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FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
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RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
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RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//J5 DIRECTORATE (MC)//
RHMFISS/CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
RUKAAKC/UDITDUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BERLIN 001553 
 
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" 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.0. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR AF GM KGHG
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AFGHANISTAN, COP15, GENERAL MOTORS;BERLIN 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories 
¶2.   Climate Change 
¶3.   Afghanistan 
¶4.   GM Plans to Restructure Opel 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories 
 
ZDF-TV's and ARD-TV's primetime newscasts opened with stories on the 
death of former Economic Minister Otto Graf Lambsdorff.  Many 
newspapers led with the start of the Copenhagen climate conference. 
Frankfurter Allgemeine led with a story on the September 4 
airstrikes near Kunduz, and Berliner Zeitung led with the ongoing 
debate over income tax cuts.  Editorials focused on the beginning of 
the Copenhagen climate conference. 
 
¶2.   Climate Change 
 
Many media lead with reports on todayQs beginning of the Copenhagen 
climate conference, expressing optimism that a new international 
agreement can be reached.  Lead headlines include: QCopenhagen must 
be a turning pointQ (Sueddeutsche), QCollective confidence prior to 
the climate summitQ (Die Welt), Q192 governments can save the 
world,Q (Tagesspiegel).  Frankfurter Rundschau highlighted on its 
front page: QHope for the climate summit in Copenhagen is rising. 
The reason: President Obama will be there during the critical 
phase.Q  Many papers carry several pages of features and 
interviews.  Several papers highlight yesterdayQs statements by 
Executive Secretary of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Yvo 
de Boer, who said that the summit's success has become more likely 
as more than 100 state and government leaders will be attending. 
Sueddeutsche profiles U.S. climate negotiator Jonathan Pershing as a 
man with Qdiplomatic skills,Q noting that Qthe scientist will need 
all of his ability to reach a settlement. 
 
In an editorial on its economic pages, Frankfurter Allgemeine 
opines: QIt was an odd idea right from the start that the American 
President would travel to the Copenhagen climate conference, and 
depart a week prior to the negotiations of more than 100 state and 
government leaders.  Obama did not want to signal such disinterest 
and seeming lack of responsibility by one of the largest energy 
consumers in the world.  He is now coming when all the other leaders 
are there to deal with the matter.  This is a little ray of hope. 
ObamaQs presence increases the chance for a binding international 
agreement against further global warming, or at least for a reliable 
roadmap to get there  Man-made climate change can only be 
diminished and limited by all people together.  Individual 
activities by a few ambitious countries do not suffice.  The climate 
matters to all of us.  We all therefore bear responsibility for 
it. 
 
FT Deutschland editorializes: QObama has signalled that he 
personally takes climate protection seriously.  In climate 
diplomacy, symbolic gestures have an intrinsic value.   In an 
immediate response to the news that Obama comes to Copenhagen, China 
said for the first time what its goal for reducing energy 
consumption would be.   Obama needs such commitments to call on his 
own country to make greater efforts.  It will now be about money. 
The threshold and developing countries cannot be blamed for global 
warming, and will suffer most.  The three billion euros the 
Europeans announced as a kickstart payment are the right signal. 
Against the background of the three-digit sum of long-term 
assistance, this is peanuts. 
 
Die Welt editorializes on its front-page: QMany people believe that, 
due to his Nobel Peace Prize, Obama has a duty to be a pioneer.  It 
should make us wonder whether the Nobel Committee was indirectly 
calling on him to ignore the Congress.  This indicates a dilemma 
that goes beyond that of Obama: that promises are always good.  It 
seems to be of secondary importance whether the promises are 
 
BERLIN 00001553  002 OF 003 
 
 
realistic. 
 
Mass tabloid Bild editorializes: QMelting poles and glaciers, floods 
and droughts, famines and shortage of water: the threats of global 
warming are real.  The German government is therefore right to push 
for a global change of mind   There is only one world and one 
climate, which is determined more by countries like the U.S., China 
and India than the smaller country of Germany.  If the large 
environmental polluters do not finally come to their senses, our 
efforts will be in vain.  Thanks to our environmental policy, Berlin 
can call on others in Copenhagen to do more.  Only foreign 
competitors, not the environment, would benefit from calls on our 
national economy to make one-sided moves. 
 
Tagesspiegel opines: QCopenhagen is the last chance to negotiate a 
solution for the climate problem.  If we do not succeed in stopping 
the increase of greenhouse gases by 2015, it will be impossible to 
reverse the trend after 2020.  The climate system is slow, it cannot 
change course like a car.  ItQs rather a tanker that needs several 
miles to change course.  The industrialized countries must therefore 
begin to embark on the path of an economy free of carbon dioxide 
emissions. The developing countries must begin their turning 
maneuver; otherwise things will get too hot. 
 
A front-page editorial in Frankfurter Allgemeine remarks on the 
recent publication of e-mails from the East Anglia climate research 
centre: QApart from ethical and technical questions, biased 
tendencies, and questions of political independence of researchers, 
the scandalous emails do not contain anything that could undermine 
the theory of greenhouse gases and the fact of climate change 
Admitting oneQs own limits and shortage of knowledge is difficult 
The IPCC actually did not exaggerate immoderately its predictions, 
as its critics suggest.  Even the most pessimistic assumptions about 
the speed of the changes were underestimated.  To listen to people 
in such a situation who advise to ignore the problem would be 
foolish.  Too much is at risk. 
 
¶3.    Afghanistan 
 
Several papers reported that QTurkey refuses to increase troops in 
AfghanistanQ (FT Deutschland).  Sueddeutsche editorialized: QThe 
U.S. needs Turkey.  How much that is so was revealed by President 
ObamaQs surprising visit to Ankara in April: it was a consciously 
chosen signal particularly in regard to AmericaQs relations with 
Islam.  For the U.S., Turkey is invaluableQas a Muslim nation and 
faithful ally.  But how faithful is this ally?  .  Suddenly, Turkey 
has its own interests and desires.  This might be irritating to some 
in Washington, but it is not a reason for concern.  First of all, 
Turkey needs the United States, and secondly, its new role in the 
region makes the country more interesting for Washington. 
 
Berliner Zeitung commented: QOnce again, we hear new details about 
the devastating airstrike in Afghanistan.  Once again it becomes 
clear that the bombardment requested by a German commander was 
militarily inappropriate.  Things in Kunduz would have been worse if 
U.S. pilots had accepted the German desire for six bombs.  There 
could have been fewer victims if the Germans had complied with the 
U.S. desire to warn the people by low-level flights.  The political 
affair is not yet over for zu Guttenberg.  Based on the NATO report, 
which contains the new details now leaked to the public, he first 
said the strikes were militarily appropriate.  Has zu Guttenberg 
read the classified report?  If he has, we must wonder whether he 
understood what he saw.  Why did he not inform the public for a 
month?  Why does he now say that the report was militarily 
inappropriate and bases his judgment on a report that does not 
contain the details mentioned above?  Zu GuttenbergQs crisis 
management is a catastrophe.  Only the publication of the classified 
NATO report can improve the situation. 
 
 
BERLIN 00001553  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶4.    GM Plans to Restructure Opel 
 
FT Deutschland editorialized: QEconomic Minister BruederleQs 
approach might seem stubborn, however, it is completely appropriate 
in the current state of the poker game.  It would be good for the GM 
subsidiary if it were to get more freedom and can develop more 
models, as the new GM Europe head Reilly said.  The concession to 
change the company into a stock corporation and to give the staff a 
share in it might help repair the lost confidence.  However, we must 
not forget that what can be done will be decided by Brussels and 
Washington, not Ruesselsheim and Detroit.  The EU Commission has 
made clear that state subsidies can only be negotiated when the 
restructuring plan is approved as economically soundQwhich is at the 
end of January at the earliest.  The federal government must be 
grateful to Brussels to restrict the competition among European 
governments over jobs and subsidies.  On the other side, GM cannot 
spend U.S. taxpayersQ money in Europe.  Theoretically, the rescue 
operation can still fail because neither GM nor the Europeans are 
allowed to put money into Opel.  As long as this dilemma is not 
resolved, GMQs concession is worth nothing.  And Br|derle can 
continue to say no. 
 
 
 
MURPHY