Cablegate: Media Reaction Report - Foiled London Attack

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Lucia A Keegan 08/14/2006 05:17:00 PM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan

Cable
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APPROVED: PRS:
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CLEARED: NONE

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DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY; BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU;
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SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - Foiled London Attack
Israel-Lebanon Conflict - UN Negotiations
PARIS - Friday, August 11, 2006

(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT:

Foiled London Attack
Israel-Lebanon Conflict - UN Negotiations

B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE:

The thwarted terrorist attack at London's Heathrow airport has
replaced the Israeli-Lebanese conflict on today's front pages,
although commentaries and headlines speak of "another war" and link
the foiled attack to resentment brought on by the latest Middle East
conflict. (See Part C)

For Le Figaro "The World Is on Alert" while the editorial is titled:
"The Other War." Liberation headlines "War in the Skies." La Croix's
headline "The Terrorist Awakening" is followed by the following
subheading: "With the Middle East war as a backdrop, Al Qaeda is the
number one suspect." This opinion is shared by several Middle East
experts.

President Bush's remark about "Islamic fascism" is prominently
reported in Le Figaro. TF1 and FR2 television quote President Bush;
TF1 in particular showed surprise at the President's tone which the
journalist found "firm and almost martial." Le Parisien, which calls
the attack "'A Direct Threat to the United States'," summarizes the
White House's reaction to the foiled attack and quotes President
Bush's response: "We are at war with Islamic fascists who are ready
to use all means to destroy us and do us harm."

An expert on Islamic fundamentalism, Dominique Thomas in his
interview in Le Figaro says "the Lebanese war has been the
detonator, even if it is not the only cause behind the planned
attacks." Olivier Roy, director of research at the CNRS, says in Le
Parisien: "yesterday's events carry al Qaeda's signature without a
doubt. The question is: what is its degree of implication..." Al
Qaeda plotting does not play a role in the Israeli-Lebanese
conflict, Roy says, though "al Qaeda tries to capitalize on all
conflicts" to recruit "fascinated youths."
In Liberation another expert, Paul Wilkinson, comments on the new
terrorist methods: "it is clear the terrorists are looking for
alternative explosives which are less easily detected than
conventional military explosives." Wilkinson believes that
"terrorist cells are still very much operational on the European
continent."

On the Lebanese-Israeli front, Liberation announces that the UN is
close to reaching an agreement, with France proposing a "gradual
pullout" (See Part C) while a number of reports indicate that Israel
is holding off on its "major offensive." Liberation and FR2
television announce that Israel has not yet launched its great
offensive into Lebanon "to let diplomacy do its job." In Le Figaro a
former high official of the UNIFIL, Timor Goksel says: "Hezbollah is
just waiting for Israel to push further into Lebanon. If Tsahal goes
to the banks of the Litani river, it will be mired in Hezbollah's
trap." La Croix carries remarks by French General Loup Francart
about Hezbollah's challenges for the Israeli army: the difficulty
lies in the asymmetry of the fighting. Despite the slow progress,
Francart says "the Israeli army is no less accustomed to fighting
guerillas."

(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES:

Foiled London Attack

"The Other War"
Yves Threard in right-of-center Le Figaro (08/11): "While all eyes
are on the Middle East, there is another unfinished war going on...
which demonstrates that Muslim fundamentalism is this century's
principal enemy... This is a crusade which recruits its fighters
from the poor suburbs of Cairo, but also from those of our western
capitals and from Afghanistan's tribal areas... While many will see
the latest Middle East war and the on going war in Iraq as a
detonator... this attack and anti-West hatred have deep roots going
way back in time... The arrest of Bin Laden, a U.S. pullout from
Iraq or pacification of the Middle East will not stop this Jihad...
We must persevere in a merciless war against those who serve this
reactionary war."
"Venom"
Gerard Dupuy in left-of-center Liberation (08/11): "The net this
time caught the terrorists, but one day it will allow the sharks to
pass through it... The idea that we've lived so long with this
threat over our heads is so disagreeable that we willingly forget
that nearly every year since 2001, a large attack becomes a
testament to the very real danger. We have to learn to live with it
as some people learn to live with a seismic threat under their feet.
And do everything to warn about coming attacks, endure an XXL
version of "Vigipirate" (the French terrorist warning alert system)
that's already brewing, and refuse to fall into the hysteria of the
war on terrorists which is their most insidious venom. Radical Islam
has several irons in the fire or rather several fires in their Hell.
The Shiite version inspires Hezbollah martyrs in Lebanon. The Sunni
version has ramifications for terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
These Islamists are rivals as much as they are twins... An
aggressive policy as per Bush's complicates the problem but does not
create it... An honorable settlement of the issues of the Middle
East is infinitely desirable but does not resolve all the tensions
that give rise to this terrorism - the more reason to learn to live
with it."

"Contagion"
Dominique Quinio in Catholic La Croix (08/11): "The international
community must get involved in resolving the Lebanese war and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in its own best interest... Until now
the international community has been remiss, but the foiled suicide
attacks should be incentive enough to get it back to work... It is
imperative not to give fundamentalists more fodder for their
cause... like America's failed policy in Iraq."

Middle East - Israel-Lebanon Conflict - UN Negotiations

The UN Close to an Agreement"
Laurent Mauriac in left-of-center Liberation (08/11): "Washington
made a gesture towards France's proposal for 'a gradual pullout'
from Lebanon. This is an important enough step for FM Douste-Blazy
to say that he expected a resolution 'at any moment.' While Kofi
Annan is pressing for a resolution before the end of the week, it is
Washington and Paris's desire not to break up over an issue they
have been handling hand in hand which has allowed the move
forward... A French diplomat acknowledges that 'the Americans, no
more than us, want a break in the negotiations...'"

"Israeli Calculations"
Left-of-center Le Monde in its editorial (08/11): "As always the
military and diplomatic calendars go hand in hand... There is no
chance of Israel losing mastery of the situation, in which it has
expertly mixed military and diplomatic components. While the battle
rages on in Southern Lebanon, at the UN the talks are stalled... and
France is now asking Washington to take into account Lebanon's
demands. The crucial question is 'the nature' of the military
presence in South Lebanon after Tsahal pulls out: an international
force say the U.S. and Israel, the Lebanese army says the Lebanese
government, its Arab allies, and Hezbollah. France is in the middle,
trying to reconcile these two points of view. While the Lebanese
offer and Hezbollah's acceptance represent a turning point,
Washington is rejecting the offer... For Israel and the U.S., time
means an opportunity to achieve more military successes over
Hezbollah. But time is working against Lebanon and its casualties."
STAPLETON

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