R 161236Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
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UNCLAS BERLIN 000448 
 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PAPD, EUR/PPA, EUR/CE, INR/EUC, INR/P, 
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 US CU MD SO IT RS UP GG KG
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-Mexico, U.S.-Pakistan, Mideast, 
U.S.-Disarmament, Russia, Piracy 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   (U.S.-Mexico)   Obama Trip 
¶3.   (U.S.-Pakistan)   Criticism of Zardari 
¶4.   (Mideast)   Mitchell Trip, Peace Process 
¶5.   (U.S.)   Obama's Disarmament Proposals 
¶6.   (Russia)   Medvedev Interview 
¶7.   (Africa)   Anti-Piracy Efforts 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
Editorials focused on the debate over the ban on genetically 
modified organisms, the reaction to the financial crisis, and the 
debate over what to do with Somali pirates.  ZDF-TV's early evening 
newscast Heute opened with a report on a study saying that gas 
prices should be considerably lower than they are today, while 
ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened with a story on 
protests by farmers and environmental activists in Munich against 
patents on animals and plants. 
 
¶2.   (U.S.-Mexico)   Obama Trip 
 
"No War Is Closer," Frankfurter Allgemeine headlines on President 
Obama's trip to Mexico, and reported: "Barack Obama is traveling to 
Mexico.  Since members of his government said that the neighbor is a 
'failed state,' relations between the two nations are strained.  But 
in the fight against drug cartels, both sides need each other.  For 
more than four weeks, the Obama government is now trying to 
eliminate the tensions with Mexico for which itself it is 
responsible. During her visit to Mexico City at the beginning of 
April, Secretary of State Clinton several times emphasized the 
shared responsibility for the drug war because of the U.S.'s 
"insatiable demand" for drugs and offered further support...in the 
fight against drugs.  But of the promised 1.4 billion U.S. dollars 
that are to be used within three years, only seven million dollars 
have been transferred to Mexico." 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported under the headline: "Neighbor out of 
Control," that "President Obama will have a 24-hour stopover in 
Mexico on his way to the 'Summit of the Americas,' which will take 
place in Trinidad & Tobago over the weekend.  But this will be more 
than a courtesy visit.  President Caldersn is demanding a reform of 
the U.S. immigration restrictions that Obama's predecessor planned 
to implement.  Another bone of contention is drug policy.  Thus far, 
10,000 people have died since 2006 when Caldersn declared war on the 
'narcos.'  In 2008, more people have died in this war than in Iraq 
and Afghanistan.  The State Department is alarmed, and drug 
traffickers are also on the rampage in the United States." 
 
Tagesspiegel wrote: "In Mexico and Latin America, President Obama 
wants to remove the psychological obstacles of the Bush era.  One 
week after his return from a lengthy European tour, President Obama 
will depart on Thursday for another lengthy trip to Mexico and the 
'Summit of the Americas.'  Like in Europe, Obama is striving for a 
change of the tone compared to the one of his predecessor George W. 
Bush.  On the issues, however, there are a number of differences of 
opinion between Obama and the Latin American states.  Psychological 
obstacles make rapprochement also difficult.  In Mexico, President 
Caldersn expects Obama to say: Mexico is a functioning state and 
will win the war on drugs.  At the OAS summit, psychology will also 
be important: the Latin American states blame the United States for 
the financial crisis." 
 
¶3.   (U.S.-Pakistan)   Criticism of Zardari 
 
Under the headline: "White House Strongly Criticized Zardari," 
Frankfurter Allgemeine reported: "The White House strongly 
criticized the introduction of the Islamic Sharia in Pakistan's Swat 
Valley, which the Pakistani government tolerated.  In return, the 
Taliban have offered the government in Islamabad a cease-fire. 
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, like the National Assembly, 
approved the deal on Tuesday.  White House spokesman Gibbs said that 
this step would undermine the respect for human rights." 
 
Under the headline: "Capitulated," Frankfurter Allgemeine 
editorialized: "It was rather a capitulation in February, when the 
Pakistani government approved a bad peace agreement with the radical 
Islamic Taliban in the Swat Valley.  But like similar agreements 
before which were concluded with radical Islamists in autonomous 
tribal areas, it has only strengthened the Pakistani Taliban.  With 
the approval of the Pakistani president, not only was Sharia 
introduced but the number of armed fighters also increased.  Thus 
the Pakistani state is giving up its territory step by step, even 
though without its active support, as special U.S. envoy Richard 
Holbrooke emphasizes, stabilization in Afghanistan and the entire 
region cannot succeed." 
 
¶4.   (Mideast)   Mitchell Trip, Peace Process 
 
Financial Times Deutschland carried a report under the headline: 
"Mission Damage Control," and wrote: "U.S. special envoy George 
Mitchell is now travelling the Middle East to sound out the chances 
for peace.  But with the government of hardliners in Israel, 
Israeli-U.S. friendship is facing a new stress test." 
 
A Handelsblatt report headlined: "Two-State Solution Burdening 
Washington's Relations with Jerusalem," noted: "The U.S. government 
plans to breathe fresh air into the Middle East peace process  The 
special envoy for the Region, George Mitchell, will meet Israel's 
new Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem today.  New conflicts are 
already evident.  While U.S. President Obama unmistakably backed the 
foundation of a Palestinian state, the government in Jerusalem 
rejects the two-state solution.  The differing positions are 
threatening to burden close U.S.-Israeli relations." 
 
Sueddeutsche deals with the planned concert of conductor Daniel 
Barenboim in Egypt and writes about Arab-Israeli relations: "The 
fuss about Barenboim's appearance is also symptomatic for the 
political division of Egyptians.  Many, including the ones in 
government and establishment, want to be more Palestinian than the 
Palestinians themselves.  They know that their country concluded a 
peace agreement with Israel in 1979, but they think that they can 
still ignore it 30 years later.  They refuse to normalize relations. 
 What is lacking in Egypt and many Arab countries is the insight 
that normalization of relations with Israel cannot be equated with a 
lack of criticism of Israel.  It is a reality that Israel exists and 
is globally recognized, that it will give up the Palestinian 
territories only after tough pressure and that nothing can be 
achieved with military violence.  That is why reconciliation and 
dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis remain a precondition and 
the only chance to realize the rights of the Palestinians." 
 
¶5.   (U.S.)   Obama's Disarmament Proposals 
 
In a front-page editorial, Frankfurter Allgemeine judged: "While the 
new U.S. president has launched a new disarmament initiative, North 
Korea is turning the escalation screws.  It is probably the attempt 
to find out how steadfast Obama is and what concessions can be 
forced out of him.   If North Korea continues to stick to its 
announcements, one thing must be kept in mind: all previous attempts 
to prompt the regimes in North Korea, but also in Iran, to show 
moderation and to bring about a lasting and verifiable change of 
their nuclear policies have failed.  This is the initial point where 
the U.S. government finds itself right now.  Over the past few 
weeks, the new U.S. president outdid himself with niceties and with 
gestures of rapprochement.  But they do not offer any certainty that 
Iran will real show any willingness to make concessions in the 
matter itself.  Why should it do this anyway?  Why should it now 
enter into serious talks whose goal it would be, according to 
western views, to stop a project on which Iran has worked for more 
than 20 years?  What would be more appropriate for Iran than 
behaving in a brittle way and to wait and see what real concessions 
Obama will offer?  Thus far, Tehran has gone scot-free despite UN 
resolutions.  Why should it now change its strategy?  In Prague, 
Obama said that America wants to maintain a nuclear arsenal to deter 
'potential enemies' and that the U.S. wants to build a missile 
defense system as long as Iran's activities pose a threat.  Russia, 
which wants to prevent such a system, would now have a stimulus to 
use its influence on Iran - if it wanted to." 
 
¶6.   (Russia)   Medvedev Interview 
 
Under the headline: "Medvedev Disassociates Himself From Parts of 
Putin's Policy," Die Welt noted; "Russian President Medvedev 
presented himself as a friend of surprising changes.  After almost 
one year in office, he gave his first interview to the opposition 
paper Nowaja Gazeta, the paper which as one of the few Russian 
papers critically follows the Kremlin's policy and which is hated 
within the state's bureaucracy and the military because of its 
stubbornness.  The interview confirms the impression people could 
get before:  the President is taking on an attitude towards the 
newspaper which differs from the one of his predecessor Putin.  But 
it is highly uncertain whether the new relations with the Russian 
opposition indicate a phase of greater tolerance and democracy." 
 
Handelsblatt editorialized: "Dmitrij Medvedev has never been and 
will never be Vladimir Putin.  Russia's Premier and ex-President is 
a product of the Cold War.  The KGB has formed his understanding of 
democracy, while his successor is a member of the younger generation 
which considers the West not an enemy but a model.  That is why 
Medvedev can now present himself as a perfect democrat in a 
newspaper interview and foil Putin.  But this does by no means mean 
that a new spirit is now prevailing on top of the state.  Medvedev, 
too, knows his limits.  He confines himself to making nice words and 
symbolic gestures, but he does not act either in the Chodorkovsky 
trial or in the farce concerning the hunt for the murderer of Anna 
Politikowskaja." 
 
¶7.   (Africa)   Anti-Piracy Efforts 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine judged: "It is not that easy:  On the one 
side, we have the unerring Americans who do not include justice 
authorities in their efforts to fight pirates and the self-confident 
French who put the pirates immediately on trial in the mother 
country of human rights.  On the other side, we have the Germans who 
believe in the rule of law but who allow lawyers and Somali pirates 
to make a fool of them.  The EU has reached an agreement with Kenya 
on the transfer and the sentencing of pirates.  But the EU states, 
including Germany, are trying to safeguard the respect of minimum 
standards.  This solution may be more favorable than a trial in 
Europe.  But it would be even better if the fertile ground for 
piracy could be dried or military actions could be more efficient. 
This does not mean not to make prisoners, but it would require 
deterrence and a disciplined attitude of all cargo ships." 
 
Weekly Die Zeit argued: "Tough action against the pirates is 
necessary to prevent something that has thus far been a nightmare 
for anti-terror strategists: that the Somali Ocean gangsters in 
flip-flops ally with Islamic terrorists.  Once before, al Qaida has 
copied an old terror model, the hijacking of aircraft, for its 
purposes.  Two hijacked giant tankers, being blown up in the Gulf of 
Aden would force the global economy to its knees for weeks.  This 
would be a maritime 9/11." 
 
Regional daily Stuttgarter Zeitung had this to say: "Thus far it was 
up to Americans and French to free their hostages with commando 
actions.  There is always a great risk that innocent people will 
also die in such rescue operations.  That is why each case must be 
carefully weighed.  On the other hand, the global community cannot 
allow the hijacking of ships day by day.  Not only the EU, NATO, and 
the United States have maritime forces off the Horn of Africa, 
China, India, Japan and Russia have also sent war ships to the Gulf 
of Aden.  They must begin to use their weapons in clearly targeted a 
moderate way."