Cablegate: Media Reaction: Climate, Mideast, Iran U.S.-India,

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BERLIN 001499

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PAPD, EUR/PPA, EUR/CE, INR/EUC, INR/P,
SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/DSAA, DIA FOR DC-4A

VIENNA FOR CSBM, CSCE, PAA

"PERISHABLE INFORMATION -- DO NOT SERVICE"

SIPDIS

E.0. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO KGHG XF IR IN ECON
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CLIMATE, MIDEAST, IRAN U.S.-INDIA,
ECONOMIC;BERLIN

1. Lead Stories Summary
2. (Climate) Copenhagen Summit
3. (Mideast) Israel-Palestinian Conflict
4. (Iran) Nuclear Conflict
5. (U.S.-India) Singh in Washington
6. (Economic) Financial Crisis

1. Lead Stories Summary

Print media led with many different stories this morning, ranging
from
the discussion over whether the government's child allowance should
be
handed out as a cash payment or as a voucher (Frankfurter
Rundschau),
an increase in rents in Berlin (Tagesspiegel) and on growing
resistance by the LQnder to the federal government's plan to lower
taxes (FAZ, Sueddeutsche). Editorials focused on Foreign Minister
Westerwelle's visit to Israel and the EU talks about the future of
Opel. ZDF-TV's early evening newscast heute and ARD-TV's early
evening newscast Tagesschau opened with a story on the discussion in

the EU over subsidies for Opel.

2. (Climate) Copenhagen Summit

In a report headlined: "EU Warns U.S. Against Failure of Climate
Summit," Handelsblatt (11/24) wrote: "Almost two weeks before the
beginning of the climate summit in Copenhagen, the EU has increased

pressure on the United States and other nations such as India and
China. At their meeting on Monday, the EU environment ministers
said
that the Copenhagen summit must approve clear reduction targets with

respect to greenhouse gases as well as financial commitments for
climate protection measures in the Third World. They said that
noncommittal announcements would not be enough. With this
statement,
the EU is now embarking upon a collision course with the United
States
which has thus far only planned national climate protection
measures.
At the same time, the Europeans are increasing their expectations in

the summit. German Environment Minister Norbert RQttgen said no
country should evade climate protection. He added that, with its
legislation, the United States would move in the right direction and

that is why it would be wrong to blame the Americans for negative
developments. But he also said: 'The extent, the degree, and the
intensity [of U.S. environmental legislation] are still not enough.'

He said: 'We want the United States to do justice to its leading
role.' He also warned that, if the Copenhagen conference did not
produce a result, this would have 'disastrous consequences.'"

Financial Times Deutschland (11/24) reported that "the EU
environment
ministers agreed on a defensive tactic at their meeting in Brussels
on
Monday. They only want to make concessions if the Americans also
finally move. German Environment Minister RQttgen said that the
domestic debate in the United States would not go fast enough."

Regional daily MQrkische Allgemeine of Potsdam (11/24) argued:
"Indeed, we must warn against excessive expectations in the

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Copenhagen
climate summit. The understanding and good will are at best
underdeveloped in the political arena - if they exist at all. Of
course, the Western demands are justified that the rest of the world

allows a look into their economic balance sheets and that no one
obscures their emissions with economic tricks. We all in the North

will have to pay the billions for climate protection and the impact
of
climate change. That is why the use of these funds must be clearly

laid down and controlled to protect it from disappearing in dark
channels, but will resulted in the desired effect. If an agreement
on
fair emissions quotas and financing modalities can be reached, then
a
lot will have been achieved."

3. (Mideast) Israel-Palestinian Conflict

All papers reported on a possible Israeli deal with Hamas on the
exchange of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. FAZ (11/24) headlined:
"Netanyahu: No Agreement Yet," and wrote that "Prime Minister
Netanyahu denied reports that Israel had reached a deal with Hamas
on
the exchange of prisoners." Sueddeutsche reported of a possible
cease-fire between Hamas and Israel and wrote: "The sudden soft tone

of Hamas and its combat brigades may have many reasons - Israeli
superiority or the exhaustion of the people caused by the war and
the
blockade. But currently the radicals in the government could
primarily be interested in not jeopardizing negotiations mediated by

German negotiators about the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier
Gilad Shalit. On Monday, a Hamas delegation travelled to Cairo to
fine-tune the talks. One day before, Israel's President Shimon
Peres
was in Cairo. Some even expect a release in the coming days, but
this
was expected often over the past three years.

Die Welt (11/24) headlined: "Will Hamas Release Israeli Hostage
Gilad
Shalit?" and wrote: "A breakthrough in the secret talks on an
exchange
of prisoners between Israel and Hamas could result in the release of

Israeli soldier Gilat Shalit this week or next week. Following a
meeting between Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli President
Shimon Peres said that 'there is no doubt important progress in the

Shalit matter, but the details should be kept behind the scenes for

the time being.'

4. (Iran) Nuclear Conflict

Berliner Zeitung (11/24) analyzed Iran's policy under the headline:

"Survival Instinct Determines Iran's Course," and argued: "The
Iranian
leadership is not giving an inch. It has now rejected the
compromise
proposal of the international community on the enrichment of
uranium.
In addition, the trials against opposition politicians continue, and

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on Sunday, the biggest-ever maneuver began in which the armed forces

are testing the defense against air strikes on nuclear power plants.

With this attitude, Iran seems to justify the view of all those in
Israel and the West who consider talks with Iran a waste of time and

see the regime in Tehran as a threat to the West and Israel in
particular. But representatives of this view are provoking the
things
they want to prevent: an escalation and thus a danger for peace.
They
totally ignore the reasons for Iran's attitude.... Such talks can
be
successful only if one knows the views and fears of the other side.

From Tehran's point of view, the situation is threatening. The
United
States has militarily encircled Iran, its forces are in Iraq and
Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, and the U.S.
allies nearby, Pakistan, India and Israel have nuclear weapons. In

the case of Iran, there has been no evidence that it wants to build

the bomb. And second, there is no apparent reason why Iran should
use
the bomb, given the military situation in the region. Opposition
politicians, who are under pressure, are asking the West not to
intensify sanctions or attack Iran. The pressure of sanctions
resulted in Ahamdinejad becoming president. The regime uses this as
a
pretext to eliminate the opposition and discredit them among many
Iranians."

5. (U.S.-India) Singh in Washington

Frankfurter Allgemeine's (11/24) Washington correspondent Matthias
Rb
reported under the headline: "A little Bit of Nostalgia," and wrote:

"People in Washington are generous with symbols, even if this
results
in stretching the protocol. High-ranking U.S. government officials

told the media that this was the first state banquet President Obama

has given for a state visitor since coming to office in January.
But
the fact that Washington is showering India's Prime Minister
Manmohan
Singh with all kinds of affection laid down in the protocol should
not
be considered something to cheer him up. Of course, Delhi knows
that
Obama only recently returned from a trip to East Asia whose main
focus
was China. In India, many commentators are worried that a cooling
down will take place in Indian-U.S. relations under President Obama

following the almost spectacular development in relations under
President Bush. In Delhi, the main concern is that, under Obama,
the
security policy focus in the region could transfer to the fight
against al-Qaida and the Taliban and that Washington, in the
conflict
between Pakistan and India, could take side with Islamabad. For
India, for instance, clear U.S. support for India's desire for a

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seat
on the UNSC would be a more obvious sign of the significance of the

partnership with India than general assurances. Delhi is reacting
very sensitively, when Washington and Beijing express their joint
concern about an escalation of the Indian-Pakistani conflict -- as
if
China should play the role of a mediator. But Washington will try
to
dispel these concerns. For quite some time, however, Prime Minister

Singh is likely to feel some degree of nostalgia for ex-President
Bush
for the U.S.-Indian nuclear agreement, which can be considered a
milestone and a personal legacy of Bush and Singh for U.S.-Indian
relations."

6. (Economic) Financial Crisis

Regional daily KQlner Stadt-Anzeiger (11/24) argued: "The previous
crisis is not even over when we hear warning about the next crisis.

Fears that another bubble could soon burst at the financial markets

cannot be ignored. Incredible amounts of liquidity are available on
a
global scale. This is money that seeks possibilities to invest.
This
has little to do with the economic game of supply and demand, but
this
is primarily money to speculate. Neither politicians nor central
bankers, let alone the banks, have used the time to build in
securities. A new crisis will become even worse as ECB President
Trichet is rightfully warning. The central banks must begin to make

money more expensive. This is a tightrope act, but they must do it.

It is their main task to find ways and means on how to get unfounded

speculation, which is called greed in this crisis, under control."

MURPHY

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