R 081323Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3800
INFO WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
DIA WASHINGTON DC
CIA WASHINGTON DC
DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
FRG COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY ROME 
USMISSION USNATO 
USMISSION USOSCE 
HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE
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CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
UDITDUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE

UNCLAS BERLIN 000418 
 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PAPD, EUR/PPA, EUR/CE, 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 US TU IZ CU SF PE
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: POTUS VISITS, CUBA, SOUTH AFRICA, PENTAGON, 
PERU, GITMO, NUKES 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   Obama Visit to Turkey 
¶3.   Obama Visit Wrap Up 
¶4.   Obama Visit to Iraq 
¶5.   US Congressional Delegation in Cuba 
¶6.   Secretary Gates on Pentagon Budget 
¶7.   South Africa 
¶8.   Fujimori Trial in Peru 
¶9.   Guantanamo 
¶10.   Nuclear Weapons in Germany 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
Editorials focused on the Obama visit to Europe and Iraq and on the 
decline of the baby boomlet in Germany.  The papers focused on a 
wide range of headlines ranging from the extension of the junk car 
bonus to reports that doctors assisted in CIA interrogations that 
are being characterized by ICRC as torture.  ZDF-TV's early evening 
newscast Heute and ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened 
with reports on the aftermath of the earthquake in Italy. 
 
¶2.   Obama Visit To Turkey 
 
In a front-page editorial Frankfurter Allgemeine remarks:  "Those in 
the Islamic world who are interested in closer relations to the 
western world have particularly waited for the promise of a new 
beginning out of the mouth of an American President.  Barack Obama 
might have wanted to strengthen those who are under attack because 
of their close relations to America, by his announcement to create a 
new relationship between the U.S. and the Muslim world....  Of 
course, America does not lead a war against Islam, not in 
Afghanistan and not in Iraq.  The fact that Obama stated in the 
Turkish parliament this obvious thing shows how bad America's 
relations to the Islamic world are.  Arab regimes remained closely 
connected to the Bush government.  However, they were annoyed about 
its policies on Israel, the Iraq war, and the democracy propaganda. 
The people in the streets were also outraged about it.  Obama wants 
to repair this damaged relationship....  How many concessions will 
Obama actually make to Muslims without becoming subservient?  There 
will not be a radical change in America's policy on Israel....  Does 
he want to make Turkey's EU membership the most important criteria 
for the western-Islamic relations?  ...  There are common interests 
and there are differences between the West and the Islamic world, 
which are based in their societies.  However, a dialogue with 
Jihadists and Islamists who hate America will not work." 
 
Sueddeutsche comments: "American President Obama buried his 
predecessor's unfortunate idea of an unlimited world war against 
Islamist terrorism.  He assured all Muslims in the world during his 
speech in Turkey that the U.S. would never be the enemy of Islam.... 
 George Bush and his willing European partners stirred up many bad 
feelings.  It will not be easy to overcome this legacy, also because 
those in power and the underdogs do not naturally share interests. 
A peaceful coexistence for all sides involved, as during the Cold 
War, is a reachable first goal. To get there, Western opinion 
leaders should know what not to do:  It is absolutely wrong to force 
moderate groups in the Islamic world to close ranks with 
fundamentalists by acting arrogantly and criticizing everybody 
across the board.  Also Muslims who are unsatisfied with their 
religious leaders do not like moralizing undertones....  An American 
President whose middle name is Hussein has an advantage here." 
 
Nuernberger Zeitung commented:  "In Ankara, Obama suggested that his 
support for a united Europe might not have been meant so seriously 
because the emphatic demand that the EU must accept Turkey as a 
member would disintegrate the EU.  It also shows that Obama was, in 
this respect, not somebody who wanted to learn something, but who 
believed to know it better, like his predecessor." 
 
 
¶3.   Obama Visit Wrap Up 
 
ZDF-TV's Heute-Journal notes: "Obama demonstrated one thing during 
the recent diplomatic marathon:  America wants to accept the rules 
of the game again.  Sobriety instead of arrogance....  The price for 
the partners is that they will be expected to share more of the 
burden." 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine noted that after President Obama's first trip 
that "Americans and Europeans have a clearer understanding of each 
other," and added: "The audience liked Barack Obama's debut in the 
world, although there were also some weary and critical voices.  The 
most interesting detail of the tour was probably the fact that, on 
the one side, Obama presented himself as the representative of a 
country that no longer is a superpower with a surplus of tools, but 
on the other hand, America is still expected to lead.  This marks a 
turning point and a period of transition.  Now players will come up 
and take over important new roles." 
 
Weekly Die Zeit carried a front-page editorial and wrote: "[During 
these summits], global images were shaken.  First of all, the one in 
which the United States was the center of attention.  The 
president's new humility coincided with a confession that no one had 
ever thought the U.S. president could have made a year ago.  Barack 
Obama assumed responsibility for the dropping of bombs over Nagasaki 
and Hiroshima and for the current financial crisis.  With such a 
president the second image is crumbling, too: the one of America as 
the Great Satan, the nation that causes everything evil and leaves 
aside good things.  Everyone, ranging from Ahmadinejad to the 
militant NATO opponents, must now learn to live in a world without 
their beloved enemy image....  The leaders who have gathered in 
various constellations at the summit meetings do not comprise a 
global government but they weaved a kind of global leadership 
network.  And we owe this primarily to Barack Obama, because he has 
begun to overcome the previous leadership style of the Americans.... 
 The U.S. president does not lead the world--he defines the 
situation, he sets standards and no longer ambiguous ones.  The 
Obama world that has surfaced over the past few days is certainly 
not yet a better one, but it is a more honest one.  Obama has now 
laid his fate into the hands of the world. We could obstruct his 
policies now because we are strong and free, but hopefully not as 
stupid." 
 
Under the headline: "Messiahs with empty hands," FT Deutschland 
commented:  "And so it came to pass that Barack Hussein Obama 
visited Europe.  In London he rescued the global economy.  He cured 
NATO in Strasbourg. In Prague he freed the world of nuclear weapons. 
 In Ankara he reconciled Islam with the West.  On the seventh day he 
entered Air Force One and disappeared in the cloudless sky.  Was 
this just a dream?  I'm afraid it was.  However, the first European 
tour of the new U.S. President was indeed a triumph...  While he 
presented himself in a relaxed way, he also demonstrated the 
instinct to take bold action, which European politicians seem to 
lack....  Obama confirmed the impression that he is an unusually 
talented and intelligent politician.  But this does not mean that he 
will be successful." 
 
Handelsblatt dealt with the G-20 summit and its commitment to free 
trade and opined: "During their summit meeting in London, the 20 
most powerful nations in the world put on a brave face to the game 
they are playing behind the backs of their populations.  It is true 
that the G-20 committed itself to forgoing any kind of protectionist 
measures by the end of 2010, but skepticism is appropriate.  During 
the first financial summit in Washington, the G-20 promised to 
forego plans to seal off their economies.  The paper on the previous 
declaration had hardly dried, when the first participants pulled up 
their drawbridges.  Their commitments to free trade can be taken 
seriously only if the G-20 decides to lower their drawbridges again 
and reduce their efforts to build new trade barriers.  The real 
test, however, would be a successful conclusion of the Doha Round, 
where we do not even have empty promises.  Compared to the 
Washington meeting, the G-20 fell back to its previous statements 
and even left open the time for a conclusion of the global trade 
round." 
 
Regional daily Mittelbayerische Zeitung of Regensburg argued: 
"President Obama said that it takes time to turn the "oil tanker" of 
state.  This may be a nice metaphor, but it is also an anticipated 
apology, for the question to which he gave the answer was: Will U.S. 
politics really change under President Obama?  And this question is 
more than justified.  Thus far, Obama has done only one thing: he is 
selling hopes." 
 
Regional daily Lausitzer Rundschau of Cottbus had this to say: 
"Obama's trip was a European oath of manifestation.  After all the 
years of complaints and abuses about the problems the United States 
had piled up and continued to deepen, the curtain was raised for a 
new beginning everyone was longing for.  But the necessary ensemble 
forgot about the text.  Afghanistan has always been the good, right 
war from which the Iraq war only distracted attention.  Now when 
Obama is making this slogan his own, the conflict is turning into a 
difficult matter.  But Europe did not present its own new ideas. 
Relations with Turkey were and continue to be considered a European 
problem.  Now a U.S. president is necessary to avoid a fiasco. 
European answers to the economic crisis were equally meager." 
 
Abendzeitung of Munich opined, "Barack Obama is probably the best 
thing that could have happened to the world during these times.  No 
he is not one who will save the world, but the aspect that creates 
hope is the way the new U.S. leader addresses problems--with 
dialogue, cooperation and friendly modesty.  Compared to the dull 
cowboy before him every inhabitant on this planet would have been 
better.  But Obama represents something like a turnabout in the 
activities of the Untied States." 
 
Koelnische Rundschau of Cologne argued: "The White House is 
satisfied and can be satisfied.  President Obama may not have 
asserted all his notions during his European trip...but he has 
achieved one thing: a fundamental change of mood towards his 
country.  His predecessor George W. Bush managed to raise opposition 
of almost the whole world of his dull global power policy, but the 
charming, educated, competent and charismatic Barack Obama seems to 
have succeeded in eleven weeks in reviving the image of the United 
States: to lead by example and be willing to cooperate instead of 
demonstrating a know-it-all attitude.  But he must now match his 
words with deeds." 
 
Regional daily Badische Zeitung of Freiburg judged: "It is true that 
for a President who likes to act in such multilateral rounds as 
Barack Obama, there may be a suspicion that he does not defend U.S. 
interests resolutely enough.  But this time reflexes are different. 
The United States needs the world as it did not need it in the past. 
 It needs the Chinese who buy their bonds; it needs the Europeans 
for a joint strategy in Afghanistan.  The combination of misguided 
unilateral moves of the Bush era and the new constraints as a 
consequence of the financial crisis has almost resulted in a kind of 
humility." 
 
¶4.   Obama Visit to Iraq 
 
ARD-TV's Tagesthemen interpreted Obama's stopover in Iraq as a 
"signal that he will keep his election promise of withdrawing the 
troops." 
 
ZDF-TV's Heute-Journal remarked:  "The American President has done 
something in Bagdad which he so far avoided: posing as the commander 
in chief of the by far most powerful military force in the world. 
However, this was not the Bush-style of showing power.  It was first 
of all a gesture to the soldiers and a signal for the people at 
home." 
 
¶5.   (Cuba-U.S.)   Congressional Delegation in Cuba 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung opined: "Never before has there been 
an endless queue of so many politicians from all over the world in 
Cuba.  With this unmistakable and offensive visitor diplomacy, they 
have upgraded the communist ruled island state.  The old grey men at 
the top of the state continue to be as unscrupulous as before with 
respect to human rights, and even a modest democratization may not 
be in sight, but relations of President Obama with the Castro regime 
are now turning into a real litmus test for this new era of U.S. 
foreign policy 'at eye level' with the American nations.  The 
upcoming OAS summit next week will tell whether this tactic will 
come true and whether Obama gives in to pressure. For the time 
being, Washington self-confidently prevented Cuba from being invited 
to Trinidad & Tobago." 
 
Under the headline "Limbering-up Exercise in Washington and Havana," 
Berliner Zeitung opined: "It is still too early to talk about a 
thaw, but the ice is beginning to melt.  It is very likely that 
President Obama will announce a new U.S. policy towards Cuba at the 
OAS summit in Trinidad & Tobago.  Nothing serves the policy in Cuba 
more than the economic boycott by the imperialist enemy.  However, a 
new generation of Cubans has grown up in Miami that is less 
ideological, less embittered, calculates in a more sober way, wants 
to invest in Cuba, and finds an open ear with President Obama.  Last 
year, Cuba imported agricultural products from the U.S. worth 750 
million dollars.  It is time to make a virtue out of the necessity: 
bring about change through trade." 
 
"Obama's Ostpolitik," is the headline in die tageszeitung. It 
opined: "Only a few weeks after President Obama took office, a thaw 
has developed between the United States and Cuba.  Obama began his 
policy of change with measures that reminds us of Willy Brandt's 
policy towards the GDR in the 1970s.  The question is whether the 
new "Ostpolitik' will result in the desired opening in Havana.  Thus 
far, Ral Castro has reacted with the same reflexes as his larger 
brother Fidel to criticism and pressure for reforms from its own 
ranks.  But Cuba's population will not understand if Ral shows a 
cold shoulder to Obama's advances." 
 
¶6.   Secretary Gates on Pentagon Budget 
 
ARD-TV's Tagesthemen stated that "the efforts to create a more 
intelligent army will be one of Obama's great battlefields in the 
coming weeks."   Frankfurter Rundschau commented:  "From the 
Pentagon's point of view, it might make sense to readjust the U.S. 
forces to meet new challenges....  However, the U.S is stuck in the 
worst economic crisis in decades.  The country must be modernized... 
   Obama wants to reduce the increase by simply balancing the 
inflation rate.  This is a cautious start.  However, the 'yes we 
can-man' in the White House shuns the debate over whether America 
can still afford unprecedented arms programs." 
 
¶7.   South Africa 
 
According to Sueddeutsche Zeitung, "Jacob Zuma's triumph is the 
symptom of a threatening development, which is weakening the 
foundation of the young South African democracy.  This nurtures the 
suspicion that leading ANC politicians misuse the institutions of 
the state as a weapon for their own political struggle.  They 
manipulate for their own use, and the protection of the constitution 
is only of secondary importance.  If the ANC that is dominated by 
Zuma is now strangling the justice authorities, the liberators of 
South Africa are betraying their own goals for which they fought so 
hard.  A free state needs prosecutors and judges who are not afraid 
of political interference.  Instead of protecting free justice 
authorities, the ANC is now undermining the foundations of the 
state.  Thus must scare every South African." 
 
¶8.   Fujimori Trial in Peru 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung editorialized: "Latin America is making 
progress to come to terms with its past.  The Peruvian verdict 
against former president Fujimori is a triumph of human rights.  It 
is the first time that a court in the hemisphere declared a former 
elected state leader guilty.  Chile failed with this task, but Peru 
has now set an example. The justice authorities must now continue to 
do their job as independently as possible, because the matter has by 
no means been clarified." 
 
¶9.   Guantanamo 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung deals with the report of the International 
Committee of the Red Cross on torture in Guantanamo and wrote: "The 
medical assistants of torture are agents of a medicine without 
humanity.  They have turned into torturers themselves, who have 
offered their profession for the service of torture, thus nurturing 
the dangerous illusion that there is a good torture, namely the one 
in which the victim does not die but only suffers.  The report of 
the International Red Cross is illustrating this in a depressing 
way.  It is the perverse attempt of humanizing inhumanity.  Now from 
CIA prisons another thing has been revealed: not only people, but 
the rule of law and medical ethics are also casualties of the Twin 
Towers." 
 
¶10.   Nuclear Weapons in Germany 
 
Berliner Zeitung analyzed the deployment of tactical nukes in 
Germany: "At least small actions must follow Obama's great 
announcements.  The German government can help here.  The U.S. can 
do without the few remaining nuclear weapons in Germany....  Such a 
demand of the German Chancellor Merkel would only be symbolic. 
However, it would demonstrate that the whole German government 
stands behind Obama's utopia." 
 
 
KOENIG