Cablegate: Media Reaction Report - Israel - Hezbollah Combat

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Lucia A Keegan 08/07/2006 03:24:57 PM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan

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SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Israel - Hezbollah Combat
Afghanistan
PARIS - Friday, August 04, 2006

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

Israel - Hezbollah Combat
Afghanistan

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

"South Lebanon: A Scorched Earth" (Liberation) gives the tone of
today's lead international story. Yesterday afternoon's Le Monde
carries a front-page interview of Israeli PM Olmert who believes
"France's objection to an international force can be overcome..."
But as announced by Le Figaro on its front page: "General Ahoun does
not want French soldiers in Lebanon," preferring instead
"negotiations with Hezbollah... An international force will in fact
be a force of occupation fighting Hezbollah. This is why the French
do not want to participate... Such a presence would increase the
risk s of a civil war in Lebanon..." Le Figaro's second front-page
story on Lebanon is entitled: "Nasrallah Threatens Tel-Aviv" while
an inside report underscores France's isolation regarding
negotiations with Syria, and French-American disagreements at the
UN. (See Part C)

FR2 television reported that despite Nasralla's threat on Tel Aviv,
PM Ehud Olert said he would not stop the fight, while
TF1 focused on "the UN's helplessness to decide on a cease-fire."
FR2 reported Condoleezza Rice's remarks that "an agreement could be
found soon; the discussions are not over yet."

Le Parisien carries an interview with academic Jean-Paul Chagnollaud
on his predictions for the Israeli-Lebanese conflict: "the U.S.
holds the keys" to resolving the conflict because it is the only
actor able to impose a ceasefire on Israel. Chagnollaud believes
Israel's end goal of eradicating Hezbollah, a "popular movement in
parts of the Arab world," is unlikely to be obtained soon. Israel is
at fault, says Chagnollaud, for failing to attack solely Hezbollah.
He urges France to continue its calls for an immediate ceasefire and
a political accord at the UN: "The more time passes, the more we see
it is the only viable solution."

La Croix leads with "Afghanistan, the Other Terrorist Front." One
article examines intensified Taliban attacks: "They are making life
hard for international coalition troops, as well as for Afghan
forces." La Croix attributes the Taliban's successful recruitment of
young Afghans to the "frustrations of the population" with the Hamid
Karzai administration. The editorial calls for economic development
in Afghanistan as a path to durable peace. (See Part C)

Liberation reports on the comments of the outgoing British
Ambassador to Iraq about "a civil war brewing in Iraq" which
"represents a denial of Blair's position," while Le Figaro quotes
Ambassador Patey as saying that "Mahdi's militia must be kept from
becoming a state within the state, like Hezbollah in Lebanon."

Le Parisien reports on "The White House's Plan" for a post-Castro
Cuba. The article carries cautious overtones in response to U.S.
calls for a democratic transition, citing American critics of the
U.S. position and quotes Democratic political analyst David Sirota's
warnings: "The Bush administration has fallen in the trap set by
Castro." That trap is an appearance of the U.S.'s meddling "where it
has no business," says Sirota. The article further notes the
American press "recommends a lighter measure to facilitate the
transition from dictatorship to democracy: abandoning the
'counterproductive' embargo."

Le Figaro carries an op-ed by Peter Mandelson, the EU Trade
Commissioner, entitled "Europe Does Not Give UP on Doha." Mandelson
believes that the cost of failure is such, that, "we are condemned
to look to the future and go back to the drawing board. While the
political dialogue appears stalled, it is imperative to set it back
on track."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

Israel - Hezbollah Combat
"After the Battle"
Pierre Haski in left-of-center Liberation (07/04): "The
international community, if it can still be called that, is
negotiating on the nature of the force while the strikes continue, a
it nd remains incapable of imposing a ceasefire... The next phase
could turn out to be a major trap for the international force which
risks precipitating the shock between civilizations everyone has
been afraid of... If the force looks like a replacement for Tsahal,
it will become a target of the Lebanese resistance... Because of
America's mired situation in Iraq and the latest setbacks in
Afghanistan, there must be a very strict definition of the force's
mission. While a ceasefire is of the essence, it is also of great
import to prepare the aftermath of the military battle, so as not to
have to pay dearly afterward."

"France Isolated in Its Boycott of Damascus"
Thierry Oberle in right-of-center Le Figaro (07/04): "The European
demarche to dialogue with Syria is widening the gap between Paris
and its European partners. France's overture towards Teheran and its
persisting denial to involve Syria in the Lebanese crisis, as
reiterated yesterday by FM Douste-Blazy, who fears that Syria's
involvement might be used as exchange currency to whitewash Syria of
its responsibility in the assassination of Hariri is distancing
France from the rest of the EU... Meanwhile the U.S. shares France's
stance on Syria."

"Western Divergence Over Damascus and Tehran"
Natalie Nougayrede in left-of-center Le Monde (07/04): "France's
isolation on how to approach the Middle East's latest crisis was
once again brought to light with the Spanish FM's visit to
Damascus... Meanwhile France has made repeated overtures towards
Tehran... Syria's regime has been fingered by both Chirac and Bush
for supporting Hezbollah and facilitating the transit of weapons
coming from Iran. But the U.S. and France differ about Iran.
Washington is sticking to its intransigent position. Still a French
source acknowledges that 'involving Iran in the Lebanese crisis does
represent the risk of having to give in on the nuclear crisis.
Western capitals are aware that both Syria and Iran want to take
advantage of the crisis.' A source in Jerusalem indicated that the
initiative of a dialogue with Syria 'comes from the Americans and
the Israelis' and added that 'Syria is a nation one can talk to,
unlike Iran.'"

"Franco-American Disagreement at the UN"
Guillemette Faure in right-of-center Le Figaro (07/04): "Washington,
rather than emphasizing its differences with Paris, is underscoring
the points of convergence. The idea of two separate resolutions has
resolved one set of issues opposing France and the U.S. Meanwhile
the terminology about a ceasefire is still a bone of contention."

Afghanistan

"Objective: Development"
Francois Ernenwein in Catholic La Croix (07/04): "How can we
transform military victories into lasting peace? In Iraq and in
Afghanistan, the return of the Taliban and the battles which have
ensued, illustrate that implementing democracy despite major
commitments from the international community have not sufficed to
bring civilian peace... By quickly taking over Kabul, Western forces
put an end to a mad dictatorship. But the in depth transformation of
Afghanistan's society is slow in coming.
Afghanistan showed a more positive start than Iraq. But it will
really be on the road to salvation if a true phase of economic
development is implemented." STAPLETON

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