VZCZCXYZ0010
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLE #0017/01 0221704
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221704Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0066
INFO RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0006
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0007
RUEHLE/AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0001
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0002

UNCLAS LUXEMBOURG 000017 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE 
USAID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE - BELON 
DEPT FOR EUR/PPD - PIPKIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO KDEM EAID PHUM OIIP LU HA
SUBJECT: TFHA01: LUXEMBOURG PRESS FOCUSED ON OWN EFFORTS, POSITIVE 
U.S. COVERAGE 
 
REF: LUXEMBOURG 11; STATE 5277 
 
¶1.       (U)          SUMMARY:  Press reporting on U.S. efforts in 
Haiti has been overwhelmingly - and nearly exclusively - positive. 
The one exception Post has noted is a letter to the editor that ran 
in weekly paper Le Jeudi, entitled "A Military-Humanitarian 
Invasion" and penned by an unknown entity.  Luxembourg's own 
contributions to Haiti have dominated press coverage, focusing on 
their own boots (and paws) on the ground and euros in the pipeline. 
In the last couple of days, local press coverage has homed in on 
the feel-good adoption story, running full page spreads of the 
fourteen Haitian orphans arriving in Luxembourg to meet their new 
families.  END SUMMARY 
 
 
 
¶2.       (U)          The Grand Duchy responded to the earthquake 
in Haiti in lightning speed, sending a 17-man, 7-dog search and 
rescue team to the devastated country within 48 hours.  The press 
highlighted the team's equally rapid return to Luxembourg, even if 
the hasty departure appears to have been driven mostly by its ride 
(the Belgian Army's air transport) leaving.  Speculation that the 
team left Haiti due to poor security and lack of force protection 
played briefly in the press (ref a), but does not appear to have 
any staying power.  Even if it had, the GoL deftly augmented its 
pledge of 700,000 euros to 1.2 million euros, returning the focus 
to the humanitarian assistance. 
 
 
 
¶3.       (U)          When the quake struck, Post learned that the 
only reports of Luxembourg citizens on the ground in Haiti were of 
two families traveling with the Red Cross to finalize adoptions. 
When the families returned to Luxembourg with the search and rescue 
mission without the children, there was noticeable disappointment. 
However, as one hundred Haitian children prepared to leave their 
homeland for the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the press seized on 
the story - making front pages across the country.  The arrival of 
fourteen children in Luxembourg on Thursday (21 January) received 
universal coverage in the following day's press, including, in some 
cases, full page spreads and group photographs of the children with 
their new families. 
 
¶4.       (U)          The single critical article of U.S. 
activities in Haiti appeared in a letter to the editor, published 
Thursday (21 January) in the weekly paper Le Jeudi.  The author, 
unknown to the local PD staff, is an Italian philosopher and 
journalist named Daniel Salvatore Schiffer.  Salvatore's letter is 
subtitled, "Is the U.S. taking advantage of the tragedy to 
expropriate (difficult translation; original: s'approprier) Haiti?" 
The tone of the letter is light on facts and heavy on insinuation, 
claiming 10,000 American troops were immediately deployed to the 
island not to rescue the wounded and starving population, but 
instead to take over the airport.  Salvatore also criticizes 
Secretary Clinton's message upon arrival in Port-au-Prince.  By 
saying to the world that "Today, tomorrow and in the future America 
will stand alongside Haiti," Salvatore contends that the United 
States military is preparing for a long-term occupation in Haiti. 
Finally, Salvatore contends that the U.S.'s objectives are not 
humanitarian at all, but rather to reduce European influence in the 
Caribbean and to better position its military against "long-term 
enemy Cuba" and Venezuela, a precursor to a "Yankee invasion." 
 
¶5.       (SBU)     Le Jeudi is the only 100% French weekly in 
Luxembourg.  In its ten years of existence, it has generated a 
significant readership.  Its tendencies tend to skew to the left of 
center, and its track record is one of heavy criticism of the Bush 
Administration, which has tempered significantly over the Obama 
Administration's first year.  The paper devotes significant 
percentage of its print space to opinion pieces and letters to the 
editor, often printing pieces from well-known former politicians 
and other luminaries.  The fact that this piece was written by a 
virtual unknown (our Google search revealed he is not resident in 
Luxembourg) takes away from its credibility.  Post recommends 
against responding at this point.  Le Jeudi is known for allowing 
"he said, she said" arguments to play out in its pages over periods 
of time.  This story is literally the only negative article Post 
has observed, and the writer is an unknown.  The paper is a weekly 
 
 
- the story will likely be forgotten by next week.  If not, and it 
appears the letter gains traction or stimulates debate, Post is 
prepared to take the appropriate response to correct the record. 
 
 
 
¶6.       (U)          COMMENT:  Ambassador Stroum presents her 
credentials to the Grand Duke on 28 January, so she cannot make a 
direct response to the media at this point.  However, at events 
attended by other Mission personnel, Post has observed a positive 
buzz within the community about U.S. leadership in Haiti.  Unlike 
other issues where the U.S. garners heaps of attention (either 
wanted or unwanted), it appears Luxembourg is pleased to appear 
like-minded with the United States in this purely human interest 
story.  At present, Post is pleased with the Luxembourg public and 
media perception of the U.S. efforts in Haiti. 
 
 
 
¶7.       Minimize considered. 
Stroum