Cablegate: Media Reaction Report - President Bush to China

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 007812

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 - President Bush to China
Iraq - Senate Vote Internet Summit - Tunisia Avian Flu -
Health Ministers' G7
PARIS - Thursday, November 17, 2005

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

President Bush to China
Iraq - Senate Vote
Internet Summit - Tunisia
Avian Flu - Health Ministers' G7

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

President Bush's trip to China, the Senate's vote on Iraq and
Guantanamo, and the summit in Tunisia with the U.S. retaining
its control over the Internet are today's major front-page
stories.
Reports in Le Monde and Le Figaro emphasize that the Senate
vote marks a disavowal of the President's policy. For
Liberation "the debate over when" the U.S. Army will begin its
pullout from Iraq "is open." (See Part C)

All reports on the Senate vote include details about the
allegations of torture of Sunnis in an Iraqi prison.
Separately, Liberation carries an AFP item on CIA prisons:
"After Spain, Norway, Sweden and Morocco are now alleged to
have been used by the CIA in the transport, detention or
interrogation of detainees." France Soir publishes a
blistering article on U.S. use of phosphorus in Fallujah in
2004. (See Part C)

Reports on the President's visit to Asia include his stop in
China, and his next stop: South Korea. (See Part C) Le Figaro
carries an interview with the South Korean Foreign Affairs
Minister: "Our alliance with Washington is in the midst of a
major change. But it is a strong and sturdy relationship. We
may be more conciliatory about North Korea. But we are more
directly concerned. This does not mean that the nuclear threat
is not crucial for us. When a solution is found on this issue,
we will be in a better position to develop our economic
cooperation with North Korea."

The conclusion of the WSIS in Tunis is generally seen as
successful. For Liberation, "U.S. control is the least of two
evils." Le Monde is somewhat less enthusiastic: "International
control of the Internet would be a good thing. Unless it is
overwhelmingly accepted that Washington alone is capable of
regulating the virtual world as well as the real world." (See
Part C)

France's policy towards integration remains a major story in
connection with the recent violence which erupted in various
cities. Le Figaro carries an op-ed by Nicole Bacharan, an
expert on the U.S., in which she supports the idea of
`positive discrimination' for France: "Rather than complain
about the way other countries portray us and our suburban
violence, it would be more useful if we looked at the methods
others use to favor integration. Affirmative action in the
U.S. merits that we take a closer look."

Catholic La Croix devotes its lead to avian flu and "China's
Big Awakening." In his editorial Francois Ernenwein praises
President Chirac and World Bank Chairman Paul Wolfowitz for
their support to a global strategy to address the threat. (See
Part C)

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

Iraq

"President Bush's Iraq Policy Under Surveillance"
Patrick Jarreau in left-of-center Le Monde (11/17): "The
Senate has expressed doubts about the President's actions in
Iraq and his desire to speed up the transfer of power to the
Iraqis. While the House of Representatives may not go the same
road as the Senate, these initiatives in matters of foreign
policy translate a change of climate for President Bush."
"Iraq, Guantanamo, Torture: The Senate Is Watching"
Corine Lesnes in left-of-center Le Monde (11/17): "The
amendment adopted on Iraq is a rebuke for President Bush.
which reflects the unease which has gripped a public opinion
losing confidence in the strategy of the Bush administration's
exit policy in Iraq."
"Senate Asks Bush to Account for Iraq Policy"
Jean-Luis Turlin in right-of-center Le Figaro (11/17): "Thanks
to Republican votes, the Senate has adopted measures re-
enforcing their control over the President's policies. To a
large extent the measures are a reflection of the growing
unpopularity of the war launched by President Bush. They also
reflect the Republicans' concern of seeing this unpopularity
weighing in on the mid-term elections. The least that can be
said is that the Republicans are no longer united behind the
President. They are beginning to take their distance."

"U.S. Army Used Phosphorous in Iraq"
Thomas de Rochechouart in right-of-center France Soir (11/17):
"The Pentagon finally acknowledged that the U.S. Army did
indeed use white phosphorous in Fallujah. This admission was
made with revolting cynicism. The chemical, which is often
considered as a chemical weapon, one of the weapons of mass
destruction that President Bush accused Saddam Hussein of
having. was presented by Donald Rumsfeld as a `conventional
weapon' and said to be practically harmless. Meanwhile the RAI
News showed another truth. Many bodies found in Fallujah had
blackened faces and were decomposing. The use of the chemical
is fatal: it eats away one's organs from the inside. The
casualties cannot be `accidental.' They are necessarily
victims that were clearly targeted."

President Bush to China

"Bush Challenges China on Democracy."
Philippe Gelie in right-of-center Le Figaro (11/17): "George
Bush's vision for a new Middle East is only at the germinal
stages but he cannot resist the temptation to start looking
elsewhere. In a speech in Kyoto. Bush paid tribute to Japan,
America's closest ally in the region, elevating it to the
status of a model for what all of Asia should become.
President Bush's policy speech was sure to hurt the
sensitivity of his hosts. But China's officials did not wait
for the speech before taking stock of the dangers they are
facing: they are confronted with an American president who is
not only predicting their fall but is asking them to speed it
up by way of international trade."

World Summit on the Information Society

"The Least of Two Evils"
Patrick Sabatier in left-of-center Liberation (11/17): "The
Internet, by nature and by its international avocation, will
not be able to remain under the exclusive control of the U.S.
through their supervision of ICANN. At some point ICANN will
have to cut the umbilical cord that links it to Washington.
But it is a good thing, or the least of two evils, that the
offensive mounted by authoritarian regimes, who wanted the Net
to be placed under the UN under the guise of fighting against
`U.S. dominance,' failed."

"Internet Under the Influence"
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (11/17): "The
compromise reached in Tunis on a status quo for the Internet
as proposed by the U.S. and its ambassador David Gross will
not change the fact that its `internationalization' will need
to be addressed sometime in the future. As will the need to
reduce the `digital fracture' between North and South. The
U.S. clearly wants to retain its sole control. But is this
situation tenable? Conversely, will the Internet gain anything
if its control changes hands? The U.S. rejects the idea of
the international community taking over and raises the specter
of non-democratic nations gaining a hold of the Web. This
argument is not only valid by and of itself, but more so
because the UN has allowed a country like Tunisia, which jails
its Internet surfers, to hold this summit. Yet, Internet is
also a tool that disseminates propaganda. Democracy will make
inroads if such a communications tool were to evolve. Thus
putting the Internet under a generally accepted international
body would make sense. Unless it is overwhelmingly accepted
that Washington alone is capable of regulating the virtual
world as well as the real world."

Avian Flu - Health Ministers' G7

"One World"
Francois Ernenwein in Catholic La Croix (11/17): "Both
President Chirac and World Bank Chairman Paul Wolfowitz
emphasized the need for a global strategy to address the
threat of avian flu. President Bush, while in Asia, reiterated
that the `world must work together.' In Rome today the health
ministers of the G7 will be talking of nothing else. In
Geneva, the international conference that ended on November 9
was crucial: the fact that it decided to earmark close to one
billion dollars in aid to fight against the epizooty in Asia
proves that when threatened with a global epidemic, solidarity
can be effective." STAPLETON

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