VZCZCXRO3414
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHLZ
DE RUEHRL #0028/01 0081317
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081317Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6233
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 1904
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0626
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1143
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 2648
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1669
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0832
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 03 BERLIN 000028 
 
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 KGHG IR PK RS NATO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AVIATION SECURITY, IRAN, EU-TURKEY, 
U.S.-CHINA, COPTIC CHRISTIANS;BERLIN 
 
¶1.   Lead Stories Summary 
¶2.   Aviation Security 
¶3.   Iranian regime 
¶4.   U.S.-Chinese Relations 
¶5.   Turkish EU Membership Bid 
¶6.   Killings of Christians in Egypt 
 
¶1.    Lead Stories Summary 
 
ZDF-TV's and ARD-TV's primetime newscasts opened with reports that 
the Laender have ordered too much vaccine against the H1N1 flu and 
that they are now in talks with pharmaceutical companies to reduce 
these orders.  Print media led with a variety of stories ranging 
from a retrial of a police officer over the death of an asylum 
seeker, to Foreign Minister Westerwelle's trip to Turkey 
(Sueddeutsche), the most recent DeutschlandTrend opinion poll (Die 
Welt), to an interview with NRW's Minister President Ruettgers 
(FAZ).  Editorials focused on the retrial over the death of an 
asylum seeker in Dessau and on the state of the coalition. 
 
¶2.    Aviation Security 
 
ARD-TV's Tagesschau led this morning with a story saying "U.S. 
President Obama ordered stricter security measures after the 
thwarted attack on a passenger plane.  He believes in stricter 
checks at airports and new technology to find explosives.  Obama 
also accepted the responsibility for the mistakes in the run-up to 
the attempted attack."  The report showed the President saying: 
"This incident was not the fault of a single individual or 
organization, but rather a systemic failure across organizations and 
agencies...  And when the system fails, it is my responsibility." 
Spiegel Online headlined "Obama takes responsibility for the failure 
of the system," and highlighted:  "U.S. authorities made dramatic 
mistakes prior to the attempted attacks in Detroit.  'The system has 
failed,' said Obama after an official analysis of the mistakes.  He 
announced tougher checks of passengers and made clear who is 
responsible: he himself." 
 
Sueddeutsche carried a report under the headline: "Late Warning 
Against The Attacker," and reported: "U.S. security agencies became 
suspicious of the alleged attacker Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab only 
during the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit and they planned to 
interrogate him after landing.  This is the result of the 
investigative report on the circumstances of the prevented terrorist 
attack, which the White House published on Thursday.  At the center 
of criticism is the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) that 
was created in 2004 to process the abundance of data that the 16 
U.S. intelligence services create day after day.  Despite existing 
indications, the NCTC did not warn against Abdulmutallab.  However, 
for the time being, no one expects President Obama to fire any of 
the responsible officials after the failure." 
 
Under the headline: "Naked Nonsense," weekly Die Zeit dealt with the 
failed terrorist attack and argued: "The threat from al-Qaida and 
other terrorist groups is real and possibly deadly, but what is the 
conclusion from this insight?  Is it compelling evidence that body 
scanners should be put up at all airports?  The answer is 'no.'  The 
failed terrorist attempt primarily demonstrates that the billions of 
dollars that the U.S. invested do not guarantee any protection.  And 
it shows that the intelligence services again failed to correctly 
process the abundance of data they had collected.  The use of body 
scanners would not have changed this fact. The 'naked scanners' 
would not have necessarily recognized the kind of explosives that 
Umar Faruk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate in Detroit.  And it has 
thus far been a promise by scientists that the new version of 
scanners is able to do this.  This debate over full-body scanners 
replaces serious thinking about the right approach to control 
passengers.  It suggests that there is a solution that guarantees 
 
BERLIN 00000028  002 OF 003 
 
 
security.  But this is wrong.  Only slowly people are beginning to 
realize that the probably safest airport in the world, Ben Gurion 
Airport in Tel Aviv, does without full-body scanners.  Israeli 
security agencies pin their hopes on human, not technical, 
intelligence, on well-trained, well-paid security personnel that 
looks for suspects instead of making every old lady a potential 
suspect.  But such 'profiling' costs money and cannot be so easily 
implemented by politicians as a new technical device. This hectic 
call for body scanners alone will not jeopardize our freedom.  But 
much more worrying is how quickly people fall back into the 
automatism of calling for even more technical state-of-the-art 
devices following each new attack, and how quickly we tend to forget 
that absolute security does not exist." 
 
Regional daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung judged: "What is 
going to happen to terror suspects after their transfer?  In Saudi 
Arabia, they land in obscure re-education camps.  In Yemen, they 
were released after mock trials... and continue to operate their 
al-Qaida network.  Is everything better than Guantanamo?  Thus far, 
none of the prisoners has come to Germany because the government in 
Berlin is refusing to accept any of them.  But those who call for 
the end of the lawlessness in Guant namo must also do something for 
it: with the power of the rule of law.  Trials against two former 
suspects who were transferred from Guant namo, are currently taking 
place in Italy.  Germany should follow suit." 
 
¶3.    Iranian regime 
 
Die Welt editorialized: "Nobody knows what is going on in the 
country of 75 million people, what the future will bring and whether 
the West can stop the regime from taking the last steps towards the 
nuclear bomb.  There are hardly any Western journalists left in the 
country, and when they are there they cannot move freely.  Given the 
experience with Iraq, it can be questioned whether the intelligence 
authorities have an accurate picture of the country.  In short, we 
should be carful about jumping to conclusions about Iran...  It is 
difficult to say what the West can do in this situation.  Any 
decision can be the wrong one.  However, the West must take action. 
It should impose sanctions--if necessary without the Russians and 
Chinese--and justify them with human rights violations in Iran.  The 
Iranian eople need to be assured that they are not alone." 
 
¶4.    U.S.-Chinese Relations 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized: "The American President has 
used his first year in office to reach out to all sides.  However, 
you can't make a fool out of him without being punished.  This is 
what China is currently facing.  The message from Washington is 
reaching Beijing via Taiwan.  The democratic island republic, which 
is right to complain about an increasing threat of Chinese missiles, 
will get Patriot missiles.  Beijing's leadership will see this as an 
unfriendly act--at the least.  Some of the hardliners will use tough 
language.  The reasonable people in China should make their minds up 
about whether it really is in the interest of the country to 
threaten the other China, which is so resistant, with military 
violence.  And it would also be good for China to reconsider whether 
it is still a good idea to act like a strong man in the 21st 
century...  Chinese leaders should be assessed by their actions." 
 
 
¶5.     Turkish EU Membership Bid 
 
Sueddeutsche Zeitung opined: "The government in Ankara quickly 
realized the advantage it has with Westerwelle: the chief diplomat 
enjoys his role and does not even think about changing the German 
government's recent policy, which, ever since Joschka Fischer and 
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has been that Turkey can become a EU 
member.  It is only a question of time--which can be until the cows 
 
BERLIN 00000028  003 OF 003 
 
 
come home.  In addition, Westerwelle does not care to oppose his 
coalition partner in Berlin, who is skeptical about Turkey... 
Concerning Ankara, Westerwelle is right.  For the first time in 
decades and maybe in history, Turkey is pursuing a global foreign 
policy that aims to resolve conflicts.   Dashing Turkey's hopes to 
become an EU member at this time would be very unwise.  Europe can 
in fact benefit from good relations to Ankara.   Stopping the EU 
talks, as demanded by some CDU and CSU politicians, would snub those 
in Turkey who see Europe as a guarantee for a further 
democratization of the country." 
 
Handelsblatt remarked: "FDP Chairman Westerwelle has made things 
clear in Ankara. While the CSU calls the coalition contract into 
question with its call to immediately stop the EU membership 
negotiations, Westerwelle said more bluntly than ever before that he 
stands by what the EU and Turkey have agreed.  Given the 
Chancellor's silence, the clarification was bitterly necessary.  For 
a long time, Europe has snubbed Turkey and undermined the EU 
membership process that has led to massive and important reforms in 
the country.  Westerwelle was right to make clear that it remains 
important to Germany that Turkey gets closer to Europe, also under 
the CDU/CSU-FDP government." 
 
¶6.     Killings of Christians in Egypt 
 
Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized: "The consensus between the 
Muslim majority and the Muslim minority is one of the main values of 
modern Egypt.   The killing of six Copts and one Muslim shows that 
fanatics among Muslims call this consensus into question.  Time and 
again, there have been tensions between the two religious groups. 
The recent killings are supposed to be an act of revenge.  However, 
the fact that the killer is known to the police and enjoys the 
protection of local politicians speaks against this theory.  The 
spiral of violence must be stooped." 
 
Regional daily Wiesbadener Kurier commented: "Following the bloody 
attack on a Coptic Church in Egypt, one thing must be kept in mind: 
It is not Islam, but Islamism that is threatening Christians.  The 
supporters of this ideology live in religious states, in Tehran and 
Riyadh.  In disintegrating states such as Somalia and Afghanistan, 
the radicals are also fed with money from robberies and drug 
trafficking.  Much would be won if such sources of support could be 
closed because the ones who persecute Christians are enemies of all 
peace-loving people, including Muslims." 
 
DELAWIE