reigned previously... Today's Taliban are more radical: 
they kill their opponents without making demands. This 
radicalization seems to have been imported from Iraq. Today's 
Taliban are better trained to the use of modern explosives." 
STAPLETON