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Lucia A Keegan  11/28/2006 09:56:35 AM  From  DB/Inbox:  Lucia A Keegan

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLAS    SENSITIVE     PARIS 07425

SIPDIS
cxparis:
    ACTION: DCM
    INFO:   TSA POL LEG ECON AMB

DISSEMINATION: DCMX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: ECON M/C::TJWHITE
DRAFTED: ECON:MMOTLEY
CLEARED: TSA: NLARBI POL: JESPINOZA

VZCZCFRI614
RR RUEHC RUCNMEM RHMFIUU
DE RUEHFR #7425 3211445
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171445Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3174
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS PARIS 007425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR EB/TRA, S/CT, EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR PTER PREL KHLS FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE: PARIS AIRPORT SECURITY UNDER INCREASING 
PUBLIC SCRUTINY 
 
 
 ¶1. (U)  Airport security has come in for increasing public 
scrutiny with the airing by the Euronews network November 15 
of a September videotape purporting to show holes in security 
arrangements at Paris' Charles De Gaulle airport (CDG).  The 
footage demonstrated how cleared airport baggage handlers 
could bypass physical searches and showed an employee 
smuggling a simulated brick of plastic explosive into an area 
where it could be easily placed in secure freight for an 
outgoing cargo flight. 
 
¶2. (U)  The tape was shot by the General Workers 
Confederation union (CGT), and was publicized as part of its 
defense of workers recently suspended by the Prefect in 
charge of airport security based on Interior Ministry 
determinations that they represented security risks.  Union 
spokesmen have argued that the suspensions are a form of 
discrimination against Moslems, and that the true problem at 
CDG is lax security procedures, which if corrected would make 
suspension of access passes unnecessary.  In a related 
development, an administrative judge temporarily restored 
badges to two of the 72 airport employees suspended since 
last May, while maintaining the suspension of five others. 
This brings to four the total number of baggage handlers who 
have regained access to their badges. Further complaints 
seeking administrative redress of suspended clearances are 
expected to be filed. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Michel Wachenheim, Director General of the French 
Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) called Embassy Transportation 
Security Administration Representative November 14 to warn of 
the impending publicity, and to tell us that DGAC would not 
be responding publicly to the union's charges, but did intend 
to take legal action against the union and the employee who 
circumvented CDG security arrangements.  The issue is 
politically sensitive here, and grows out of charges of 
widespread Islamic radicalism among airport workers initially 
raised by far-right Presidential candidate Philippe de 
Villiers in a book published last April, widely viewed as an 
attack on Interior Minister (and rival candidate for the 
Presidency) Nicholas Sarkozy.  De Villiers based his charges 
on a leaked confidential memo produced by the French Border 
Police that reportedly identified extremist affiliations of 
some CDG airport employees as a potential security risk. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Comment:  Though press discussion of these 
suspensions has been abundant, in the current highly charged 
pre-electoral climate, separating truth from 
politically-motivated conjecture or selective leaking of 
information is particularly difficult.  Based on these first 
cases, it seems unlikely that administrative review will 
reverse large numbers of these suspensions, or dampen press 
speculation about the information contained in the 
confidential files of the Interior Ministry.  In view of the 
 
SIPDIS 
evident deficiencies shown by the suspensions and the 
videotape, we expect that the GOF will continue to follow 
through on its efforts to proactively identify airport 
security risks and to take corrective action where necessary, 
in spite of opposition from unions or potential fallout in 
the presidential election campaign. 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
STAPLETON