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SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/DSAA, DIA FOR DC-4A 
 
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"PERISHABLE INFORMATION -- DO NOT SERVICE" 
 
E.0. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO GM RS IR US ID TU VT
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAN, CLINTON, PROTECTIONISM, MUSLIMS, 
GITMO, RUSSIAN ECONOMY, TURKEY-ISRAEL, POPE 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   Iran Launches Satellite 
¶3.   Transatlantic Relations 
¶4.   Danger Of Protectionism 
¶5.   Muslim World/Guantnamo 
¶6.   Financial Crisis Hits Russia 
¶7.   Turkish-Israeli Relations 
¶9.   Controversy over Pope Benedict 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
Editorials focused on Chancellor Merkel's call on the Pope to make 
clear his position on the Holocaust and the eavesdropping affair 
with Deutsche Bahn.  ZDF-TV's early evening newscast Heute opened 
with reports on warning strikes in the public service in Lower 
Saxony, while ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened with 
a report on Chancellor Merkel's call on the Pope for a "very clear" 
rejection of the Holocaust denial. 
 
¶2.   Iran Launches Satellite 
 
Berliner Zeitung's editorial headlined "Iran conquers space and 
irritates the West," and added: "Iran reached this success despite 
the UN embargo.  If sanctions don't get anywhere and the West fears 
Iranian rockets, satellites and potential nuclear bombs, it must 
move Iran to enter negotiations.  This will work only if the result 
of the talks - a suspension of uranium enrichment -- is not made a 
precondition for their resumption." 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized: "Although the Iranian 
president claimed the launch was supposed to serve civilian and 
research purposes, it shows that the development of Iranian rockets 
is making disturbing progress, despite international sanctions.... 
Those who can launch rockets into space will sooner or later be able 
to arm them with nuclear warheads." 
 
Sueddeutsche commented: "The launch of the satellite boosts the 
confidence of the Iranians.  Their country is thereby the ninth 
nation that enters space.  Militarily, this strong-man act does not 
change much for the time being....  Without a nuclear warhead, the 
modern long-range missile is not much more than a flying bomb like 
the German V2 in the Second World War." 
 
FT Deutschland opined: "A few months before the presidential 
elections in Iran, the West cannot do much more than monitor the 
situation and stay calm.  It is still unclear who will have the best 
prospects this summer and who will be supported by the religious 
leadership, which will decide the issue.  But one thing is clear: 
almost every candidate would be better than the cynical gambler 
Ahmadinejad." 
 
¶3.   Transatlantic Relations 
 
All media reported on Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister 
Steinmeier's meeting in Washington, saying that "Germany and the 
United States want to cooperate more closely after the changeover in 
the White House" (Frankfurter Allgemeine).  None of the German media 
carried any editorials.  Tagesspiegel carried a front-page photo 
showing Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Steinmeier during a 
friendly conversation near a fireplace under the headline "New 
Coziness." 
 
Most media reported that Secretary Clinton thanked Germany for its 
contribution in Afghanistan and quoted her as saying: "We need our 
closest allies, like Germany, to help us ensure the success and 
stability of the Afghan nation at this very important moment."  FAZ 
headlined: "Mrs. Clinton Praises Germany."  Tagesspiegel commented: 
"Regardless of whether the fight can be won with more soldiers, it 
is clear that specific demands will be made on Germany.  And a 
German government that sees opportunities for a transatlantic 
partnership will not be able to resist them forever." 
 
Sueddeutsche remarked: "While the Europeans, Miliband and 
Steinmeier, were the first foreigners to pay a visit, it became 
clear yesterday that Clinton's first visit abroad will not go to 
Europe but Asia." 
 
¶4.   Danger Of Protectionism 
 
In a report under the headline: "Buy American," Sueddeutsche Zeitung 
wrote: "The World is alarmed.  The United States is developing the 
biggest economic stimulus program ever with a volume of 819 billion 
dollar and now members of Congress want to limit its effects on the 
domestic economy.  The global shock at these protectionist exercises 
in Congress is understandable because it was American tariffs that 
considerably contributed to the escalation of the global economic 
crisis in 1930." 
 
The head of the SPD group in the European Parliament (EP), Martin 
Schulz criticized U.S. efforts to include a "buy American' clause in 
the U.S. economic stimulus package in Sueddeutsche Zeitung.  He 
said: "Protectionism has never resolved any economic problem," and 
added: "All those who have celebrated Barack Obama as  redeemer are 
now beginning to realize that he is only the American president." 
The head of the CDU group in the EP, Werner Langen, said this clause 
leads to an "absolutely wrong track that can lead to a disaster for 
the global economy" 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine argued: "The real test for transatlantic 
relations is now looming in trade policies.  What Congress plans to 
write into the economic stimulus bill is pure protectionism.  During 
normal times it is troublesome enough, but in a crisis it is really 
dangerous.  Even during his election campaign, Barack Obama's 
statements were ambiguous.  If he now thinks that he must repay 
important Democratic election groups for their support of his 
election campaign with protectionism, this would be a bad omen.  It 
would undermine his claim to lead." 
 
Handelsblatt argued: "Instead of internationally coordinating their 
economic and financial policies, each state acts according to the 
motto: "charity begins at home."  The consequence is a new financial 
protectionism that could throw back the globalization of credit and 
capital markets for years to come.   A relapse into protectionism of 
the 1930s would only exacerbate the crisis and would work to the 
detriment of all sides.  With respect to crisis management, we need 
new international rules of the game that will protect us from 
economic stupidities.  The fact that the European Central Bank and 
the European Commission are now working on uniform guidelines for 
state "life vests" is an encouraging sign.  The upcoming G-20 summit 
must make clear to all that the fight against financial 
protectionism is not a favor to friends but that their own interests 
are also involved." 
 
¶5.   President Obama Approaches Muslims, Guantnamo Closure 
 
FT Deutschland comments on President Obama's upcoming address to the 
Muslim world.  The paper comments that it would be better to deliver 
the speech in a city faraway in the Arab world.  "One alternative 
that is named in Washington and that would suit Obama is Indonesia. 
He spent many years of his childhood there, which would go down well 
in the Muslim world. However, this would, as some people say, offend 
Arabs and would reduce the significance of his engagement in the 
region....  Despite all reservations, by approaching the country 
with the largest Muslim population Obama would show that the Muslim 
world goes far beyond northern Africa and the Arab world." 
 
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine, "The 'Guantnamo model' has 
never been a good idea.  The establishment of the camp outside of 
U.S. territory served the purpose of putting the people who were 
imprisoned there outside of the law.  The question is what now?  In 
the past, prisoners were released in the course of the time. 
Obviously, [the U.S.] did not have anything in its hands against 
them, which, in turn demonstrates: there is no way around a court 
decision about the fate of the remaining prisoners.  In this 
situation, Europe, including, Germany must now take sides.  It is 
true that the responsibility is clear:  America must heal this wound 
on its own.  But this offers Germany the opportunity not to act as a 
know-it-all but to exert influence on the future joint fight against 
terror.  One thing is clear: Germans and Europeans have not found 
the philosopher's stone either when it comes to handling dangerous 
Islamists. The key to the still abstract danger [of terrorism] is 
based on intensified cooperation of intelligence services, but also 
on criminal law that bans calls for hatred and murder and the links 
among terrorist.  Courts can send those, who are a permanent danger 
for life and limb of others, to prisons. This can also happen in 
Germany.  Guantnamo is superfluous." 
 
¶6.   Financial Crisis Hits Russia 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung noted that people in Vladivostok took to the 
streets to protest the government's decision to impose tariffs on 
foreign cars, and the paper wondered: "Are these the first cracks in 
the vertical Russian power structure?  Could the crisis succeed in 
achieving something that neither U.S. neo-cons nor European human 
rights activities, let alone Russia's opposition, achieved, namely, 
to bring to collapse Putin-style authoritarianism?  The Russian 
economy is in bad shape and nothing has happened to improve it. 
Russia is once again faced with an enormous redistribution of 
wealth.  One of the most exciting questions will be whether the 
people or the elites will begin to rebel, or whether the Putin 
system will begin to crumble from the bottom or blow up at the top. 
It is very likely that racist excesses will increase...and it is one 
of the tragic continuities of Russia's history that the Kremlin 
resolves social and political conflicts with violence.  With such an 
approach the authoritarian system could also be replaced - by a 
dictatorship." 
 
In the view of Handelsblatt, "Prime Minister Putin boasted in a 
defiant and unrealistic way at the Global Economic Forum about the 
alleged strengths of his vast empire.  But pride goes before a fall. 
 And Russia is currently falling in a breathtaking speed.  The 
reason no reason to show any pride.  Especially the fall of the 
ruble must ring the alarm bells in Moscow and Putin's fate depends 
on it.  He is building a regime that can be summarized under the 
formula: "Greater prosperity against less freedom."  Putin's power 
rests on the support of bankers, brokers, car dealers, and boutique 
owners, the middle class that has profited the most from the 
upswing.  But the deeper the ruble falls, the greater the problems 
of this population group.  The ruble crash has all the ingredients 
to seriously question Putin's regime." 
 
¶7.   Turkey-Israeli Relations 
 
Die Welt noted: "Recep Tayyip Erdogan's irritating statements and 
activities not only raise questions about his self control but also 
about the western orientation of his country.  Erdogan's (most 
recent) slogans have blown up the framework of what is acceptable. 
Maybe Erdogan's flight from Davos will be compared to Vladimir 
Putin's aggressive speech at Munich's Security Conference two years 
ago: that global politics has changed.  It may be possible that 
Turkey's long path to the West, on which Ataturk embarked long ago, 
will end in Davos.  During the seven years of ACP rule, Turkey has 
become more Islamic and more oriental.  There is no other NATO 
country where the attitude towards NATO and the U.S. has been so 
negative.  And the enthusiasm for Europe has also dried up. 
Turkey's significance for Europe has always been its role as double 
bridgehead: as a Muslim country in the West and as a Western country 
in the Muslim world.  If Erdogan is now spreading an anti-Western 
mood and turns Turkey into a country that is more hostile to Israel 
than its Arab neighbors, it will forfeit its role as a mediator 
between Orient and Occident.  Under Erdogan's leadership, Turkey is 
losing its special role and thus its value for the West." 
 
¶9.   Controversy Over Pope Benedict 
 
All German media carried prominent reports and editorials on 
Chancellor Merkel's criticism of the Pope's decision to rehabilitate 
the Society of Pius, calling on the Vatican to clarify its position. 
 "Merkel demands clarification from the Pope," (lead story headline 
in Die Welt, front-page headlines in Sueddeutsche and Frankfurter 
Allgemeine). 
 
ARD-TV's Tagesthemen commented: "This is the most serious crisis in 
confidence in the Catholic Church for a long time and only Pope 
Benedict can resolve it...  For the sake of democratic peace, the 
Catholic Church must not allow any ambiguity and denial [of the 
Holocaust].  Pope Benedict is not an anti-Semite... It is therefore 
right to call on the Pope to publicly state this.  It is not a 
disgrace but strength to admit mistakes.  Rarely before has a 
supposedly internal decision of the church had such a devastating 
effect on religions and society like the lifting of this 
excommunication.  Not just German Catholics but every citizen is 
expecting the Pope to speak clearly." 
 
ZDF-TV's Heute said: "Chancellor Merkel is of the opinion that this 
is not an internal matter of the church.  The denial of the 
Holocaust goes to the heart of German-Israeli relations and Merkel 
believes that a German state leader must not be quiet about it.... 
She would have criticized the Pope equally strongly even if he were 
not German.  Whenever the Holocaust is denied, Germany must be the 
defender of the victims.  Her firm demand shows that she is not 
satisfied with the current statements of the Vatican." 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine's front-page editorial said: "Pope Benedict 
has not just rehabilitated somebody who denied the Holocaust, which 
should never have happened.  He offered Bishops close companionship 
who do not believe in the principle of the church and who are 
leading a movement that rejects democracy.  The damage done to the 
Church in general and the Pope's office in particular is 
immeasurable." 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung noted: "The dialogue with Protestants and the 
talks with Jews and Muslims has been damaged.... Angela Merkel, the 
Christian Democrat chancellor, is right.  We need a crystal-clear 
clarification from Rome.  The disappointment over this Pope is 
increasing." 
 
  KOENIG