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Lucia A Keegan  06/30/2006 02:10:15 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Lucia A Keegan

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 004482 
 
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DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY; BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU; 
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TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Middle East - Surge of Violence in 
Gaza U.S.- EU: Complaints Over CIA Bank Spying 
G8 - Putin- Iran - Geo-Strategy 
PARIS - Thursday, June 29, 2006 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
Middle East - Surge of Violence in Gaza 
U.S.- EU: Complaints Over CIA Bank Spying 
G8 - Putin- Iran - Geo-Strategy 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
Today's major international story is the worsening situation in 
Gaza, with Le Figaro headlining: "A Logic of War in Gaza" while 
Liberation headlines: "A Mighty Return to Gaza." A report by 
Jean-Luc Allouche in Liberation contends that Olmert is "facing his 
first trial by fire and that he cannot afford to make the slightest 
mistake" while Jean-Pierre Perrin explains that "kidnappings are a 
weapon without effect on Israel. For the past twenty years, Israel 
has never negotiated with kidnappers." The editorial contends that 
Israel's 'Summer Rain' operation is a "short-term response to an 
ancient dilemma..." In Le Figaro, one article contends that for 
Israel, "the operation to free Shalit is meant to erase the affront 
made to the army." (See Part C) 
 
Secretary Rice's visit to Kabul is reported in Le Figaro: "The U.S. 
 
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is not forgetting Afghanistan. Secretary Rice, after a visit to 
Pakistan, made a short stop in Kabul to reaffirm America's support 
to President Karzai and Washington's commitment to the region." 
Adrien Jaulmes describes the worsening situation in Afghanistan: 
"Compared to the mired situation in Iraq, Afghanistan was presented 
as a 'success story...' But lately, the picture has become much less 
attractive..." 
 
Le Figaro carries an op-ed by Iranian opposition leader Maryam 
Radjavi entitled "No, All Iranians Do Not Want the Bomb" in which 
she says that the Iranian regime "is taking advantage of the 
situation in Iraq to spread its influence in its plan to dominate 
the region..." She also states that "the alleged popular support" 
for the nation's nuclear program is "a lie" because the people know 
that "the program is not in the best interest of the nation." But 
she also faults the "world for its lack of strategy." The 
international community must choose "between war and a democratic 
change in Iran," which can only happen "through the resistance of 
the people." 
 
Alexandre Adler's weekly column in Le Figaro analyzes the "World's 
Hidden Equations." "We must not rejoice too quickly, because certain 
crises have not yet come to full maturity..." such as the crisis 
with Iran, which is analyzed in Le Monde, while Le Monde's editorial 
describes Putin and "Russia's Arrogance" prior to the G8. (See Part 
C) 
 
Several reports are devoted to today's elections in Kuwait where 
women candidates are allowed to run for the first time. For Le 
Figaro it is "a historic vote in the Arab peninsula where Kuwait, 
the pro-American Emirate, plays the role of pioneer." 
 
Liberation reports on Europe's complaint against U.S. banking 
"spying practices" and the Belgian decision to file a complaint 
against SWIFT, "for informing the CIA." (See Part C) 
 
In Les Echos, Europe's high representative for defense and security, 
Javier Solana, pens an op-ed celebrating Europe's common defense 
market, which in his view is "a natural evolution dictated by the 
need to modernize armies despite budget cuts." "If we want to 
maintain, in Europe, a technological and industrial base of defense 
that is competitive at the international level, we must combine our 
efforts and pool our resources." The agreement is a pathway toward 
Europe's assuming responsibility in a world prone to conflict, 
Solana further argues. 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
Middle East - Surge of Violence in Gaza 
 
"Camouflage" 
Pierre Haski in left-of-center Liberation (06/29): "The spectacular 
Israeli operation, 'Summer Rain,' to free the kidnapped Israeli 
soldier raises the same old questions and reveals well-identified 
fracture lines... For the Israelis, who see themselves as victims, 
operation 'Summer Rain' is legitimate... Olmert, who lacks a 
glorious military past, would not have survived an absence of 
response... The Palestinians also see themselves as victims... 
Operation 'Summer Rain' is a short-term response to an ancient 
dilemma, which it cannot resolve. Olmert adopted his predecessor's 
view that a unilateral pullout from Gaza was the only solution. Now 
Tsahal is back in Gaza, as if attracted by an implacable magnet. 
 
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This is enough to prove the relative impact of the security fence, 
which serves only to camouflage the accumulated resentment between 
the two people, without appeasing it. After the sounds of 'Summer 
Rain' have quieted down, everyone will feel a little more victimized 
and peace will be even more elusive." 
 
U.S.- EU: Complaints Over CIA Bank Spying 
 
"Europe Complains About Bank Spying" 
Jean Quatremer in left-of-center Liberation (06/29): "The U.S. has 
managed to spread its exceptional anti-terrorist laws throughout 
Europe, with the complicity, passive if not active, of local 
authorities. Coming on the heels of the CIA's secret rendition 
flights, it is now public knowledge that for the past five years the 
U.S. was collecting data from Swift on terrorist financing... The 
problem is that by giving out such data, Swift has violated Europe's 
national legislation protecting individual rights. The head of the 
Belgian Senate Commission is opening an investigation... and says 
that although 'the U.S. company, Swift, complied with U.S. 
legislation, in so doing it also came into conflict with Belgian 
law.' What is true for Belgium is also true for all other European 
nations, which all have strict laws protecting the transfer of 
personal data... This is why, Privacy International announced in 
London on Tuesday that it is filing suits in 32 countries against 
Swift. But as in the case of the CIA flights, it appears that the 
U.S. authorities had kept their partners informed, which makes legal 
suits dubious... Says a European representative, with a dose of 
irony: 'at least the Americans have succeeded where the Europeans 
haven't: creating a common judicial Europe... It takes European 
judges years to get this type of information...'" 
 
G8 - Putin- Iran - Geo-Strategy 
 
"Arrogant Russia" 
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (06/29): "The G8 Summit 
will not address questions of democracy or of human rights. Putin 
plans to turn the forum into a platform to glorify Russia's newfound 
power on the international scene. He has turned the weapon of energy 
into his number one diplomatic instrument, collecting huge financial 
and geo-strategic benefits. With the growing instability in the 
Middle East, and because of the world demand on energy, Russia has 
in the past few years been very much solicited on all fronts. But 
Putin gives little in return and continues to deny he is playing a 
game of 'energy blackmail' while making fun of world concerns about 
Russia's 'neo-imperialism.' When it comes to energy, like human 
rights, Russia intends to impose its own vision of things." 
 
"Iran's Diplomatic Activism" 
Mouna Naim in left-of-center Le Monde (06/29): "Up until now Iran 
has succeeded, thanks namely to Russia and China, in driving back 
the specter of seeing the issue of its nuclear program go before the 
UNSC as well as dispelling the threat of sanctions... It has even 
been able to obtain the promise that the U.S. will take part in the 
negotiations if the West's June 6 proposals are accepted... Up until 
now Iran has tried and been successful in buying time, but the hour 
of truth is fast approaching." 
 
"The World's Hidden Equations" 
Alexandre Adler in right-of-center Le Figaro (06/29): "On the world 
theatre, certain hidden equations need to be clarified if we are to 
understand the crises we face, with their peaks and valleys. The 
first of such equations has to do with China..., the impact of oil 
prices on its economy... and Beijing's decision to turn its back on 
Iran... A second equation revolves around Russia: While Moscow 
enjoys a wide margin of maneuver with Washington, there is a 
longstanding pact between Iran's Islamic moderates and the KGB... 
The nationalistic and slightly anti-Semitic atmosphere that reigns 
in Moscow, the idea of transforming a trade relation into a full 
strategic relationship with Tehran is making inroads... The third 
equation, of a fully domestic nature, involves Iraq's Shiite leaders 
who are forced to maintain a certain degree of cooperation with the 
substantial U.S. contingent, because they are far from being able to 
insure Iraq's security. But for Iran, it is important to develop a 
symbiosis between the two Shiite republics. This alliance, which in 
time will require a compromise with the U.S., is needed now. The 
nuclear battle with the international community can come much later. 
We are therefore relatively safe... Nevertheless, we should not 
rejoice too soon, for certain crises have not come to full 
maturity." STAPLETON