VZCZCXRO7115
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHLZ
DE RUEHRL #1499/01 3281312
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241312Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5885
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
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RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0483
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1001
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RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1523
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0693
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 001499 
 
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 KGHG XF IR IN ECON
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CLIMATE, MIDEAST, IRAN U.S.-INDIA, 
ECONOMIC;BERLIN 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   (Climate)   Copenhagen Summit 
¶3.   (Mideast)   Israel-Palestinian Conflict 
¶4.   (Iran)   Nuclear Conflict 
¶5.   (U.S.-India)   Singh in Washington 
¶6.   (Economic)   Financial Crisis 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
Print media led with many different stories this morning, ranging 
from 
the discussion over whether the government's child allowance should 
be 
handed out as a cash payment or as a voucher (Frankfurter 
Rundschau), 
an increase in rents in Berlin (Tagesspiegel) and on growing 
resistance by the LQnder to the federal government's plan to lower 
taxes (FAZ, Sueddeutsche).  Editorials focused on Foreign Minister 
Westerwelle's visit to Israel and the EU talks about the future of 
Opel.   ZDF-TV's early evening newscast heute and ARD-TV's early 
evening newscast Tagesschau opened with a story on the discussion in 
 
the EU over subsidies for Opel. 
 
¶2.   (Climate)   Copenhagen Summit 
 
In a report headlined: "EU Warns U.S. Against Failure of Climate 
Summit," Handelsblatt (11/24) wrote: "Almost two weeks before the 
beginning of the climate summit in Copenhagen, the EU has increased 
 
pressure on the United States and other nations such as India and 
China.  At their meeting on Monday, the EU environment ministers 
said 
that the Copenhagen summit must approve clear reduction targets with 
 
respect to greenhouse gases as well as financial commitments for 
climate protection measures in the Third World.  They said that 
noncommittal announcements would not be enough.  With this 
statement, 
the EU is now embarking upon a collision course with the United 
States 
which has thus far only planned national climate protection 
measures. 
At the same time, the Europeans are increasing their expectations in 
 
the summit.  German Environment Minister Norbert RQttgen said no 
country should evade climate protection.  He added that, with its 
legislation, the United States would move in the right direction and 
 
that is why it would be wrong to blame the Americans for negative 
developments.  But he also said: 'The extent, the degree, and the 
intensity [of U.S. environmental legislation] are still not enough.' 
 
He said: 'We want the United States to do justice to its leading 
role.'  He also warned that, if the Copenhagen conference did not 
produce a result, this would have 'disastrous consequences.'" 
 
Financial Times Deutschland (11/24) reported that "the EU 
environment 
ministers agreed on a defensive tactic at their meeting in Brussels 
on 
Monday.  They only want to make concessions if the Americans also 
finally move.  German Environment Minister RQttgen said that the 
domestic debate in the United States would not go fast enough." 
 
Regional daily MQrkische Allgemeine of Potsdam (11/24) argued: 
"Indeed, we must warn against excessive expectations in the 
 
BERLIN 00001499  002 OF 004 
 
 
Copenhagen 
climate summit.  The understanding and good will are at best 
underdeveloped in the political arena - if they exist at all. Of 
course, the Western demands are justified that the rest of the world 
 
allows a look into their economic balance sheets and that no one 
obscures their emissions with economic tricks.  We all in the North 
 
will have to pay the billions for climate protection and the impact 
of 
climate change.  That is why the use of these funds must be clearly 
 
laid down and controlled to protect it from disappearing in dark 
channels, but will resulted in the desired effect.  If an agreement 
on 
fair emissions quotas and financing modalities can be reached, then 
a 
lot will have been achieved." 
 
¶3.   (Mideast)   Israel-Palestinian Conflict 
 
All papers reported on a possible Israeli deal with Hamas on the 
exchange of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.  FAZ (11/24) headlined: 
"Netanyahu: No Agreement Yet," and wrote that "Prime Minister 
Netanyahu denied reports that Israel had reached a deal with Hamas 
on 
the exchange of prisoners."  Sueddeutsche reported of a possible 
cease-fire between Hamas and Israel and wrote: "The sudden soft tone 
 
of Hamas and its combat brigades may have many reasons - Israeli 
superiority or the exhaustion of the people caused by the war and 
the 
blockade.  But currently the radicals in the government could 
primarily be interested in not jeopardizing negotiations mediated by 
 
German negotiators about the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier 
Gilad Shalit.  On Monday, a Hamas delegation travelled to Cairo to 
fine-tune the talks.  One day before, Israel's President Shimon 
Peres 
was in Cairo.  Some even expect a release in the coming days, but 
this 
was expected often over the past three years. 
 
Die Welt (11/24) headlined: "Will Hamas Release Israeli Hostage 
Gilad 
Shalit?" and wrote: "A breakthrough in the secret talks on an 
exchange 
of prisoners between Israel and Hamas could result in the release of 
 
Israeli soldier Gilat Shalit this week or next week.  Following a 
meeting between Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli President 
Shimon Peres said that 'there is no doubt important progress in the 
 
Shalit matter, but the details should be kept behind the scenes for 
 
the time being.' 
 
¶4.   (Iran)   Nuclear Conflict 
 
Berliner Zeitung (11/24) analyzed Iran's policy under the headline: 
 
"Survival Instinct Determines Iran's Course," and argued: "The 
Iranian 
leadership is not giving an inch.  It has now rejected the 
compromise 
proposal of the international community on the enrichment of 
uranium. 
In addition, the trials against opposition politicians continue, and 
 
BERLIN 00001499  003 OF 004 
 
 
 
on Sunday, the biggest-ever maneuver began in which the armed forces 
 
are testing the defense against air strikes on nuclear power plants. 
 
With this attitude, Iran seems to justify the view of all those in 
Israel and the West who consider talks with Iran a waste of time and 
 
see the regime in Tehran as a threat to the West and Israel in 
particular.  But representatives of this view are provoking the 
things 
they want to prevent: an escalation and thus a danger for peace. 
They 
totally ignore the reasons for Iran's attitude....  Such talks can 
be 
successful only if one knows the views and fears of the other side. 
 
From Tehran's point of view, the situation is threatening.  The 
United 
States has militarily encircled Iran, its forces are in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, and the U.S. 
allies nearby, Pakistan, India and Israel have nuclear weapons.  In 
 
the case of Iran, there has been no evidence that it wants to build 
 
the bomb.  And second, there is no apparent reason why Iran should 
use 
the bomb, given the military situation in the region. Opposition 
politicians, who are under pressure, are asking the West not to 
intensify sanctions or attack Iran.  The pressure of sanctions 
resulted in Ahamdinejad becoming president. The regime uses this as 
a 
pretext to eliminate the opposition and discredit them among many 
Iranians." 
 
¶5.   (U.S.-India)   Singh in Washington 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine's (11/24) Washington correspondent Matthias 
Rb 
reported under the headline: "A little Bit of Nostalgia," and wrote: 
 
"People in Washington are generous with symbols, even if this 
results 
in stretching the protocol.  High-ranking U.S. government officials 
 
told the media that this was the first state banquet President Obama 
 
has given for a state visitor since coming to office in January. 
But 
the fact that Washington is showering India's Prime Minister 
Manmohan 
Singh with all kinds of affection laid down in the protocol should 
not 
be considered something to cheer him up.  Of course, Delhi knows 
that 
Obama only recently returned from a trip to East Asia whose main 
focus 
was China.  In India, many commentators are worried that a cooling 
down will take place in Indian-U.S. relations under President Obama 
 
following the almost spectacular development in relations under 
President Bush.  In Delhi, the main concern is that, under Obama, 
the 
security policy focus in the region could transfer to the fight 
against al-Qaida and the Taliban and that Washington, in the 
conflict 
between Pakistan and India, could take side with Islamabad.  For 
India, for instance, clear U.S. support for India's desire for a 
 
BERLIN 00001499  004 OF 004 
 
 
seat 
on the UNSC would be a more obvious sign of the significance of the 
 
partnership with India than general assurances.  Delhi is reacting 
very sensitively, when Washington and Beijing express their joint 
concern about an escalation of the Indian-Pakistani conflict -- as 
if 
China should play the role of a mediator.  But Washington will try 
to 
dispel these concerns.  For quite some time, however, Prime Minister 
 
Singh is likely to feel some degree of nostalgia for ex-President 
Bush 
for the U.S.-Indian nuclear agreement, which can be considered a 
milestone and a personal legacy of Bush and Singh for U.S.-Indian 
relations." 
 
¶6.   (Economic)   Financial Crisis 
 
Regional daily KQlner Stadt-Anzeiger (11/24) argued: "The previous 
crisis is not even over when we hear warning about the next crisis. 
 
Fears that another bubble could soon burst at the financial markets 
 
cannot be ignored.  Incredible amounts of liquidity are available on 
a 
global scale.  This is money that seeks possibilities to invest. 
This 
has little to do with the economic game of supply and demand, but 
this 
is primarily money to speculate.  Neither politicians nor central 
bankers, let alone the banks, have used the time to build in 
securities.  A new crisis will become even worse as ECB President 
Trichet is rightfully warning.  The central banks must begin to make 
 
money more expensive.  This is a tightrope act, but they must do it. 
 
It is their main task to find ways and means on how to get unfounded 
 
speculation, which is called greed in this crisis, under control." 
 
MURPHY