R 261145Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4198
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 
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HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE
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UNCLAS BERLIN 000631 
 
 
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 KN PK AF IR XF RS FR AE
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: NUCLEAR TEST, GITMO, AFPAK, IRAN, RUSSIA, 
FRANCE 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   North Korean Nuclear Test 
¶3.   Guantnamo Detainees 
¶4.   Pakistan, Afghanistan 
¶5.   Iran and the Middle East 
¶6.   EU-Russia Meeting 
¶7.   New French Base in UAE 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
Editorials focused on North Korea's nuclear test and on government 
subsidies for Germany's farmers.  The nuclear test is also the 
headline in the majority of papers.  One national daily opens with a 
report on governmental support for German farmers.  ZDF-TV's early 
evening newscast Heute and ARD-TV's early evening newscast 
Tagesschau opened with reports on North Korea's nuclear test. 
 
¶2.   North Korean Nuclear Test 
 
ARD-TV's Tagesthemen commentator judged: "The despot in Pyongyang 
has been provoking the world for much too long.  What we erroneously 
assumed for too long about Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein is certain 
in the case of Kim Jong-il: He has a nuclear threatening potential. 
The global outrage at North Korea's nuclear test is primarily 
evidence of our helplessness.  Only Kim's allies, i.e. China's 
leaders, are able to topple him.  Out of political calculations and 
out of fear of a mass exodus from the poor house of Asia, they are 
keeping the buffer state in North Korea stable.  The world should no 
longer tolerate this.  Beijing must banish the tyrant in Pyongyang 
to the history books." 
 
Deutschlandfunk aired the following commentary: "The activities of a 
gambler like Kim Jong-il can hardly be stopped with condemnations 
and sanctions.  He wants international recognition and a dialogue at 
eye level with the UN secretary general or even more, with a 
high-ranking U.S. government representative.  That is why the West 
is in a fix.  It either condescends to talks with the dictator or 
Kim continues to provoke - sometimes with missiles and sometimes 
with bombs." 
 
"North Korea's Provocation" is the headline of a front-page 
editorial in Frankfurter Allgemeine.  The daily opined: "With its 
second nuclear test within three years, the communist regime in 
North Korea brazenly challenged the international community again. 
This is not good news.  Not only President Obama, who recently 
pronounced the vision of a nuclear weapons free world in Prague, but 
the international community as a whole are faced with the question 
of whether and how the development of nuclear weapons state can be 
prevented.  Little can be achieved with offers for talks.  After the 
first nuclear test two years ago, tough financial sanctions aimed at 
the country's leadership elite had an effect.  Russia and China 
should now also be willing to impose such sanctions if talks are not 
to become a farce right from the start." 
 
Sueddeutsche opined under the headline: "Misery with North Korea," 
and noted: "As of yesterday, the ninth nuclear power in the world is 
North Korea.  This is unpleasant but it is a fact.  The earlier the 
international community becomes aware of this, the better. 
Negotiations and diplomatic pressure are the only remaining options. 
 If not, the dictator and his nuclear physicists will continue 
unimpeded to fine-tune their disastrous weapons. But Pyongyang wants 
direct bilateral talks with the U.S.  It does not want to be solely 
dependent on China....  This is a chance that Barack Obama should 
use.  The Six-Party talks were an honorable attempt but, for the 
time being, they have failed.  In the talks that were organized by 
China, Pyongyang claimed to give up its nuclear weapons.  That is 
why this second nuclear test is an enormous embarrassment for 
Beijing.  Statements that are negated by nuclear tests are useless. 
 
President Obama and his security team should now raise the question 
whether they can be more successful without China.  A containment 
policy coordinated with Japan and South Korea, linked with direct 
talks with Pyongyang, would be an alternative to the current course. 
 China has always obstructed direct sanctions towards North Korea. 
That is another reason for the ninth nuclear weapons state." 
 
Die Welt judged: "Kim Jong-il is provoking the international 
community and is about to overcall his cards.  The message on 
Memorial Day is: If Barack Obama does not expand his policy of an 
extended hand to North Korea, he will not be able to achieve a 
diplomatic success in this part of the world.  But Obama cannot sit 
back and take it.  And that is why despite all conciliatory 
gestures, a preventive military strike is now on the political radar 
screen should Kim Jong-il continue his confrontational policy." 
 
In the view of Handelsblatt, "Barack Obama is in a dilemma.  He is 
not any closer to his vision of a nuclear-free world, even though 
the talks on nuclear arsenals have resumed in Geneva.  The United 
States must realize that it has to deal with more trouble spots 
apart from Afghanistan and Pakistan.  To wait and see is no longer 
an option.  Washington must react and it must do this in an 
unmistakable way.  The United States has two possibilities: It 
either gives up the Six-Party talks and sits at the same table with 
North Korea and upgrades the regime or it influences China and 
Russia to talk plainly with Kim.  Even Beijing should feel 
apprehensive in view of the unpredictable North Koreans.  If the 
United States continues to show reservations, it could possibly be 
giving up its last trump card in the nuclear poker game, because a 
conciliatory attitude towards Pyongyang would hardly prompt Iran to 
voluntarily give up the development of nuclear weapons. The old 
carrot-and-stick policy on the 'axis of evil' no longer proves 
successful.  Obama has no choice: He must demonstrate toughness 
irrespective of whether it fits his strategy or not." 
 
According to Financial Times Deutschland, "North Korea continues to 
stick to its successful business model: nuclear blackmail. But with 
yesterday's test, North Korea's dictator is provoking not only his 
ideological arch enemy in the United States and its President Barack 
Obama, but also China, Pyongyang's last ally, must feel snubbed. 
For China this test is a slap in the face.  In the end, this is the 
only aspect which could create a ray of hope: Even the Chinese must 
increasingly wonder whether they can allow Pyongyang to do as 
before.  One can safely describe the U.S. policy towards North Korea 
as a failure.  As far as military matters are concerned, the regime 
has made itself unassailable with the nuclear bomb.  But if Beijing 
now realizes that Pyongyang has not an open ear for Chinese requests 
and desires, then this is worth more than the resumption of the 
Six-Party talks.  Even China can have no interest in an 
unpredictable small neighbor.  Beijing has little interest in 
profound political changes in North Korea but a nuclear-free Korean 
peninsula would certainly make life safer for all neighbors." 
 
¶3.   Guantnamo Detainees 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine commented on President Obama's and former 
Vice President Cheney's recent statements: "Although Obama is far 
more popular than Cheney, the situation is dangerous for Obama.  If 
there is a new attack, America's right will say that it was the 
result of Obama's easygoing approach.  In general, the President 
seems to be struggling to sell his nuanced policy as being one that 
is consistent to a broad political spectrum." 
 
Spiegel magazine described the Bush presidency as a "long shadow" 
for Obama, noting that "America's President, who started so full of 
drive, is in difficulties.  A coalition of intelligence officers and 
Bush supporters has changed the sentiment in the country and 
Congress....  Fear is getting the upper hand again in the great 
battle over fear and civil courage." 
 
Focus magazine highlighted that "problems with Guantanamo and 
economic policies have put the brakes on Barack Obama's vigor" and 
added: "In the election campaign, Obama presented himself as Mr. 
Change, who advocated a new political beginning and a better 
America, which needs neither wars not torture prisons.  He must now 
realize that things are not that easy." 
 
¶4.   Pakistan, Afghanistan 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine commented: "After three weeks, the operation 
of the Pakistani forces is now in a critical phase... and must now 
fight the Taliban house to house....  Even if they succeed in 
driving out the Taliban, the victory will not be worth much if the 
number of civilian victims is too high." 
 
FT Deutschland's editorial under the headline "Last Chance for 
Afghanistan" remarked that "The U.S. change in strategy is also a 
challenge for Germany" and added: "The German government must 
provide more men and means to take what could be the last 
opportunity in Afghanistan.  Despite the concerns of budget watch 
dogs, more money must be provided directly to the Afghans to build 
up a solid foundation.  It might be unpleasant for politicians to 
debate Afghanistan prior to the German elections, but Berlin must 
respond to the U.S. U-turn and take more action so that the mission 
was not in vain." 
 
Under the headline "Helpless in Afghanistan," Die Welt remarked: "A 
strategic gap between the U.S. and its European allies is becoming 
obvious in Afghanistan.  One side is considering handing 
responsibility over to the local authorities, and the other side is 
thinking of the Pakistani trouble spot." 
 
¶5.   Iran and the Middle East 
 
Under the headline "The Iranian Challenge," Frankfurter Allgemeine 
commented in a front-page editorial: "Iran is dreaming of dominating 
the Middle East.  This dream, which is also the goal of the nuclear 
program, is a nightmare for the Arab countries....  The leaderships 
in Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Bahrain and Yemen fear 
that Iran is infiltrating their societies.  Iran underestimates the 
will and capacity of the Arab states to defend their sovereignty.... 
 Maybe the Iranian challenge is the impetus the Arab world needs 
today." 
 
¶6.   EU-Russia Meeting 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung (5/23) opined: "The mood between the EU and 
Russia has improved and the time of confrontation is over, but a 
deep distrust and positions have remained that are almost as rigid 
as the frost during Russia's winter.  The turn of Georgia and 
Ukraine to the West is a wound that still hurts the Russian 
president and his nation; and President Medvedev hardly leaves an 
opportunity unused to show this.  The motto of the summit at this 
distant place was called 'dialogue of interests,' but the interests 
are as far apart as Brussels from Chabarovsk.  Russia wants to keep 
its energy policy dominance, while the West wants to break it.  But 
both sides have acknowledged that they need each other, even though 
they threaten each other with alternatives, again and again.  Moscow 
and Brussels want to set up a strategic partnership but jealousy is 
too great to do this." 
 
Regional daily Bayerische Rundschau of Kulmbach (5/23) argued: "This 
summit clearly showed who has more pull: Russia.  The country that 
is rich in natural resources does not want to rule out that there 
will be supply bottlenecks in the future.  At the latest, alarm 
bells should now be ringing in Brussels.  Business relations are 
built on trust and cannot function on such a basis.  It is 
intolerable that contracts are simply ignored." 
 
Regional daily Mittelbayerische Zeitung of Regensburg opined: "The 
EU's dependency on Russian gas has grown over the years.  It is 
worrying that, by 2020, almost 70 percent of gas supplies for Europe 
come from this vast empire.  That is why the EU has only one choice: 
to concentrate energy policies and to consistently push for the 
construction of the alternative Nabucco pipeline.  Strict energy 
savings and the use of renewable energy resources must become even 
more important.  This is the only chance for the EU to counter 
Moscow's [policy]." 
 
¶7.   New French Base in UAE 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine reported under the headline: "From Black 
Africa to the Gulf," that "President Sarkozy will open a military 
base in the United Arab Emirates.  His advisor considers this a 
minor geo-political revolution.  With the opening of a military base 
in the United Arab Emirates this Tuesday, French President Sarkozy 
strengthens the French claim to intensify its influence as a force 
of stability in the Persian Gulf.  About 500 French soldiers from 
the air force, the navy, and the armed forces will be permanently 
deployed in the Emirates.  The French base...represents the 
beginning of an important new direction in [France's] security 
policy.  France is increasingly turning away from its former African 
'backyard' and sees its security interests to be better represented 
in the Gulf region.  It is the first time since its colonial era 
that France is opening a military base outside of Europe.  Sarkozy's 
personal military chief of staff, Edouard Guillaud, is speaking of a 
'minor geo-political revolution.'  For large parts of black Africa, 
a withdrawal of the former colonial power is now in the offing. 
France wants to get rid of its duty to intervene in internal 
conflicts.  At the same time, it is accepting new intervention 
duties in the Persian Gulf.  Sarkozy said: 'It is a signal that is 
directed to everyone that France will contribute to stability in 
this part of the world,' but, at the same time, he did not mention 
the threat emanating from Iran's nuclear potential.  With the new 
military base at the Straits of Hormuz, where 40 percent of the 
globally transported crude oil passes, France is now moving to the 
front in case the conflict with Iran escalates." 
 
KOENIG