Cablegate: Media Reaction Report - Uzbekistan - Uprising And

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 003316

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 - UZBEKISTAN - UPRISING AND
REPRISAL - U.S. ROLE EUROPEAN ISSUES - LAMY TO WTO
PARIS - MONDAY, MAY 16, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

UZBEKISTAN - UPRISING AND REPRISAL - U.S. ROLE
EUROPEAN ISSUES - LAMY TO WTO

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

ALTHOUGH MOST FRONT PAGES ARE DEVOTED TO SOCIAL ISSUES
CONNECTED TO CONTROVERSY OVER THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO
DESIGNATE WHIT MONDAY A WORKDAY, TRIGGERING SOCIAL
DEMONSTRATIONS AND STRIKES, UZBEK VIOLENCE IS ONE OF TODAY'S
MAJOR INTERNATIONAL STORIES. A REPORT IN LIBERATION TITLED
"REPRESSION IN THE NAME OF `ISLAMIC THREAT'" ADDS: "TASHKENT
IS COMBATING THE REBELLION WITH THE HELP OF MOSCOW AND
WASHINGTON." BUT AN OP-ED IN LE FIGARO CONTENDS THAT THE UZBEK
UPRISING MAY BE CAUSED BY A NEW US POLICY IN THE REGION OF
FOMENTING MANAGED CONFLICT TO WEAKEN AND DESTABILIZE POWERS
SUCH AS RUSSIA AND CHINA. (SEE PART C)

THE DEMONSTRATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN OVER ACCUSATIONS OF U.S.
INTERROGATORS DEFILING THE KORAN IN GUANTANAMO ARE REPORTED IN
AN ARTICLE IN LE FIGARO TITLED: "KARZAI WANTS TO QUIET ANTI-
AMERICAN ANGER." MARIE FRANCE CALLE WRITES: "AFGHANISTAN HAS
JUST EXPERIENCED ITS MOST VIOLENT ANTI-AMERICAN DEMONSTRATIONS
SINCE THE FALL OF THE TALIBAN REGIME. AND KARZAI, WHO HAS
NEVER HIDDEN THE FACT THAT HE WAS AMERICA'S INDEFECTIBLE ALLY,
ALSO RAISES THE QUESTION OF `WHO BENEFITS FROM THE CRIME' .
ADDING: `IN IRAN AND PAKISTAN, SURPRISINGLY, THERE HAVE BEEN
NO SUCH DEMONSTRATIONS." AND CALLE CONCLUDES: "CLEARLY THE
AFGHAN PRESIDENT IS AS EVER VERY DISTRUSTFUL OF HIS NEIGHBORS,
PAKISTAN AND IRAN."

SECRETARY RICE'S VISIT TO NORTHERN IRAQ AND BAGHDAD IS BRIEFLY

SIPDIS
NOTED, WITH LE FIGARO REPORTING: "SHE CONFIRMED THAT THE U.S.
AND THE EU SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
IN JUNE TO DETERMINE THE TYPE OF MATERIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL
AID TO BRING TO IRAQ" IN AN ARTICLE TITLED: "SURPRISE VISIT BY
RICE TO KURDISTAN AND BAGHDAD."

THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION AND THE REFERENDUM CONTINUE TO BE
PROMINENTLY REPORTED. THE LATEST POLL BY IFOP SHOWS THE `YES'
DROPPING BACK TO 46 PERCENT, WITH THE `NO' UP TO 54 PERCENT.
COMPARED TO THE LAST IFOP POLL, THE `NO' IS THUS GAINING 4
POINTS. LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION HEADLINES "A CONTAGIOUS `NO'
IN EUROPE." ECONOMIC LES ECHOS DEVOTES A MAJOR REPORT TO
FRANCE'S WEIGHT IN EUROPE, DEPENDING ON THE OUTCOME OF THE
VOTE. ONE REPORT IS TITLED "FOR EUROPEANS, FRANCE IS
`ARROGANT' BUT `INDISPENSABLE" WHILE IN AN INTERVIEW ON
FRANCE'S DECLINE ELIE COHEN OF CNRS SAYS: "SEEN FROM LONDON,
NEW YORK AND BRUSSELS (THIS DECLINE) IS OBVIOUS. FRANCE'S
OPPOSITION TO THE U.S. OVER IRAQ WAS PERCEIVED DIFFERENTLY BY
PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL LEADERS. THE FORMER APPRECIATED
FRANCE'S `OPPOSITION,' WHILE POLITICAL LEADERS REGRETTED THE
FACT THAT NOTHING CONCRETE WAS OFFERED IN TERMS OF COUNTER
PROPOSALS."

A REPORT ANNOUNCED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF LE FIGARO "HOW FRANCE
IS STRENGTHENING ITS LOBBYING EFFORTS IN BRUSSELS" IS ANALYZED
IN THE ECONOMIC PAGES CONCLUDING THAT THESE EFFORTS HAVE BEEN
INSTRUMENTAL IN FOUR AREAS: THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY, ACCOUNTING
STANDARDS, CINEMATOGRAPHY AND THE STEEL INDUSTRY.

SEVERAL REPORTS NOTE THAT PASCAL LAMY WILL BE HEADING THE WTO.
LEFT-OF-CENTER LE MONDE TITLES ITS REPORT: "THE FRENCHMAN,
PASCAL LAMY, WITH THE SUPPORT OF WASHINGTON, TO HEAD THE WTO."
THE EDITORIAL IN LES ECHOS IS TITLED: "THE WTO, OR THE RACE
BETWEEN THE SHERIFF AND THE THIEF." (SEE PART C)

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

UZBEKISTAN - UPRISING AND REPRISAL - U.S. ROLE

"WHAT IS BEHIND THE ATTACKS IN ANDIJAN?"
SEMIH VANER OF CERI (CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
STUDIES) IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (05/16): "WHAT IS
CERTAIN IS ISLAM KARIMOV'S ALL-REPRESSION APPROACH, AND NGOS
ARE BRINGING THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY. HIS OPPONENTS EXPLAIN THAT THE ABSENCE OF DEMOCRACY
OPENS THE WAY TO PROTEST MOVEMENTS OF A STRICTLY ISLAMIC
NATURE. OF ALL THE REGIONAL POWERS, THE ONE WEIGHING IN THE
MOST IN UZBEKISTAN IS RUSSIA. THE U.S., WHICH CONSIDERS THAT
KARIMOV'S REGIME IS THE FIRST TO HAVE BENEFITED ECONOMICALLY
AND POLITICALLY FROM THE FALL OF THE TALIBAN REGIME, IS
CONCERNED OVER THE ALARMING LACK OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN UZBEKISTAN
AND IS THREATENING TO CURTAIL ITS MILITARY AND ECONOMIC AID.
THERE IS A DEBATE OVER THE NEW U.S. POLITICAL APPROACH IN THE
REGION, COMING FROM RUSSIA FOR THE MOST PART, AND IMPLYING
THAT `MANAGED CONFLICTS' IS A POLICY THAT AIMS TO WEAKEN
POTENTIAL ENEMIES, IN THIS INSTANCE RUSSIA AND CHINA AND THAT
U.S. INTELLIGENCE, BUT ALSO EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE, ARE
INVOLVED IN THIS NEW REGIONAL `GREAT GAME.'"

"REPRESSION IN THE NAME OF `ISLAMIC THREAT'"
LORRAINE MILLOT IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (05/16): "IT IS
PERHAPS TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE USE OF BRUTE FORCE IS
ONLY TRIGGERING THE BIRTH OF NEW CLANDESTINE ISLAMIC CELLS.
THE U.S., WHICH IS INCREASINGLY PRESENT IN THE REGION, AND
WHICH HAS CERTAINLY UNDERSTOOD THIS PHENOMENON, HAS RECENTLY
ENCOURAGED A `DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION' IN NEIGHBORING
KIRGHIZSTAN. THESE RECENT INTERVENTIONS, IN KIRGHIZSTAN AND
AFGHANISTAN, ARE FORCING THE U.S. TODAY TO PROVE THAT
`PROMOTING DEMOCRACY' IN FORMER SOVIET UNION COUNTRIES CAN
HELP TO RESOLVE SERIOUS CRISES."

EUROPEAN ISSUES - LAMY TO WTO

"THE WTO, OR THE RACE BETWEEN THE SHERIFF AND THE THIEF"
FRANCOIS CROUIGNEAU IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES ECHOS (05/16):
"BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA, WAR IS NOT DECLARED, YET. BUT
WASHINGTON HAS SET THE TONE. WHILE THE EUROPEANS WOULD LIKE
BRUSSELS TO FOLLOW AMERICA'S EXAMPLE OVER TEXTILE QUOTAS,
CHINA'S RESPONSE IS SETTING THE STAGE FOR FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS
AT THE WTO. THIS ORGANIZATION IS BOTH FEARED AND DENIGRATED.
IT IS FEARED BECAUSE IT HAS NEVER SHIED AWAY FROM CONDEMNING
THE POWERFUL. AND IT IS DENIGRATED FOR REASONS WHICH ARE AS
NUMEROUS AS THEY ARE CONTRADICTORY. THE GAME OF PUNCHING BALL
PLAYED BY THE NORTH, THE SOUTH, THE LIBERAL AND THE NOT SO
LIBERAL IS A GAME WHOSE MANY DANGERS PASCAL LAMY KNOWS VERY
WELL. HE HAS CALLED THE ORGANIZATION `MEDIEVAL' AND HIS
GREATEST CHALLENGE WILL BE THE FUTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION
ITSELF. THE WTO HAS OFTEN BEEN CALLED THE SHERIFF OF
INTERNATIONAL TRADE. IN THE GAME OF SHERIFF AGAINST THIEF,
LAMY WILL NEED MUCH POLITICAL AUTHORITY TO ACQUIRE MORE POWER
IN ORDER TO REFORM AN ORGANIZATION LACKING IN CREDIBILITY."
WOLFF

© Scoop Media