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SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: Mideast, Iran, France 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   (Mideast)   Israeli-Hamas Peace Talks 
¶3.   (Iran)   Nuclear Program 
¶4.   (France)    White Book On Defense 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
Editorials focused on President Khler's keynote speech and the 
reaction to his appeals, and on the reform of the French armed 
forces.  ZDF-TV's early evening newscast heute opened with a report 
on the German victory in the European soccer championships, and 
ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened with a story on 
President Khler's speech. 
 
¶2.   (Mideast)   Israeli-Hamas Peace Talks 
 
All German media carry straight-forward reports saying that Israel 
and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire.  S|ddeutsche Zeitung comments: "For 
one year we heard only horrific news from the Gaza Strip. Since 
Hamas assumed power in June 2007, the people there bear the burden 
of the Israeli blockade -- and Islamists fire rockets at Israel in 
return.  Now, we have the first good news from Gaza....  The truce 
does not yet mean that peace will be created, but it is a ray of 
hope after a long period of darkness.  Both sides need a breather." 
Under the headline "Deceptive Calm," Handelsblatt comments: "We can 
breathe a sigh of relief: Israel and Hamas seem to be coming 
together.  Both accept the Egyptian proposal for a truce and are 
prepared to renounce violence as of Thursday.  But the motives for 
their agreement are worrying because they are not of a peaceful 
nature.  Israel and Hamas have made concessions because they are 
interested in a ceasefire.... Israel wants to prove that it has 
exhausted all diplomatic means before it begins a planned military 
operation in the Gaza Strip....  Hamas will try to use the ceasefire 
to solidify its position in Gaza." 
 
¶3.   (Iran)   Nuclear Program 
 
Under the headline "Nuclear Endgame," FT Deutschland editorializes: 
"The end of the diplomatic path has not been reached but the 
prospects for its success are limited.  International sanctions 
depend on how far UN Security Council members Russia and China are 
prepared to go.  In Germany, any attempt for tougher sanctions is 
accompanied by complaints from German companies, saying that this 
destroys their business.  Some politicians go even further and call 
for closer relations with Iran to secure their oil and gas 
resources....  And others seem ready to accept an Iranian bomb. 
This cannot be an option for Germany and Europe.  Israel will defend 
itself militarily if necessary.  It does not help to shut your eyes 
and hope for new political constellations."   Handelsblatt comments: 
"The U.S. must ultimately offer Iran direct talks and guarantee that 
they will not topple the regime from outside.  Only then will the 
mullahs comply.  If they don't, at least there will be a solid, 
broad, and legitimate foundation to impose very tough economic 
sanctions." 
 
¶4.   (France)    White Book On Defense 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes that the measures that French 
President Sarkozy announced in the White Book on defense must be 
seen the context of a fundamental change of France's defense policy: 
the reintegration of the French armed forces into NATO's structures. 
 The paper notes: "The details have not yet been negotiated, but 
since the United States has given up its former fundamental 
resistance to European defense, it seems that all sides involved 
have agreed on the reintegration."  The paper concludes: "... [it] 
is a deep cut in France's foreign policy: its military presence in 
Africa, the precious symbol of its faded claim as a leading world 
power, will be strongly reduced." 
 
Die Welt writes that France is now modernizing the armed forces and 
"is finally bidding farewell to the Cold War..... [and] discarding 
the principles of de Gaulle's foreign policy."  The daily notes that 
in the distant future, it might even be possible to implement 
Kennedy's dream of the two pillars of defense, but as a first step, 
Germans and British should do everything to support Sarkozy's 
policy.  "More important than European forces is a strong united 
NATO," the paper argues, and concludes: "Those who doubt this should 
keep the following scenario in mind: the United States withdraws 
from Iraq, Iran threatens to use the bomb, and Afghanistan again 
falls into the hands of terrorists." 
 
Tagesspiegel editorializes that it is regrettable that President 
Sarkozy declared the establishment of a European defense one of his 
priorities during France's EU presidency and that he did so without 
prior consultations with his partners.  The daily goes on to say: 
"This does not bode well for the upcoming EU talks on a new effort 
to set up a common security and defense policy."  The daily also 
wonders what Sarkozy's speech means with respect to France's return 
to NATO.  "In his White Book, he stressed France's role as an 
'independent' and 'free' Alliance partner."   De Gaulle set up the 
same principles for leaving the military structure of the Alliance. 
"This is a contradiction that needs to be clarified," the daily 
concludes. 
 
 
TIMKEN