Cablegate: Media Reaction Report - Middle East - Ariel Sharon To

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002456

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY; BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU; AF/PA;
EUR/WE /P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA; INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA
FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR
AND PASS USTR/PA; USINCEUR FOR PAO; NATO/PA; MOSCOW/PA;
ROME/PA; BRUSSELS/PA; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE.

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - MIDDLE EAST - ARIEL SHARON TO
WASHINGTON EU DEFENSE
PARIS - TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

1. MIDDLE EAST - ARIEL SHARON TO WASHINGTON
2. EU DEFENSE

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION AND EU MATTERS ARE VERY MUCH IN THE
NEWS. THE LATEST POLL CONDUCTED JOINTLY BY EUROPE ONE RADIO
AND RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO SHOWS THAT PROPONENTS OF THE
`NO' FOR THE REFERENDUM ON THE EU CONSTITUTION ARE GAINING
GROUND, WITH 53%, AGAINST 47% FOR THE `YES.' IN AN INTERVIEW
IN POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR, INTERIOR MINISTER DE
VILLEPIN EXPLAINS WHY "A `NO' WOULD RENDER EVERYTHING MORE
DIFFICULT. FRANCE WOULD NO LONGER CARRY THE SAME WEIGHT ON
EUROPEAN ISSUES." IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO, GENERAL JEAN
COT PENS AN OP-ED ON THE REASONS WHY HE WILL VOTE `YES,'
TITLED "FOR A EUROPEAN DEFENSE." (SEE PART C)

A CONTROVERSY IS GROWING OVER PRESIDENT CHIRAC'S TELEVISED
DEBATE ON TF 1 WITH A PANEL OF 80 PRE-SELECTED STUDENTS ON
THURSDAY ON THE EU CONSTITUTION. DETRACTORS, WHICH INCLUDE
JOURNALISTS FROM OTHER TELEVISION STATIONS, OBJECT TO THE
PARTIALITY OF THE DEBATE, WHICH THEY ALLEGE IS MORE OF A
TELEMARKETING OPERATION THAN A POLITICAL DEBATE.

THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PRESS DEVOTES ITS LEAD TO THE
AIRBUS-BOEING SUBSIDY BATTLE. FOR RIGHT-OF-CENTER ECONOMIC LES
ECHOS, "THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE TURNING INTO A TUG-OF-WAR." IN
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO ECONOMIE, PIERRE AVRIL EXPLAINS THAT
THE DELAY IN REACHING AN AGREEMENT "IS TAKING THE AIRBUS A 350
HOSTAGE. THE REQUEST FOR ADVANCE LOANS FROM THE FOUR EUROPEAN
PARTNERS IS ON HOLD, BUT AS THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION SAID,
`THIS WAITING PERIOD CANNOT GO ON FOREVER.' EU COMMISSIONER
MANDELSON HAS CRITICIZED THE AMERICANS FOR THEIR `PARTIALITY':
`THEY DENOUNCE THE SUBSIDIES WHICH IN THEIR VIEW AIRBUS IS
RECEIVING, BUT THEY EXONERATE BOEING.'"

THE MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT BUSH AND ARIEL SHARON IS WIDELY
REPORTED, WITH EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES IN THE REGIONAL PRESS.
RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN TITLES ITS ARTICLE "BUSH, THE
SPONSOR OF PEACE," WHILE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO PHILIPPE
GELIE REPORTS THAT "PRESIDENT BUSH IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE NEW
SETTLEMENTS." (SEE PART C) RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO
INTERVIEWS AVI PAZNER, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO PARIS AND
SPOKESMAN FOR THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT: "IN EUROPE, YOU DO NOT
UNDERSTAND THE TRAGEDY THAT WILL UNFOLD IN ISRAEL WITH THIS
WITHDRAWAL. POLITICALLY, SHARON COULD LOSE HIS MAJORITY, AND
ON THE GROUND THERE IS THE RISK OF CONFRONTATION. EVERYTHING
MUST BE DONE TO AVOID A BLOODBATH."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

MIDDLE EAST - ARIEL SHARON TO WASHINGTON

"BUSH CONCERNED ABOUT NEW SETTLEMENTS"
PHILIPPE GELIE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (04/12): "LAST
YEAR, THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER LEFT WASHINGTON WITH HIS
POCKETS FULL, HAVING RECEIVED NOT ONLY THE PRESIDENT'S
APPROVAL FOR HIS WITHDRAWAL PLANS FROM GAZA, BUT ALSO WRITTEN
`GUARANTEES' REGARDING A GLOBAL SETTLEMENT. SINCE THEN A
MISUNDERSTANDING PERSISTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE U.S.
AND ISRAEL. WHAT SHARON SEES AS A UNILATERAL SOLUTION, IS FOR
PRESIDENT BUSH A FIRST STEP THAT CAN PUT THE PEACE PROCESS
BACK ON TRACK. YESTERDAY'S TALKS MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO CLARIFY
THIS AMBIGUITY."

"BUSH, SHARON. AND EUROPE"
JULES CLAUWAERT IN REGIONAL NORD LAIR (04/12): "IS GEORGE W.
BUSH FINALLY CONVINCED THAT A PEACE AGREEMENT IN THE MIDDLE
EAST MUST BE COMPREHENSIVE, AND THAT IT RESTS ON AN EQUITABLE
SOLUTION TO THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT? BY RECEIVING ARIEL
SHARON AT HIS TEXAS RANCH, AN HONOR AND FAMILIARITY RESERVED
TO THOSE HE CONSIDERS THE BEST FRIENDS OF THE U.S., ONE CAN
IMAGINE THAT BUSH IS PUTTING `FRIENDLY' PRESSURE ON HIS GUEST
TO PERSIST IN HIS DECISION TO LIBERATE (SIC) THE GAZA STRIP,
AND TO CONFIRM HIS AGREEMENT ON THE COEXISTENCE OF A VIABLE
PALESTINIAN STATE. EUROPE IS ALREADY A MAJOR ECONOMIC
POWER. THAT IT HAS ACQUIRED A NEW POLITICAL DIMENSION CAN ONLY
FACILITATE ITS INFLUENCE. ON CONDITION THAT THE EUROPEANS
THEMSELVES ARE CAPABLE OF RAISING THEIR EYES ABOVE THEIR
MOLEHILLS, WHEN THEY CONSOLIDATE THEIR OWN UNION."

"SHARON CALLS ON BUSH FOR RESCUE"
SERGE DUMONT IN REGIONAL LA VOIX DU NORD (04/12): "ACCORDING
TO MEMBERS OF HIS ENTOURAGE, ARIEL SHARON INTENDS TO PROFIT
FROM HIS TENTH MEETING WITH GEORGE W. BUSH, WHO IS RECEIVING
HIM AT HIS RANCH IN TEXAS, TO ASK HIM TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED
IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN RELATIONS. .(SHARON) IS LETTING THINGS
DRAG ON, BUT HE CAN'T BRUSH ASIDE FOREVER THE `FRIENDLY'
SUGGESTIONS OF THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION, ESPECIALLY SINCE
HE ALSO CAME TO TEXAS TO ASK HIS ALLIES TO FINANCE THE COST OF
THE RETREAT FROM GAZA AS WELL AS THE RESETTLEMENT OF 8,000
COLONISTS EVACUATED TO INSIDE THE JEWISH STATE. ACCORDING TO
ESTIMATES, THE COST WILL EXCEED 1.8 BILLION EUROS, TWO-THIRDS
OF WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE PAID BY WASHINGTON."

EU DEFENSE

"FOR EU DEFENSE, I WILL VOTE YES"
GENERAL JEAN COT IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (04/12): "OUR
CITIZENS ARE WAY AHEAD OF THEIR POLITICAL LEADERS. FOR EUROPE,
THEY WANT GREATER STRATEGIC INDEPENDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND
MORE INTEGRATED COMMAND STRUCTURES. WHAT ARE OUR CHOICES? DO
WE WANT EUROPE TO BE AN ECONOMIC ECTOPLASM WITH A LITTLE DAB
OF SECURITY? OR DO WE WANT EUROPE TO WIDEN ITS SPACE OF PEACE
AND ASSUME ITS ROLE FOR BETTER GOVERNANCE? WE MUST HAVE THE
COURAGE TO SAY THAT EUROPE, WHICH IS TODAY A GREAT ECONOMIC
POWER, REMAINS WITHOUT POLITICAL INFLUENCE AROUND THE WORLD,
INCLUDING IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ITS NEIGHBOR. EUROPE SITS ON THE
JUMP SEATS, WHICH THE U.S. DEIGNS TO LEAVE FOR HER, IN ITS
IMPERIAL APPROACH TO WORLD GOVERNANCE. THE EUROPEANS KNOW THAT
THE FINAL OBJECTIVE IS TO REACH COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE IN
EUROPE'S DEFENSE, BECAUSE FOR THEM IT IS INCONCEIVABLE TO HAVE
500 MILLION EUROPEANS DEPEND, FOR THEIR DEFENSE AND TO SUCH AN
EXTENT, ON 280 MILLION AMERICANS." LEACH

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