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RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHLZ
DE RUEHRL #0108/01 0261512
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261512Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6374
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 1954
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0677
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1196
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 2696
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1715
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0878
RHMFIUU/HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//J5 DIRECTORATE (MC)//
RHMFISS/CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
RUZEADH/UDITDUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 BERLIN 000108 
 
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 AF HA IQ ECON XF ECON
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AFGHANISTAN, HAITI, IRAQ, U.S., ISRAEL, 
BERNANKE;BERLIN 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   (Afghanistan)   London Conference, German Position 
¶3.   (Haiti)   Montreal Conference 
¶4.   (Iraq)   Execution of Chemical Ali 
¶5.   (U.S.)   Bank Reforms 
¶6.   (Israel)   Goldstone Report 
¶7.   (U.S.)   Bernanke Hearing 
 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
 
TV primetime newscasts and many papers led with a story on the 
decision of several statutory healthcare insurances to impose a 
special fee.  Frankfurter Allgemeine headlined: "Millions of 
healthcare insured people to pay additional fees." Sddeutsche led 
with a story on Afghanistan and headlined: "German Afghanistan 
mission 
will be more risky."  Berliner Zeitung reported that the Labor 
Ministry plans to increase the pressure on social benefit recipients 
 
to find jobs.   Frankfurter Rundschau led with a story on Opel. 
Berliner Zeitung carried a front-page photo showing the arrival of 
Israeli President Peres, who will deliver a speech to the Bundestag 
on 
tomorrow's Holocaust Memorial Day.  Editorials focused on the 
healthcare system and the German debate on Afghanistan. 
 
¶2.   (Afghanistan)   London Conference, German Position 
 
Sddeutsche editorialized: "One of NATO's greatest weaknesses is its 
 
 
inability to permanently guarantee the security of the people.  NATO 
 
often only chases away Taliban fighters and then disappears, leaving 
 
the Taliban to return to pick on the people who have cooperated with 
 
NATO.  As long as this is the case, the people will not oppose the 
Taliban and the quagmire that creates terrorism and oppression will 
 
not disappear.  Defense Minister zu Guttenberg is right that the new 
 
strategy of the government must be to show more presence in the 
field 
to protect the people.  The only problem is that this is not 
possible 
without deploying more soldiers." 
 
Tagesspiegel remarked in an editorial: "The U.S. strategy is clear. 
 
Barack Obama considered it for six months and then made a decision. 
 
This will not be changed.  It is no longer about what will be done, 
 
but about how it will be implemented.  And what have the Germans 
done 
in the meantime?  They have postponed the decision.  They therefore 
do 
not play a role and it does not matter for the allies how the 
Germans 
interpret the mandate. Either the German army is increased to 7,000 
 
troops and gets different orders, or it should be sent home." 
 
Under the headline: "Every year the West hopes for a new cure," 
Handelsblatt opined: "Conferences on Afghanistan always boost 
creativity.  The international community is developing new ideas 
 
BERLIN 00000108  002 OF 006 
 
 
every 
year about how to defeat the Taliban.  Prior to the London 
conference, 
two new ideas were born.  Industrial countries want to help Karzai 
buy 
out Taliban supporters.  And the German army no longer wants to hide 
 
in its compound but go into the field.  There is no doubt that both 
 
ideas sound as if they make sense and are very good. 
Differentiating 
between moderate and radical Taliban will be necessary. 
International 
soldiers can only overcome the increasing distance to the people by 
 
engaging more with them.  However, the euphoria about both ideas is 
 
dashed by the fact that many ideas in the past were praised as 
cures-- 
and then disappeared in the middle of nowhere." 
 
Under the headline "U.S. now wants to bomb the Taliban to peace," 
Berliner Zeitung picked up ISAF Commander McChrystal's FT interview 
 
and added in its intro: "The chief commander of the NATO troops in 
Afghanistan is hoping for a militarily forced peace with the 
Taliban. 
His goal is to weaken the Islamists with additional troops."  In an 
 
editorial, the paper discussed the idea of an exit program for 
Taliban 
supporters: "Americans and Britons have been trying such ways of 
pacifying the Taliban for a long time by giving loans to build 
houses 
and paying those who are willing to cooperate.  This was never a 
huge 
program because one cannot be sure what the recipients will do with 
 
the money.  A farmer in the morning and a Taliban supporter at 
night? 
In short, maybe German taxpayers are soon funding people who violate 
 
human rights.  However, the program might be able to weaken the 
Taliban.  Allowing moderate Taliban to participate in power would 
make 
Afghanistan a more secure place." 
 
Regional tabloid of Cologne Express commented: "The war in 
Afghanistan 
cannot be won with military means.  Already British troops made this 
 
experience 200 years ago.  In the 1980s, the Soviets found the 
Afghans 
a hard nut to crack.  The highly armed U.S. and the allies seem to 
have a similarly hard time.  It is clear that things can't go on 
like 
this.  A political solution must be found.  As long as foreign 
troops 
are in the country, they will be fought against.  Afghanistan must 
therefore be enabled to provide for its own security and 
reconstruction.  This also means that the West must keep its 
promises 
to accelerate the training of police and army forces and providing 
more money to build streets, schools and hospitals.  This would be 
the 
best means against the terror of the Taliban - and for the 
protection 
of our soldiers." 
 
BERLIN 00000108  003 OF 006 
 
 
 
Regional Nrnberger Zeitung editorialized: "The German government's 
 
claim that it will make a decision on the strategy in Afghanistan 
only 
after the London conference is ridiculous.  The wild rumor is being 
 
spread that London will 'decide' what the U.S. decided on its own a 
 
long time ago." 
 
¶3.   (Haiti)   Montreal Conference 
 
The aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti disappeared from 
front-pages 
and is now reported on foreign pages.  While ARD-TV's primetime 
newscast Tagesschau noted: "Almost two weeks after the earthquake in 
 
Haiti, the focus is more in the reconstruction of the country.  In 
the 
Canadian city of Montreal, representatives of twenty countries are 
debating financial assistance.  EU foreign minister in Brussels 
decided to deploy 300 police officers to increase security."  In a 
report from Haiti, the newscast said: "Particularly the situation of 
 
Haitians living in tent cities is hardly improving despite the great 
 
assistance efforts.  Most of the three million people in Port-au- 
Prince are starving.  The UN can only supply aid where the security 
of 
the aid workers can be guaranteed."  ZDF-TV's primetime newscast 
heute 
remarked that "the distribution of aid is working more efficiently 
and 
better.  The UN is therefore getting more help to the people by the 
 
day." 
 
Regional Mittelbayerische Zeitung editorialized: "Aftershocks, 
rubble, 
chaos: despite the international community's quick emergency 
response, 
Haiti is not finding peace two weeks after the devastating 
earthquake. 
No country stood aside in the efforts to support Haiti with food, 
clean water and medicine.  People in the West are also very generous 
 
and donate money to support the people in the Caribbean country. 
The 
fact that the international community stands united in this crisis 
is 
a positive aspect of globalization.  However, the country needs more 
 
than food and water.  The country needs functioning structure - this 
 
has nothing to do with imperialism." 
 
¶4.   (Iraq)   Execution of Chemical Ali 
 
Several papers reported that Iraq executed chemical Ali, the cousin 
of 
former President Saddam Hussein.  FAZ and Die Welt headlined: 
"'Chemical Ali' Executed in Iraq," and reported: "'Chemical Ali' was 
 
considered the most feared representative of Saddam Hussein's 
government.  He had already been sentenced several times before 
because of crimes he committed during Saddam Hussein's term." 
 
 
BERLIN 00000108  004 OF 006 
 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung headlined: "Execution after Four Death 
Sentences," and wrote: "As minister, commander, and Saddam's 
advisor, 
Al-Majid was one of the key figures of Saddam Hussein's regime.  He 
 
always served Saddam when the issue was to eliminate rivals or to 
club 
down insurgents."  Tagesspiegel headlined: "'Chemical Ali' Executed" 
 
with the sub-headline: "38 People Killed in Attacks on Hotels in 
Baghdad," and noted: "On March 7, parliamentary elections will take 
 
place in Iraq.  Over the past few weeks, a governmental commission 
dominated by Shiites excluded more than 500 politicians - primarily 
 
Sunnis - from the election because of alleged involvement in 
Saddam's 
regime.  Observers are now expecting an increase in terrorist 
attacks 
in the next six weeks before the elections." 
 
Under the headline: "Death of a Mass Murderer," Die Welt opined: "Al 
 
Majid...was Saddam Hussein's executioner, he was the man for the 
rough 
stuff.  He ingloriously distinguished himself not only in Halabja 
but 
three years later also when crushing the Shiite revolt in Southern 
Iraq.  From a western viewpoint, which is based on the rule of law, 
a 
lifelong sentence would have been more appropriate for the 
69-year-old 
man.  This would also have been a sign of the new Iraq.  But Iraq 
can 
probably renew itself only if it sheds the old heavy burden of the 
past.  That is why, from an Iraqi point of view, the man who killed 
 
thousands of their compatriots got his fair punishment." 
 
¶5.   (U.S.)   Bank Reforms 
 
Financial Times Deutschland carried an editorial under the headline: 
 
"Aloha Canada - Barack Obama Wants to Split the Banks.  The U.S. 
President Should Rather Not Do This and Look to the North."  The 
daily 
opined: "It is sad that Barack Obama spent his most recent vacation 
in 
Hawaii.  Canada would have been a better choice.  In Canada there 
are 
sound banks.  The secret of their success is, according to the IMF, 
 
that the Canadian banks are universal banks and offer all kind of 
services under one roof.  President Obama wants the opposite.  Go to 
 
Canada, Barack!  Instead of looking to the North, the U.S. president 
 
is roaming history and finds the Glass-Steagall Act.  Obama's move 
points to the wrong direction.  The crisis of the financial system 
was 
not caused by traditional banks...but by shadow banks such as Bear 
Stearns.  Instead of setting up new walls, all actors should be 
forced 
to accept stricter oversight rules.  When it comes to the size of 
the 
banks, Barack Obama is wrong, too.  'Too big to fail' is the 
decisive 
challenge but this problem cannot be solved by shrinking banks.  The 
 
BERLIN 00000108  005 OF 006 
 
 
 
Canadians have demonstrated what is to do.  Yes, the Canadians 
can!" 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung (1/25) judged: "The chaos is perfect. 
Following 
President Obama's far-reaching plans to rein in the banks, the 
Europeans are trying not to present themselves as financial experts 
 
who are trying to slow down this regulatory process.  But we can 
hardly speak of a coordinated effort on either side of the Atlantic. 
 
We are faced with a colorful bazaar which the politicians serve with 
 
proposals based on their national preferences.  The government in 
London in particular is under pressure.  The G-20 once set up a 
Financial Stability Board, but no one knows what responsibilities it 
 
has.  The EU, in turn, likes to constantly establish new boards for 
 
the regulation of the financial markets.  This is creating the 
suspicion that the public is to be lulled into a false sense of 
security.  But the governments in London and in Washington know that 
 
the regulatory plans will never become a reality.  Obama is likely 
to 
fail in Congress, while Gordon Brown will soon be voted out of 
office. 
The pale aftertaste remains that politicians primarily worship 
populism.  The bankers in New York, London, Frankfurt, and Paris can 
 
continue their jobs without being worried." 
 
¶6.   (Israel)   Goldstone Report 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung carried a front-page report on a wave of anti- 
Semitism in the world and also addresses the upcoming Israeli answer 
 
to the Goldstone report under the headline: "Dirty Wave - Since the 
 
Gaza War, Anti-Semitic Incidents are on the Rise."  The daily wrote: 
 
"The Goldstone Report that was written on behalf of the UN accuses 
Israel of having committed war crimes and has forced Israel to go 
diplomatically on the defensive - even though the government insists 
 
that it only defended itself against terror from Hamas.  Prime 
Minister Netanyahu is now making the Goldstone Report responsible 
for 
an increase in anti-Semitism.  And now the Israeli government wants 
to 
use the international day that commemorates the Holocaust on 
Wednesday 
- when Israel's President Simon Peres addresses the Bundestag and 
Netanyahu visits Auschwitz concentration camp - to go on the 
offensive 
against this accusing UN report.  Israel's Information Minister Juli 
 
Edelstein told Israel's Internet service Ynet: 'The link between the 
 
Goldstone Report and the International Holocaust Memorial Day is not 
 
an easy matter, but we must learn the lesson from the things that 
happened.'  But South African judge Richard Goldstone, who is now 
being accused of anti-Semitism, is a Jew himself." 
 
¶7.   (U.S.)   Bernanke Hearing 
 
 
BERLIN 00000108  006 OF 006 
 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung (1/15) judged: "In the end, everyone will 
applaud 
and the majority of U.S. senators will congratulate Ben Bernanke - 
and 
thus themselves - on his second term as head of the Federal Reserve 
 
because a 'no' to Bernanke would shift the responsibility for such a 
 
small disaster to the people's representatives.  The most important 
 
national bank would then need a new leader who would not only have 
to 
be more competent than the previous one but also someone who would 
have to survive a complex confirmation process.  And all this must 
happen with breathtaking speed since the U.S. economy is in serious 
 
trouble.  In addition, the Democratic senators do not want to deal 
their president another blow....  So there is little indication that 
 
Bernanke will get more than 40 opposing votes.  The exciting thing 
about this process is that such opposition is not a workplace 
accident 
but very common in the U.S....  The Americans are then pleased at 
democracy in action.  The message to Bernanke is clear.  Watch out 
when another bubble is forming and think of the 'ordinary American.' 
 
Bernanke is likely to stay on the job with a reduced reputation." 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine (1/25) headlined: "Hurly-Burly About 
Bernanke," 
and judged: "The fear among Democrats that the political current 
could 
turn against them is the only reason for the unease that has 
developed 
around the reconfirmation of Ben Bernanke as head of the Federal 
Reserve.  After President Obama supported the populist trend against 
 
Wall Street, Bernanke now serves as a scapegoat for quite a few 
senators.  It is undisputable that the Fed has done everything 
possible to limit and to overcome the crisis.  A final judgment on 
Bernanke's capabilities as crisis manager depends on to what extent 
he 
will succeed in leading the Fed from a crisis to a normal situation 
 
again.  Following the outburst of political unease this will not be 
 
easy, since Bernanke's Democratic supporters showed him their power. 
 
With it, pressure on the independence of the Fed will also 
increase." 
 
MURPHY