R 011253Z APR 09
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TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO GM US RS AF IR IS QA XG
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: POTUS VISIT, G20, U.S.-RUSSIA, AFGHANISTAN, 
ISRAEL, ARAB LEAGUE, CHODORKOVSKY 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   POTUS Visit to Europe 
¶3.   G20 Summit 
¶4.   Obama-Medvedev Meeting 
¶5.   The Hague Conference on Afghanistan 
¶6.   New Israeli Government 
¶7.   Arab League Summit 
¶8.   Chodorkovsky Trial 
 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
Editorials focused on the most recent unemployment rates and on 
Chancellor Merkel's promise to Opel workers to support a private 
investor of the company.  Headlines in the press primarily centered 
on the drowning of hundreds of refugees off the Libyan coast, and on 
the most recent unemployment figures.  ZDF-TV's early evening 
newscast Heute and ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened 
with reports on Chancellor Merkel's visit to Opel. 
 
¶2.   POTUS Visit to Europe 
 
FT Deutschland's front-page editorial commented:  "Obama might no 
longer be seen as a messiah at home, but the excitement in Europe is 
unbroken.  When he tours Europe for the first time, he can be sure 
that his fans will celebrate him...   It is not a surprise that the 
Europeans see the refreshed friendship as a one-way street.  They 
believe they had the right position under Obama's predecessor and it 
is now up to America to reach out.  Obama has done so....  However, 
Europe hardly moves and acts like there still is a president in the 
White House who is not interested in cooperation.  Those who are 
interested in a new beginning with Washington must share the burden 
fairly." 
 
Bild editorialized: "The U.S. President has finally arrived. 
Looking at him from a distance, he was a giant....  But reality has 
caught up with him:  the tough fight against the economic crisis, 
for peace in Afghanistan and for disarmament.  After having reached 
the top of the mountain in no time, he has come down to earth again. 
 Europe will get to know the real Obama in London, a man who has 
tough interests and knows how to push them through.  There is no 
doubt that he is the global player number one.  When Air Force One 
returns to Washington after the weekend, we will all be a bit 
disappointed because the messiah and pop star will have turned into 
a normal politician who knows what he wants.  This is exactly what 
the world needs!" 
 
Handelsblatt's front-page editorial remarked:  "Barack Obama might 
have been Bush's opponent, but he is certainly not a European.  If 
something has become clear during the first weeks of his presidency 
it is that Obama pursues an American policy for America.  If this 
coincides with European ideas it makes things easier and more 
pleasant.  However, those who believe that the 44th President of the 
U.S. is looking to Europe for guidance are wrong.  Obama wants to 
exploit the crisis to lead America back to new grandeur.  If he 
succeeds Europe, will be dealing with an ally in a few years who 
does not lack self-confidence." 
 
¶3.   G20 Summit 
 
Financial Times Deutschland opined: "It is certainly no surprise 
that it is now becoming clear that the change of power in Washington 
has not resolved all transatlantic conflicts of interest.  But it is 
surprising to see that the dissonances did not affect 
Afghanistan...but instead the question of whether all industrialized 
countries are doing enough to fight the economic crisis.  Those who 
want a new beginning in relations with Washington must also be 
willing to accept fair burden-sharing.  This is true of Afghanistan 
but even more so of economic policy.  It does not fit together when 
the Europeans cheer at Obama but reject his request for more state 
investment against the global crises and describe it as a 'path to 
hell' without seriously discussing it.  During Obama's trip to 
Europe it will become clear who is only a claqueur basking in 
[Obama's] reputation and who is  serious about a new beginning in 
transatlantic cooperation.  Those who consider themselves members of 
the latter group should not meet Obama empty-handed." 
Frankfurter Allgemeine deals with the French position in London and 
opined: "President Sarkozy likes vigorous words, but it is likely 
that he will not realize his threat to leave the summit if it does 
not agree on concrete results.  He is much too interested in good 
relations with the United States and President Obama.  The real 
message is that his advisors emphasize the special relationship with 
Chancellor Merkel in the preparatory stages of the summit.  A few 
weeks ago, the situation was different when Sarkozy discovered 
Premier Brown as a close ally and when relations with Chancellor 
Merkel were considered strained.  Whatever the personal relations 
between the powers-that-be, in questions of social and economic 
policies, the continental Europeans always had a certain distance to 
the Anglo-American economists.  Now the project of a global economic 
charter seems to unify the Franco-German couple - pourvu que ga 
dure." 
 
Regional Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten opined: "No one should expect 
miracles from the G-20 summit in London but a clear agreement on 
control of highly speculative financial products.  But the 
summiteers should not throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Insane 
speculative orgies must be banned in the future without stopping 
reasonable financial deals.  A new financial architecture should not 
turn into a dungeon for banks.  We hope that Chancellor Merkel with 
her moderate economic stimulus programs will assert here view 
towards President Obama, who is provoking a high inflation rate with 
sprawling debt, thus burdening future generations.  Debt or reason, 
this is the question in London." 
 
According to Berliner Morgenpost, "we should not have excessive 
expectations in the global financial summit.  The government leaders 
will not really be able to agree on a common and vigorous recipe to 
fight the crisis.  If everything works out fine, they will agree at 
least on a common analysis of the status quo, probably also on the 
first steps.  But this would be it the signal of cohesiveness that 
Chancellor Merkel expects from the London summit.  In view of the 
delicate matter, this would be no more than a minimum goal." 
 
Regional daily Lausitzer Rundschau of Cottbus argued: "The G-20 
members must define something like the principles of sustainable 
economic development and fair global trade and commit themselves to 
implementing them.  This also includes the goal of energy supply and 
production methods that reduce the burden on the climate.  President 
Obama has demonstrated the willingness for such international 
cooperation.  And this is the great hope.  The Europeans should 
follow him, including Angela Merkel, who has thus far been skeptical 
towards the outcome of the London summit.  Beyond the concrete 
results, the summit can turn into a milestone if the spirit of 
competition is put back into the bottle and the spirit of global 
responsibility is released again." 
 
¶4.   Obama-Medvedev Meeting 
 
Under the headline "Improve relations to the U.S.," Spiegel Online 
reprinted Russian President Medvedev's op-ed that was first 
published in the Washington Post on March 31.  The webzine wrote: 
"Satisfaction at the new course in Washington, much praise about 
Obama - and a clear enforcement of Russian interests.  Russian 
President Medvedev writes about a restart of the relations to the 
U.S., exits from the financial crisis and pleads for new rounds of 
disarmament." 
 
Sueddeutsche commented: "There was hardly anything Russia so 
feverishly awaited as the meeting with Obama.  This first contact 
between Medvedev and Obama is, like anything else America does, a 
seismograph of Russia's power in the world....  In the late period 
of the Bush presidency, relations had reached an historic low and 
the war in Georgia reminded us of the proxy wars of colder times. 
Now, both sides implore pragmatism and first options are becoming 
visible.  America could give up MD if Russia shows more 
determination towards Iran.  Obama might quietly accept Russia's 
claims in Afghanistan's central Asian neighboring countries.  In 
return, Moscow might pave the way for Washington's supplies for the 
war against the Taliban....  Both asymmetrical superpowers share 
common interests, but also mistrust each other and have 
contradictory interests.  The world could be safer if both sides 
could get on better." 
 
¶5.   The Hague Conference on Afghanistan 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung opined: "Since Barack Obama has been governing 
in the U.S. an end to the frosty times in relations seems to be in 
the offing.  And the fact that Tehran sent Deputy Foreign Minister 
Mehdi Achundsadeh to the Afghanistan Conference in The Hague is a 
double signal.  On the one hand, the Iranians do not want to miss 
the opportunity to build bridges, and, on the other hand, 
Achundsadeh is an experienced diplomat since he was the former 
Iranian ambassador to Germany, Pakistan and the IAEA, but he does 
not have the same rank than Secretary Clinton.  For the Shiite 
regime in Tehran, the joint enmity to the fundamentalist Sunni 
Taliban is a possible basis of understanding with America.  In 
Moscow and at NATO, U.S. and Iranian officials shook hands over the 
past few days.  But no one expects a quick agreement after such a 
long ice-age.  If at all, there will be slow progress, step by step 
along a bumpy road, such as the one between the U.S. and Libya." 
 
According to die tageszeitung, "it is true that Iran considers the 
presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to be a threat and that it 
wants to end this presence as soon as possible.  But for Iran, a 
return of the Taliban to power would be even more threatening.  It 
is also well known that the Sunni terror groups around al-Qaida 
consider the Shiites in Iran to be their arch enemies.  Iran is one 
of the most important trading and economic partners of Afghanistan 
and is interested in stability and security in its neighboring 
country.  Does this also mean that the powers-that-be in Iran are 
sitting in the same boat with 'great Satan?'  No one in Tehran dares 
to say this aloud, but may be in The Hague behind closed doors." 
 
¶6.   New Israel Government 
 
Berliner Zeitung commented: "The comfortable majority Netanyahu 
enjoys in the Knesset is deceptive.  Israel's government is weak 
because it is too heterogeneous....  The coalition partners are not 
united by a persuasive government program....  If the international 
community is really interested in a two-state solution it would have 
to exert massive pressure on Netanyahu, who has not been saying much 
on the issue." 
 
Frankfurter Rundschau editorialized: "Prime Minister Netanyahu 
hammered together his coalition.  The result is simple:  to satisfy 
his coalition partners he appointed so many ministers that a new 
cabinet table must be made.  What for?  Netanyahu prefers security 
over peace.... The U.S. no longer talks about the war on terror and 
is searching with Europe for a political solution of the conflicts. 
Israel is going into a different direction." 
 
Tagesspiegel editorialized: "Israel's new government has different 
foreign and security policy priorities than the previous government. 
 The ones who will now suffer the most will be the Palestinians.  It 
is not striving for new talks and not for the goals that were the 
focus of previous talks.  That is why such negotiations seem to be 
senseless and are about to fail even before they have begun.  A 
Palestinian state has again been a goal for the distant future. 
There would be only one possibility: the U.S., the EU, and the 
Middle East Quartet would have to exert massive pressure on Israel. 
For the first time in decades, the Israel-Palestinian conflict does 
not have a political priority.  Netanyahu and Lieberman consider 
Iran's nuclear program to be the greatest existential threat to 
Israel.  The Middle and Near East is faced with highly uneasy times. 
The Palestinians are likely not to simply accept their downgrading, 
Hamas would really be strengthened, and Tehran's possible reaction 
suggests we should  be prepared for the worst." 
 
¶7.   Arab League Summit 
 
Handelsblatt noted under the headline: "Fragile Cement" that "by 
demonstrating solidarity with Sudan's President al-Bashir, the Arab 
leaders did themselves a great disservice  Those who court 
al-Bashir, who is wanted because of the war crimes in Darfur, and, 
at the same time, condemn the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza 
Strip, are using double standards.  This blatant case of double 
standards will undermine the credibility of the Arab position. 
There are three reasons behind this Arab move, and they are hard to 
understand in the West.  First, the Arab leaders gather around 
al-Bashir because they are afraid of a dangerous precedent.  If the 
Sudanese president is put on trial before the ICC, then it could 
soon be one of them.  Second, the Arabs want to make clear to the 
public that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not on top of the 
agenda, and third, they are driven by the concern that regime change 
in Sudan could plunge the entire region into chaos.  The Arab press 
described the Doha meeting as a summit of unity, but, in reality, 
the old front-lines remain in place." 
 
¶8.   Chodorkovsky Trial 
 
According to Die Welt, "Russian justice authorities are now focusing 
in an exemplary way on the former oligarch Mikhail Chodorkovsky.  He 
attracted their unbridled hatred, and it is probably not wrong to 
see this form of prosecution as a part of Putin's spirit.  Without 
showing any consideration for the public effect [of this trial], an 
example is set which will certainly have a deterring effect.  When 
Dmitri Medvedev became president, there were a few hesitant signals 
that a more peaceful chapter could be opened in the case 'Russia vs. 
Chodorkosky.'  But nothing has remained of this.  This Russian 
justice has something destructive about it.  The fact that such a 
demonstration of power is possible does not bode well." 
 
  KOENIG