R 101233Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3508
INFO WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
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DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
FRG COLLECTIVE
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UNCLAS BERLIN 000276 
 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PAPD, EUR/PPA, EUR/AGS, INR/EUC, INR/P, 
SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/DSAA, DIA FOR DC-4A 
 
VIENNA FOR CSBM, CSCE, PAA 
 
"PERISHABLE INFORMATION -- DO NOT SERVICE" 
 
E.0. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO GM KN AF UK IR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: KOREA, AFGHANISTAN, NORTHERN IRELAND, HUMAN 
RIGHTS, ECONOMY, STEM CELLS, IRAN 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   North Korea 
¶3.   Western Strategy on Afghanistan, Elections 
¶4.   Northern Ireland Attacks 
¶5.   Human Rights 
¶6.   Financial Crisis 
¶7.   Stem Cell Research 
¶8.   Iran 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
ZDF-TV's early evening newscast Heute led with a story on the 
sentence of a Swiss gigolo for blackmailing BMW heiress Susanne 
Klatten.  ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened with a 
story on the deteriorating economic crisis.  Newspapers led with 
tabloid and economic stories.  Editorials focused on the economic 
crisis, the trial against a blackmailer, stem cell research, and 
Afghanistan. 
 
¶2.   North Korea 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine commented: "North Korean protests against 
U.S.-South Korean military maneuvers have been a matter of routine 
in recent years in Northeast Asia.  But this year, everything is 
more aggressive....  North Korea's plans to launch a space satellite 
could lead to a crisis.....  In recent months, North Korea 
maneuvered itself into a difficult situation.  The attempt to get 
the attention of the new U.S. administration had led to increasingly 
verbal abuses....  Let's hope Pyongyang is reasonable enough not to 
launch the rocket in the direction of Japan or the United States.... 
 Kim Jong-il's regime, which is weakened by speculation over its 
leader's succession, believes it must hide its obvious weakness by 
verbal attacks." 
 
Frankfurter Rundschau editorialized: "North Korea's dictator is 
doing once again what he can do best: provoke.....  Although Kim has 
some reason to be annoyed; 56,000 U.S. and South Korean soldiers 
began a maneuver to prepare for a potential war with North Korea. 
But the training happens regularly and only led to diplomatic 
protests in the past.  This time around, Kim Jong-il seems to desire 
deteriorating relations.  For months, he has not missed any 
opportunity to attack the south.  This could be muscle-flexing of a 
weakened leader.   After the leader disappeared last year for 
months, he might now want to prove his power.  Given that his 
country is collapsing, this may be necessary." 
 
¶3.   Western Strategy on Afghanistan, Elections 
 
Following President Obama's statement that the West could also 
include moderate Taliban in talks about peace, Sueddeutsche is 
speculating under the headline "Wanted: Good Taliban!" who these 
moderate Taliban might be. "People with half-long beards?  Advocates 
of a Sharia-light?" The daily added that such a group is hard to 
find.  They have no platform, they have no official spokesmen, and 
there is no political arm of the Taliban with which the West could 
enter into talks.  The paper concluded: "If the Taliban get a share 
in power, then the West must bid farewell to the noble project of 
democracy." 
 
Handelsblatt judged: "In the future, other countries such as Iran, 
Pakistan, and Russia are to be integrated into the Afghanistan 
strategy.  This sounds absurd, but in reality there is no 
alternative to this change of course, for the helplessness of 
Europeans and Americans has grown over the past few months.  Seven 
years after the ouster of the Taliban, they have not succeeded in 
putting the country on its own feet.  That is why it is overdue to 
correct two mistakes of the previous strategy:  Pakistan and Iran's 
integration is necessary.  In addition, Barack Obama wants to talk 
with 'moderate Taliban.'  He is now following the UN recommendation 
which said that a black-and-white picture of the country would not 
help. But for the Europeans, Obama's change of course is a 
challenge.  Thus far they have been able to argue that their 
failures in Afghanistan were based on a failed U.S. policy towards 
the country.  In the future, however, there will be no more excuses 
for this failure." 
 
In the view of die tageszeitung, "there may be a chance for halfway 
peaceful elections in August if President Obama succeeded in 
integrating local, non-ideological leaders in the political 
reconstruction process.  That hope is based on the view that the 
leadership around Mullah Omar could slowly but gradually be isolated 
from the basis of the tribes from where it recruits new fighters. 
But possible talks should insist on minimum standards, for instance 
that the Taliban refrain from terror attacks and respect the Afghan 
Constitution.  In return, the United States could rethink the number 
of additional soldiers it wants to send to the country.  At the same 
time, Obama should correct the policy of the U.S. military.  But the 
fact that the Taliban are regaining influence is also based on the 
previous incapability of the Karzai government and donor countries 
to improve the situation of the rural population.  More jobs would 
create greater security." 
 
Regional daily Maerkische Allgemeine of Potsdam opined; "No one 
wants to talk with the fanatic heads of the Taliban such as Mullah 
Omar. It would also be impossible to integrate them.  The moderate 
Taliban with whom one could enter into talks would at best lead to 
the formation of a splinter group.  But this would not resolve the 
problem of terror attacks." 
 
Regional daily Maerkische Oderzeitung of Frankfurt on the Oder 
argued: "President Karzai is referring to the Constitution which 
stipulates that elections must be held 30 to 60 days before the end 
of the president's regular term.  This will end at the end of May. 
If elections are postponed, Afghanistan would be without a 
president.  This would not be so important because Karzai is 
disdainfully called the 'mayor of Kabul' anyway.  But the 
painfully-built fagade of democratic structures in the Hindu Kush 
would then break apart.  A postponement of the elections, which the 
West wants, would also be a confession of their failure." 
 
¶4.   Northern Ireland Attacks 
 
This morning's ZDF-TV's Heute newscast led with a story on the 
killing of a police officer saying: "Another violent act is shaking 
Northern Ireland."   Newspapers headlines: "British and Irish 
implore peace" (Sueddeutsche Zeitung), "Northern Ireland sticks to 
reconciliation" (Berliner Zeitung), "Anxious times in Belfast" 
(Frankfurter Rundschau). 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung commented that "most people in Northern Ireland 
no longer want to hear from the radical fighters," adding: "The fact 
that all sides condemned the terror attack on the barracks is a sign 
of normality in Northern Ireland....  What Martin McGuinness said 
did not just reveal the dismay about the bloodshed, but made also 
clear that it plunged Sinn Fein into a difficult situation.  For 
Sinn Fein, nothing less than its credibility as the leading 
republican movement is at stake.....  The overwhelming majority of 
the people in Northern Ireland are not at all interested in 
returning to the not-at-all romantic times of murder, killings, 
hatred and repression.  However, a small minority - including those 
on the extreme Protestant wing - see the peace treaty as treason. 
Although these extremists are not so well organized and armed like 
their predecessors in the years of the civil war, they have the 
potential to destabilize the situation....  Let's hope that the 
recent bloodshed moves Republicans and Unionists to overcome it 
remaining differences.  The two soldiers should not have died in 
vain." 
 
¶5.   Human Rights 
 
Under the headline "Obama's Realpolitik," FT Deutschland commented 
on the U.S. government's approach to human rights and Tibet:  "Last 
summer was the moment of Tibetans.... Now, as the violent crackdown 
of the Tibetan uprising sees its 50th anniversary, the focus has 
shifted.  The crisis of the global economy dominates all other 
topics.  China is needed as a consumer, purchaser of government 
bonds and as a rescuer in an emergency.  In this respect, human 
rights seem to be for many governments something from a different 
planet.  In addition, the new U.S. government clearly differs in 
this question from its predecessor.  Secretary Clinton does not 
spend a lot of time on domestic shortcomings.  For a meeting with 
her Russian counterpart, Clinton even brought a silly reset button. 
The message was: forget the unpleasant things we have said about you 
before and let's talk about things we can both do with each other. 
This new realpolitik contradicts the expectations that President 
Obama wants to present America with a more human face.  Although 
Obama has decided to close Guantanamo, he has also sent the message 
that he does not care what others do at home." 
 
¶6.   Financial Crisis 
 
Die Welt opined on its front page: "The World Bank scenario could 
hardly be gloomier.  This is an economic crisis that will stick to 
the collective memory of the whole world.  At the end of this year, 
mankind will be poorer than it was at the beginning.  If it is not 
economic reason, it should at least be empathy for the weakest that 
should prevent politicians from setting up new trade obstacles.  All 
those critics are wrong who consider this crisis the final evidence 
that capitalism and globalization are devilish stuff.  The recession 
has had such a great impact on the emerging countries because 
globalization made possible economic integration and the creation of 
wealth.  In return, the industrialized countries will hardly grow 
again if demand from the developing world does not resume.  As far 
as the economy is concerned, all people sit in the same boat. This 
is the decisive lesson from this crisis.  That is why the fight 
against protectionism must be on top of the agenda of the G-20 in 
London." 
 
In the view of Handelsblatt, "the World Bank and the Asian's 
Development Bank's reports have made clear that it is wrong to think 
that the threshold countries would be able to decouple from the 
industrialized countries.  But it is already clear that it is too 
much for the financial institutions to help, while the 
industrialized countries have to deal with their own problems.  That 
is why the developing and threshold nations cannot expect too much. 
 That is also why it is all the more important that the G-20 agree 
not only on the future oversight of the financial markets, but also 
to improve the coordination of their global economic policies.  In 
this global crisis, state, institutional, and private efforts must 
be coordinated much better than in the past.  Only if all sides 
involved succeed in linking a mixture of stimuli for consumption, 
tax relief, and clearly targeted investments can the global economy 
return to the path of growth in 2010.  This is the task for the 
G-20." 
 
According to Tagesspiegel, "this crisis is no longer a virtual 
crisis but a matter of life or death.  People will die because banks 
played a poker game.  Europe should remember that Africa is only a 
few kilometers away.  The appeal of the World Bank to the G-20 to 
keep the developing nations in mind at the G-20 summit should not 
die away.  Those who try to save only themselves in a globalized 
world will save nothing." 
 
Berliner Zeitung judged: "The World Bank must now help.  First, it 
will issue more bonds for private investors. This is a promising 
approach because such bonds are popular among investors, and because 
strong donors are behind such bonds.  With them, companies in 
developing countries could escape via the World Bank a looming 
credit crunch as long as they are able to pay interest.  But the 
poorest of the poor are unable to do this.  That is why the World 
Bank continues to be dependent on classical development assistance 
and, donor countries should not be relieved from their 
responsibilities during times of crises either." 
 
According to die tageszeitung, "the World Bank's warning against an 
economic disaster for the developing nations is not mere 
panic-mongering to regain lost power.  The IMF and the World Bank 
can do very well without this.  It has been a long time since their 
support was so appreciated.  But these two institutions have not 
passed the test as crisis managers.  Their neo-liberal concepts 
worsened the Asian crisis as well as in Latin America and Africa, 
where they led to lasting stagnation.  But what alternative exists 
for developing and threshold countries in misery?  Almost none. 
That is why it is now all the more important not to repeat the old 
mistakes.  The G-20 should now say: the IMF and the World Bank will 
get more money only if they adhere to strict conditions.  This 
includes giving up a policy of deregulation and privatization, for 
those recipes not only led the developing countries but also the 
entire global economy to the brink of abyss." 
 
In an editorial, Sueddeutsche Zeitung dealt with possible new 
tensions between the U.S. and the EU in the fight against the 
financial crisis.  "Keynes There, Sonnemann There" is the headline 
in the paper.  It adds: "Seen from Washington or New York, the world 
looks totally different than seen from Paris or Berlin.  The 
differences between the U.S. and Europe are politically delicate. 
While at the G-20 the United States wants to pursue a global 
economic policy, the Europeans are striving for perfect financial 
oversight to prevent a repetition of the crisis.  Basically the 
solution simple: both sides are right, at least partially.  But 
there is still a third aspect which has not really been addressed: 
if all sides involved do not succeed in stabilizing the banks, then 
even the best economic bailout programs will not make sense.  One 
reason for the crash at the stock markets since President Obama has 
taken office is that important details of his banking package are 
still missing.  It is probably useful in the preparatory stages of 
the G-20 that all participants are aware of the fact that a failure 
would be a disaster for the world.  Everything will now depend on 
whether those in London agree on three elements: first, the rescue 
of the banks, second, the extension of economic bailout programs, 
and third, an agreement on the guidelines for financial oversight." 
 
¶7.   Stem Cell Research 
 
ARD-TV's primetime Tagesschau commented: "What Barack Obama 
announced today is another paradigm shift - a radical renunciation 
of the political and religious dogma of the Bush times.  Recognizing 
climate change, negotiating with moderate Taliban, maybe lifting 
abortion bans soon -- the pace of the new alignment is 
breathtaking." 
 
Berliner Zeitung editorialized: "With his decision to lift the 
restrictions on stem cell research, President Obama sent an 
important signal.  George Bush's campaign against science has come 
to an end.  After eight years of a clash of cultures, reason is 
returning the White House.  The times are over when politicians 
believed they could ignore scientific facts and determine results 
beforehand....  Obama now is making resources available urgently 
necessary to find out in scientific tests what is possible. 
Chronically sick people have been waiting for this for a long 
time....  The argument that it is immoral to destroy embryonic life 
to rescue human life is inconsistent anyway.  Opponents of stem cell 
research have no problem with putting 500,000 embryos on ice and, in 
fertility hospitals, surplus fetuses are being thrown away." 
 
Tagesspiegel remarks: "It is clear that the American stem cell 
research will now make progress....  The whole world will benefit 
from the fact that the leading science nation is now on board again 
in own of the most important basic medical research projects.  The 
potential of stem cell research is great." 
 
¶8.   Iran 
 
Tagesspiegel argued: "The time of dogmatic purity is over.  Neither 
the United States nor Europe or Israel can afford such an approach 
any longer.  The global economic depression will quickly lead to 
unexpected security policy challenges.  Iran in turn could possibly 
be able to detonate the bomb in a few months time.  But those who, 
in such precarious situations, stick to their principles and hope 
for sudden insights are acting in a negligent way.  President Obama 
has realized this.  May others follow suit." 
 
 
KOENIG