VZCZCXRO7114
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHLZ
DE RUEHRL #1320/01 2951300
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221300Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5548
INFO RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 1661
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0372
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0888
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 2402
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1413
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0594
RHMFIUU/HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//J5 DIRECTORATE (MC)//
RHMFISS/CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
RUKAAKC/UDITDUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BERLIN 001320 
 
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" 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.0. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO AF US PL IR GM
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, VP BIDEN IN EUROPE, 
GITMO, 
COPENHAGEN;BERLIN 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   Iranian Nuclear Program 
¶3.   VP Biden in New Europe 
¶4.   Guantanamo 
¶5.   Climate Protection 
¶6.   Afghanistan 
 
¶1. Lead Stories 
 
Primetime newscasts opened with a story on plans to reform long-term 
 
care insurance.  Many newspapers continue to lead with reports on 
the 
criticism of the new governmentQs plans to create a Qshadow budget. 
 
Sueddeutsche led with a story that the Governor of the Bank of 
England, Mervyn King, and President ObamaQs advisors are demanding 
radical financial reforms from their governments.  Frankfurter 
Rundschau led with a story on recent bank profits.  Editorials 
focused 
on the coalition talks. 
 
¶2. Iranian Nuclear Program 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized: QFive weeks prior to the end 
of 
his term, IAEA Director General al Baradei still hopes that Tehran, 
 
Moscow and Paris will accept the pact negotiators in Vienna were not 
 
yet able to agree upon.  The head of the UN nuclear inspectors knows 
 
from his own experience that Iranians are masters in gambling for 
time.  Baradei believes the project to process Iranian nuclear 
material abroad for a Tehran research plant has the potential to 
help 
normalize relations between Iran and the international community 
completely.  But this will only happen if the contract is finalized 
 
soon.  Baradei has given Iran two days. 
 
¶3. VP Biden in New Europe 
 
Die Welt headlined QU.S. Vice President caresses PolandQs soulQ and 
 
adds: QSuperficial observers might have thought the visit to Poland, 
 
the Czech Republic and Romania was a kind of therapy and 
consolation 
However, this notion is not true at all.  Poland was not interested 
in 
fighting Iran with a missile defense shield but instead wanted to 
see 
the American flag east of the river Oder.  Poland is closer to this 
 
goal than ever before.  Washington announced that it will deploy 
U.S. 
ground-to-air Patriot missiles to the country in the first half of 
next year.  This means that U.S. soldiers will be stationed in 
Poland 
for the first time.  After arduous discussions, Poland will have 
reached its goal...  In retrospect, ObamaQs apparent move to give 
into 
Russia now appears to be a stroke of a genius. 
 
Under the headline QDisappointed Poles,Q Frankfurter Allgemeine 
editorialized: QIn politics, small symbolic gestures can sometimes 
 
BERLIN 00001320  002 OF 004 
 
 
make costly engagement unnecessary.  In the relationship with 
Poland, 
the U.S. has recently not made such gestures.  What is even worse: 
the 
Obama government was insensitive towards Poland to such an extent 
that 
the damage can hardly be repaired in the predictable future...  The 
 
complete disinterest in the faithful ally became obvious when Obama 
 
cancelled the deployment of a missile defense shield on the 70th 
anniversary of the Russian invasion of Poland   Vice President 
Biden 
did not have much more to offer during his visit to Warsaw than 
goodwill to assuage Eastern European concerns.  The vague prospect 
of 
a mobile missile defense shield will not repair PolandQs damaged 
confidence.  New Europe is beginning to change its focus. 
Particularly Poland is beginning to understand that begging for 
special relations with America does not pay off.   The sixth largest 
 
EU country can achieve more if it engages in and for Europe. 
 
¶4. Guantanamo 
 
While most German media positively remarked in factual reports that 
 
QPresident Obama has made a very important step towards keeping his 
 
promise of closing GuantanamoQ (ZDF-TVQs Heute) now that the Senate 
 
has voted to allow prisoners to be tried in the United States, 
editorials are more critical. 
 
Sueddeutsche opined: QTime is flying for Barack Obama.  After his 
inauguration, he promised to close the blot of Guantanamo. 
Congress 
approval of his plan only applies to 40 out of 221 detainees.  For 
the rest, no solution is in sight...  Some 100 detainees are 
believed 
to be so dangerous that they cannot be released.  However, there is 
 
very little evidence that a court trial would not be appropriate. 
In 
addition, there is no legal basis that justifies detaining them 
permanently.  In January, Obama promised to abide by the rule of law 
 
in every individual case.  So what should be done with them?  There 
is 
no clear answer.  Obama will not be able to keep his promise. 
Guantanamo will still exist in January 2010. 
 
Berliner Zeitung editorialized: QPresident Obama has come a step 
closer to his goal of closing the infamous military prison.  For 
most 
of the 220 detainees, it is just a question of time until they are 
allowed to leave the camp.  This is a good day for human rights, 
isnQt 
it  On the other side of the world, in the U.S. prison in Bagram, 
everything remains as it was.  Like once in Guantanamo, the army 
rules 
there unlimitedly.  However, hardly anyone is interested in Bagram. 
 
 
¶5. Climate Protection 
 
Under the headline QObama is important,Q Sueddeutsche commented: 
 
BERLIN 00001320  003 OF 004 
 
 
QIndustrial countries, which created their prosperity in the past at 
 
the expense of the environment, are resistant to changing their 
environmental policies.  They are not willing to give financial aid 
to 
poorer countries so they can prepare themselves for the consequences 
 
of climate change.  The situation seems to be hopeless.  At best, 
the 
most important players will do nothing.  Europeans are at odds over 
 
financial aid, Japan and Australia are making their promises 
dependent 
on many conditions, and everybody is waiting for the United States, 
 
where there is a new climate for negotiation, but not a new policy. 
 
Also President Obama has rejected the notion of legally binding 
international agreements, which, after implementation, could then be 
 
enforced by the UN.   It almost makes sense that the developing 
nations demand that rich nations make the first steps before they 
contribute to climate protection.  If the Americans do not comply in 
 
Copenhagen, no demanding agreement can be expected.  The large 
industrial countries, particularly within the EU, therefore have to 
 
agree now on the basics of a new treaty.  Then, they must remind the 
 
developing countries and the U.S. of their duties.  Obama will have 
to 
sign a binding agreement one day if he does not want to lose 
credibility. 
 
Berliner ZeitungQs editorial headlined QClimate diplomacy fails once 
 
moreQ and remarked: QThe negotiations over a global climate 
protection 
agreement are no longer about the climate because nobody questions 
these goals any longer.  The international community must radically 
 
reduce greenhouse gases to limit the rise of temperatures to two 
degrees Celsius within this century.  Translated into numbers this 
means that emissions must be cut by up to 40 percent by 2020 and by 
at 
least 80 percent by 2050.  The talks at the UN and within the EU are 
 
already about tough industrial and economic policies.  In the 
foreground of the discussions is the question of who will bear what 
 
burden.  This has to do with jobs and prosperity.  Developing 
countries do not see why they should pay the costs for the 
extravagant 
policies of industrial nations.  The emerging countries in eastern 
Europe and Asia do not want to endanger their catch-up process, 
while 
countries like Germany refuse to be paymaster for the rest of the 
world.  Nothing is moving forward because of these contradictory 
interests.  However, the world cannot go on like this.  Everybody 
must 
make compromises, otherwise there will be no agreement, not in 
Copenhagen and not later.  This would be devastating. 
 
¶6. Afghanistan 
 
FT Deutschland headlined that in the preparations for the runoff, 
QFear is leading into the second round,Q highlighting that Qnot many 
 
BERLIN 00001320  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
people in Afghanistan are excited about the runoff elections that 
were 
forced on them by the international community.   Fear of new attacks 
 
by the Taliban is spreading everywhere. 
 
 MURPHY