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Cablegate: Media Reaction Report - Iran - Nuclear Issue

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 005422

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 - IRAN - NUCLEAR ISSUE
IRAQ MIDDLE EAST - ISRAELI PULLOUT FROM GAZA AND HAMAS
PARIS - TUESDAY, AUGUST 09, 2005


(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

IRAN - NUCLEAR ISSUE
IRAQ
MIDDLE EAST - ISRAELI PULLOUT FROM GAZA AND HAMAS

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO LEADS WITH IRAN AND ITS DECISION TO
RESUME ITS URANIUM ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES: "IRAN CHOOSES
CONFRONTATION." FOR ITS EDITORIALIST PIERRE ROUSSELIN
TEHERAN'S CHOICE IS AN "OPEN CHALLENGE" TO THE WEST, WHILE
FRANCE'S FM DOUSTE-BLAZY CONSIDERS THAT IRAN HAS OPENED THE
DOOR TO "A SERIOUS CRISIS." HE CALLS UPON THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY TO REMAIN "UNITED" IN DEALING WITH THE SITUATION. IN
HER REPORT FROM WASHINGTON, LE FIGARO CORRESPONDENT
GUILLEMETTE FAURE EXPLAINS THAT THE U.S. "IS NOT OVERREACTING
TO IRAN'S POSITION BECAUSE IT DID NOT EXPECT MUCH FROM THE
NEGOTIATIONS UNDERTAKEN BY THE EUROPEAN TROIKA." (SEE PART C)

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POPULAR RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR REPORTS ON THE POSSIBILITY
FOR SOME GIS TO RETURN FROM IRAQ BY EARLY 2006, AND CARRIES A
SCATHING COMMENTARY TITLED: "DOES THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE ARMY
DESERVE ITS NAME?" (SEE PART C)

REPORTS ABOUT BENJAMIN NETANYAHU'S RESIGNATION FROM THE
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT CONTINUE, WITH COMMENTATORS AGREEING THAT
IT CHANGES NOTHING FOR SHARON'S PLANS TO PULLOUT FROM GAZA. AN
OP-ED IN LE FIGARO BY OLIVIER ROY, AN EXPERT ON THE MUSLIM
WORLD, IS TITLED "CAN HAMAS CHANGE?" (SEE PART C)

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

IRAN - NUCLEAR ISSUE

"IRAN'S CHALLENGE"
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (08/09): "IRAN
HAS CHOSEN CONFRONTATION WITH THE WEST. EVEN IF WE ARE
ACCUSTOMED TO TEHRAN'S DRAMATIZATION, EVEN IF THE EUROPEANS
CONTINUE TO SEARCH FOR AN OUT IN ORDER TO HIDE THEIR FAILURE,
THE RESUMPTION OF URANIUM ENRICHMENT BY IRAN MARKS A POINT OF
NO RETURN AND SIGNALS THE BEGINNING OF AN INTERNATIONAL
CRISIS. IRAN FOOLS NO ONE WHEN IT PRETENDS THAT ITS AIM IS
ONLY TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY. CONSIDERING IRAN'S INTRANSIGENCE
THERE IS NO POINT IN DILLY-DALLYING: THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO
GO BEFORE THE UNSC IN ORDER TO ADOPT SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN,
AS THE U.S. HAS BEEN PROPOSING FOR SOME TIME. THE COUNTDOWN
HAS STARTED. THE TONE USED BY TEHRAN IN ANSWER TO THE
EUROPEANS' PROPOSALS PROVES TO WHAT EXTENT IRAN FEELS IN A
POSITION OF STRENGTH. THE U.S. IS MUCH TOO BUSY WITH IRAQ TO
CONSIDER MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRAN. IN ISRAEL, THE
ATTENTION IS FOCUSED ON THE PULLOUT FROM GAZA. GREAT BRITAIN
HAS ITS HANDS FULL WITH ITS HUNT FOR TERRORISTS. AS FOR
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, THE PRICE OF OIL PROTECTS IRAN FROM AN
EMBARGO THAT WOULD PENALIZE THE WEST, WHOSE ONLY OPTION IS TO
REMAIN UNITED AND DETERMINED."

"WASHINGTON BETTING ON THE UNSC"
GUILLEMETTE FAURE IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (08/09): "THE
U.S. IS HANDLING THE IRANIAN ISSUE WITH DISCRETION. IT IS
CONVINCED THAT THE ONLY SOLUTION LIES WITH THE UNSC. IRAN'S
`NO' TO THE EUROPEANS HAS NOT HAD THE SAME DRAMATIC IMPACT IN
THE U.S. AS IT HAS IN EUROPE. WASHINGTON WAS NOT OPENLY
COMMITTED TO THE LATEST CRISIS. IF THE IRANIAN POSITION HAS
ELICITED SUCH LITTLE REACTION FROM THE U.S. IT IS BECAUSE
WASHINGTON DID NOT EXCEPT MUCH FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS. THE NEW
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UN, JOHN BOLTON, HAS BEEN WORKING ON
THE IRANIAN ISSUE FOR YEARS AND CANNOT WAIT TO GET HIS HANDS
ON IT. THE UN COULD WELL BE THE KEY TO RESOLVING THE CRISIS.
EVEN IF MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE AMERICANS AND THE EUROPEANS ONCE THE
QUESTION OF SANCTIONS IS BROACHED."

IRAQ
"DOES THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE ARMY DESERVE ITS NAME?"
RIGHT-OF-CENTER FRANCE SOIR (08/09): "FACED WITH THE QUAGMIRE
THAT IRAQ HAS TURNED INTO, THE U.S. ARMY HAS BEEN LACKING AND
SHOWN ITS LIMITATIONS, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF NUMBERS. THE
THREE MAIN PRIORITIES IT SET AT THE START OF THE CONFLICT,
ENDING SADDAM'S REGIME, MAINTAINING ORDER AND RECONSTRUCTING
IRAQ'S INFRASTRUCTURE, REQUIRED, ACCORDING TO EXPERTS, CLOSE
TO 460,000 MEN. BUT ONLY 138,000 MEN ARE PRESENT IN IRAQ. THE
U.S. ARMY IS SUFFERING FROM A CRUEL LACK OF PERSONNEL. ONE CAN
LEGITIMATELY QUESTION THE ABILITY OF THE YOUNG RECRUITS WHO
ARE ABOUT TWENTY YEARS IN AGE AND WHO FOR THE MOST PART SPEAK
ONLY SPANISH, TO HELP MAINTAIN THE PEACE IN IRAQ. HOW IS IT
POSSIBLE THAT THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE ARMY MISESTIMATED THE
TASK TO THIS EXTENT? . THE CREDIBILITY AND SERIOUSNESS OF THE
U.S. ARMY HAVE BEEN TARNISHED EVEN IF THIS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE
A MATTER OF CONCERN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE."

MIDDLE EAST - ISRAELI PULLOUT FROM GAZA AND HAMAS

"CAM HAMAS CHANGE?"
OLIVIER ROY IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (08/09): "AFTER THE
ISRAELI PULLOUT FROM GAZA, HAMAS WILL HAVE CONTROL OF THE
AREA. THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO IMPOSE
ITSELF. THIS NEW SITUATION WILL FORCE HAMAS TO MAKE A CHOICE
BETWEEN A STRATEGY THAT HAS BEEN DEFINED BY THE STRUGGLE TO
LIBERATE PALESTINE AND A POLICY FOR MANAGING THE REGION. THE
CULTURE OF COMBAT WHICH HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN THAT OF HAMAS
WILL NOT DISAPPEAR IN A DAY. THE ROLE THAT ISLAM WILL PLAY IN
THE ATTITUDE ADOPTED BY HAMAS REMAINS AN OPEN QUESTION. UNTIL
NOW, ISLAM HAS PLAYED THE ROLE OF A MOBILIZING FORCE WITHIN
HAMAS IN ITS WAR FOR NATIONAL LIBERATION. IN THE LONG RUN IT
WOULD BE LOGICAL FOR HAMAS TO TURN FROM A CULTURE OF WAR TO A
CULTURE OF POLITICAL POWER. IN THE SHORT TERM IT WILL TRY TO
NAVIGATE BETWEEN THE TWO." HOFMANN

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