Cablegate: Media Reaction Report - Iraqi Constitution Iran

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005399

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; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE.

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR FR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - IRAQI CONSTITUTION IRAN
NUCLEAR PROGRAM
PARIS - MONDAY, AUGUST 08, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

1. IRAQI CONSTITUTION
2. IRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

MANY OF TODAY'S FRONT PAGES DEVOTE THEIR LEAD STORIES TO
SUMMER ISSUES, SUCH AS THE RISING COST OF VACATIONING IN
FRANCE. ACCORDING TO LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION, ONE PERSON OUT
OF THREE IN FRANCE NEVER TAKES A HOLIDAY. FOR POPULAR FRANCE
SOIR "TAKING A HOLIDAY IS TOO EXPENSIVE" WHILE CATHOLIC LA
CROIX'S FRONT-PAGE EDITORIAL ANALYZES FRANCE'S NEW VACATIONING
TRENDS. RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO DIFFERS WITH A LEAD DEVOTED
TO FRANCE'S "PAKISTANI NETWORKS" AND AN EDITORIAL ON THE IRAQI
CONSTITUTION. LE FIGARO ALSO DEVOTES A MAJOR REPORT ON THE
PENTAGON'S "PARTIAL TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ." (SEE PART C)
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE LEADS WITH TONY BLAIR'S NEW RULES TO
FIGHT TERRORISM, INCLUDING RESTRICTIONS ON ASYLUM LAWS. ITS
SECOND FRONT-PAGE STORY READS: "TEHERAN REJECTS EUROPEAN
NUCLEAR OFFER." POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN TITLES ITS
REPORT: "IRAN, A SOURCE OF CONCERN FOR THE WEST." (SEE PART C)

RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE INTERVIEWS FM DOUSTE-
BLAZY ON IRAN: "OUR OFFER TO IRAN WAS SUBSTANTIAL. IT OPENS
THE DOOR TO A NEW VISTA OF RELATIONS WITH EUROPE AND THE
WORLD. OUR DESIRE FOR IRAN TO STAY AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE IS
SHARED NOT ONLY BY THE EUROPEAN TROIKA BUT ALSO BY OUR EU
PARTNERS AND BY RUSSIA, CHINA AND JAPAN. THE BIG CHALLENGE FOR
US IS TO CONVINCE IRAN OF OUR GOOD FAITH. AS ALWAYS, FRANCE IS
PROMOTING A DIPLOMACY OF DIALOGUE AND RESPECT FOR ALL PEOPLE.
THIS DOES NOT PRECLUDE BEING FIRM. BY ASKING FOR RESPECT OF
THE GIVEN WORD WE CAN AVOID RADICALIZATION OF THE IRANIAN
POSITION, AS WELL AS RADICALIZATION AGAINST THE IRANIANS BY
OTHER NATIONS, INCLUDING SOME AMONG THE MOST POWERFUL. THE
DANGER IS REAL." DOUSTE-BLAZY SPEAKS ALSO ABOUT THE ISRAELI
PULLOUT FROM GAZA: "IT IS A COURAGEOUS INITIATIVE BY SHARON."

THE SURPRISE RESIGNATION OF BENJAMIN NETANYAHU FROM THE
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT IS A FRONT-PAGE STORY IN LE FIGARO: "HIS
EARLY DEPARTURE FROM THE GOVERNMENT SIGNALS AN EARLY RACE FOR
POWER IN THE LIKUD. BUT HIS RESIGNATION HAS NOT HALTED THE
PROCESS FOR WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA, ALTHOUGH IT HAS PROBABLY
GIVEN NEW HOPE TO THE SETTLERS AND THE ISRAELI EXTREME RIGHT."

IN ECONOMIC NEWS, LA TRIBUNE GIVES PROMINENT COVERAGE TO THE
U.S. ECONOMY'S ABILITY TO CREATE NEW JOBS. IN HIS EDITORIAL,
TITLED "A TRIUMPHANT AMERICA," FRANCOIS XAVIER-PETRI COMMENTS:
"MONTH AFTER MONTH, A TRIUMPHANT AMERICA CONTINUES TO WIDEN
THE GAP WITH EUROPE. MORE THAN EVER, THE GEOGRAPHY OF WORLD
ECONOMIES IS LEAVING THE LION'S SHARE TO ASIA AND THE
AMERICAS. AND THE WORST PART IS THAT THERE IS NOTHING ON THE
HORIZON THAT INDICATES A CHANGE FOR THE OLD CONTINENT."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

IRAQI CONSTITUTION

"THE IRAQI CALENDAR"
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (08/08): "IRAQI
LEADERS HAVE A WEEK TO REACH AN AGREEMENT ON THE CONSTITUTION.
IF THE U.S. IS PUSHING SO HARD FOR THE AUGUST 15 DATE TO BE
HONORED, IT IS BECAUSE OF ITS OWN NOVEMBER 2006 POLITICAL
AGENDA. FROM NOW TILL THEN PRESIDENT BUSH WILL DO ALL HE CAN
TO SHOW THAT HIS IRAQI POLICY IS A SUCCESS. RESPECTING THE
CALENDAR IN IRAQ IS ALSO IMPORTANT FOR SYMBOLIC REASONS: UNTIL
NOW THE CONSTITUTION HAS BEEN WASHINGTON'S MAIN POLITICAL
SUCCESS IN IRAQ, WITH THE JANUARY ELECTIONS. WASHINGTON IS
HOPING THAT A NEW POLITICAL SUCCESS IN IRAQ WILL REVERSE THE
NEGATIVE TREND ON THE SECURITY FRONT. SINCE THE END OF JULY,
ATTACKS ON U.S. TROOPS HAVE GROWN. BUT TOO MUCH FOCUS ON THE
IRAQI CALENDAR ITSELF CAN DETRACT FROM THE FINAL OBJECTIVE.
THE TASK AT HAND IS AS ARDUOUS AS IT IS CRUCIAL: THE OBJECTIVE
IS FOR THE KURDS, THE SHIITES AND THE SUNNIS TO AGREE ON THE
IRAQ OF TOMORROW, AN IRAQ FOR WHICH AMERICA HAS MOBILIZED ALL
OF ITS FORCES. A MAJOR QUESTION IS THE ROLE OF ISLAM IN
TOMORROW'S IRAQ. THE AMERICANS WILL HARDLY ACCEPT FOR IRAQ TO
BECOME AN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OR FOR WOMEN TO HAVE TO SUBMIT TO
THE LAWS OF THE CHARIA. THE TRIANGULAR BARTERING AMONG THE
VARIOUS ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IS LOOKING TOO
COMPLEX AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE TOO OMINOUS FOR THE JOB TO BE
RUSHED IN A WEEK."

IRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM

"IRAN REJECTS EUROPEAN NUCLEAR OFFER"
MOUNA NAIM IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE (08/08): "THE U.S.,
CANADA AND ISRAEL AS WELL AS SOME OF IRAN'S NEIGHBORS HAVE, TO
DIFFERENT DEGREES, FORMULATED CRITICISM AGAINST THE EUROPEAN
OFFER TO IRAN. BUT SINCE MARCH, WASHINGTON HAS SOMEWHAT
CHANGED ITS APPROACH AND PROVED TO BE MORE `UNDERSTANDING.'
SINCE THEN THE EUROPEANS' JOB HAS BEEN TO FIND A `POINT OF
EQUILIBRIUM' BETWEEN IRAN'S RIGHT TO A CIVILIAN NUCLEAR
PROGRAM AND DEMANDS FOR REASSURANCE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY. THE EUROPEANS UNDERSCORE THE NEED FOR `ASSURANCES
OF TRUST' BETWEEN IRAN AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY."

"IRAN: A SOURCE OF CONCERN FOR THE WEST"
BRUNO FANUCCHI IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE PARISIEN (08/08): "IS THE
WORLD ON THE BRINK OF A MAJOR NEW INTERNATIONAL CRISIS? THE
IRANIAN GOVERNMENT IS KNOWINGLY RUNNING THE RISK OF SUCH A
CRISIS. IN VIOLATION OF LAST DECEMBER'S AGREEMENT, IRAN PLANS
TO RE-LAUNCH ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM TODAY. PRESIDENT BUSH HAS
ALREADY WARNED THAT THE U.S. DOES NOT EXCLUDE THE USE OF FORCE
TO KEEP THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC FROM ACQUIRING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
IN SPITE OF ALL THE WARNINGS, FOR TEHRAN IT IS A MATTER OF
NATIONAL PRIDE. AS HE WELCOMED HIS SYRIAN COUNTERPART, THE
IRANIAN PRESIDENT SAID THAT COMMON THREATS AGAINST THEM
BROUGHT THEM CLOSER TOGETHER, `MAKING THEIR COOPERATION EVEN
MORE OF A NECESSITY.' AS AN ANTI-AMERICAN `FRONT' IN THE
MIDDLE EAST." HOFMANN

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