Cablegate: Media Wrap-Up: Dprk's Nuclear Test, Unease with Russia And

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SUBJECT: MEDIA WRAP-UP: DPRK'S NUCLEAR TEST, UNEASE WITH RUSSIA AND
CLIMATE CHANGE. OCTOBER 13, 2006

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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) Three major stories emerged this week: North Korea's
nuclear test, fallout and international reactions to the slaying of
Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and western criticism of
Putin's regime, and commentary on Al Gore's documentary film on
climate change. French media unequivocally saw the DPRK's nuclear
test as a symptom of Western diplomatic failure and warned of the
dangers of nuclear proliferation. (Note: North Korea is also set
to dominate discussion on upcoming weekend (10/14-15) talk shows.
End Note.) In commentaries denouncing the murder of Russian human
rights activist and journalist Anna Politkovskaya, French media
decried the West's complacency vis-a-vis Putin. France's position
on the Kyoto Protocol and previous criticism of the U.S. as the
"world's number one polluter" served as the background for positive
portrayals of former Vice President Al Gore's
political/environmental documentary. End Summary.

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DPRK'S NUCLEAR TEST -- WEST STYMIED
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2. (SBU) With the Iranian nuclear crisis still very much unresolved,
French media were quick to fault the six-way talks, describing the
current crisis as a "setback for the U.S. President," a "diplomatic
fiasco" for China and a "major slap in the face for the West in
general." Right-of-center Le Figaro's editorial suggested that
North Korea's test would serve as a "green light" for Tehran, while
left-wing Liberation asked, "After North Korea, Iran?" Researcher
Therese Delpeche argued in right-of-center Le Figaro that "instead
of one nuclear crisis we now have two." At the start of the week,
left-of-center Le Monde mused skeptically that China could resolve
its dilemma only by imposing sanctions on its "principal ally," but
modified its editorial line over the course of the week to
acknowledge that Beijing was "ready to sanction" Pyongyang. Most
commentators agreed that, because North Korea was already so
isolated, "imposing sanctions would be ineffective." Nevertheless,
government-run FR2 television sympathetically described the U.S. as
seeking "sanctions that would hurt, really hurt." The more
pessimistic among the commentators declared that non-proliferation
"had failed," raising concerns of a "worldwide network of nuclear
dissemination" through a "domino effect." Reports uniformly faulted
North Korea for its "megalomania" while suggesting that its message
"may be one more call for a dialogue with the U.S." Catholic La
Croix reported that "France's entire political class condemned the
test, albeit in different words."

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MEDIA CRITICIZES WEST'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS PUTIN
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3. (SBU) French media outlets used the occasion of Russian human
rights activist and journalist Anna Politkovskaya's murder to pen a
number of opinion pieces asking "whether her death was politically
motivated" and pointedly criticizing Putin's regime.
Right-of-center Le Figaro described Politkovskaya as "Russia's
conscience" while left-of center Le Monde asked whether "her death
would serve as a wake up call for European leaders." Commentators
and political leaders spoke out against "Putin's public relations"
campaign during the recent July G-8 summit in St. Petersburg.
Parliamentarian Pierre Lellouche (UMP) criticized "France's
benevolence towards Russia, an aggressive and hostile nation."
Left-wing Liberation intoned that "although Putin may have been a
mere spectator, he was responsible for setting the stage for
[Russia's] 'theatre of crime.'"

4. (SBU) French media insisted that Putin's visit to Germany,
originally scheduled to discuss energy cooperation issues, took on a
"more political turn" because of the Russian journalist's murder.
French media linked Politkovskaya's murder to ongoing concerns about
Russia's "state-run capitalism," especially in regard to energy
issues. Editorials linked Russian attempts to renegotiate drilling
licenses previously issued to European oil companies operating in
Russia, the controversial pipeline crossing Iran and the Middle
East, as well as the Russian purchases shares in EADS, the parent
company of Airbus to concerns about rule-of-law in Putin's Russia.
Right-of-center economic daily Les Echos characterized Putin's
efforts as "seeking to implement a completely asymmetric economic
relationship with Europe." "France cannot just have trade
agreements with Russia, it must demand that principles be
respected," proclaimed France's Socialist Party, requesting that

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"President Chirac ask for an explanation."

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CLIMATE CHANGE: FRENCH AGREE WITH DOCUMENTARY
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5. (SBU) Left-of-center Le Monde, which carried an interview with
former Vice President Gore in which he declared that the U.S. "will
sign the Kyoto protocol," editorialized on the "curious paradox of a
former Vice President from the world's most polluting nation" coming
to France to elicit interest in climate change from
parliamentarians. Left-wing Liberation argued that Gore's "message
was all the more pertinent because it came from the former Vice
President of a nation which refused to sign the Kyoto protocol."
Left-of-center Le Monde described the initiatives to reduce
emissions by 300 U.S. mayors and governors as "more in line with Al
Gore than President Bush" and noted the local leaders have decided
to act "on their own." Government-run FR2 television claimed that
"since Katrina, Americans have changed their attitude towards
climate change." Significantly, Gore also was the guest of leading
Europe-1 radio interviewer Jean-Pierre Elkabbach. Elkabbach rarely
invites non-French speakers for his morning drive-time 10-minute
segment.
STAPLETON

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