Cablegate: Media Reaction: 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BERLIN 001416

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SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/DSAA, DIA FOR DC-4A

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TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO KGHG GM US AF
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin
Wall, CLIMATE, AFGHANISTAN, Health Care Reform;BERLIN

1. Lead Stories Summary
2. Fall of the Wall Anniversary
3. Climate Change Copenhagen
4. Afghanistan
5. Health Care Reform

1. Lead Stories

ARD-TV's primetime newscast opened with a story on the celebrations
of the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago. Many media carried
photos of the giant dominos that will topple along the former path
of the Wall. "The wall will fall once again," the caption of
Sueddeutsche's front-page photo of the dominos and the Brandenburg
Gate remarked. ZDF-TV's primetime newscast opened with a story on
Saarland's coalition agreement. All media highlighted that the
House of Representatives approved President Obama's health bill.
Frankfurter Allgemeine led with the headline: "Obama: Health care
reform still this year."

2. Fall of the Wall Anniversary

All German media carried lengthy reports on the 20th anniversary of
the fall of the wall, highlighting: "20 years of freedom--Berlin
celebrates. The capital is commemorating with great festivity the
fall of the Wall and the peaceful revolution of 1989. State and
government leaders from all around the world are visiting. Hundreds
of thousands of visitors are in town," (Berliner Zeitung).

Die Welt led with the headline "November 9: a day that wrote
history. In Berlin, state leaders and visitors want to celebrate
'the happiest day in recent German history' (Angela Merkel) together
with the Germans." In an editorial, the paper stated: "We celebrate
the courage of the people who place freedom above all, risked
everything and won everything. The wall did not fall down, it was
brought down."

Frankfurter Allgemeine remarked in a front-page editorial that this
year's Nobel Peace Prize should have been given to the people who
helped bring about the peaceful revolution in 1989: "Above all,
there is one name that pops out: [former Chancellor] Kohl. Among
the politicians of the time, he contributed most to the fact that
the collapse of a dictatorship and the end of an ideology led
straight to the process of Germany's reunification and to that of
the whole continent being united in peace and freedom. The miracle
of Berlin was followed by the miracle of Europe.... The chain
reaction that ran through the Eastern part of the continent led to
the fact that Europe's nations can live today in freedom, peace and
security."

Sueddeutsche editorialized: "Germans easily tend to forget in their
festivities on the fall of the Wall that the year 1989 was not a
national event. 1989 was much bigger: The epochal year shook the
whole world, probably more than the two world wars with their
devastating impact in the first part of the terrible 20th century.
November 9, 1989 is a symbolic day for a geopolitical turning point
and the beginning of a new world order. With the fall of the Wall,
the Eurocentric worldview began to fade, political and economic
forces were set free that led to the rapid growth of entire global
regions, and accelerated cultural destruction and social change.
Europe lost its significance as the axis of politics and the
battlefield of ideologies and power claims."

Frankfurter Rundschau commented: "The lesson we should learn from
1989 is to take action on the social and economic realities of
today. The people in East Germany stood up to take action without
being certain that they could be successful. They would have had
more reason to be doubtful than everyone else today who leans back,
believing that change is not possible. We would waste the legacy of

BERLIN 00001416 002 OF 003

the peaceful transformation of Eastern Europe if we did not
translate them into the requirements of our time."

Rheinische Post editorialized: "The iron curtain, the wall, the
death strip-they all went right through Germany. Only the fall of
the Wall opened a prospect of establishing a new world order that
reduced the confrontation and opened up the European Union towards
the East. Europe is growing together with breathtaking speed."

3. Climate Copenhagen

Berliner Zeitung carried a critical editorial on Chancellor Merkel's
efforts to push for climate protection and the Copenhagen summit:
"Doubts have been increasing. It was disappointing to see how
rarely Merkel has addressed the issue of her own accord and put it
on the political agenda. She was actually more concerned to water
down the environmental regulations for European cars and industries
to do a favor to the moaning German business world. She could
repair this mistake now. The G20 ministerial in Scotland failed to
reach an agreement on the emerging countries' contribution to
climate protection. This is a particularly bad omen for the
Copenhagen summit in four weeks. Only with enormous efforts will a
compromise for an international agreement be reached. This is an
historically important meeting. However, Merkel is hesitating and
wonders whether she should go there at all. By putting everything
into it, she could increase the chance of success. If she stays at
home, she will have finally gambled away her reputation as climate
chancellor."

4. Afghanistan

Sueddeutsche headlined "Reconstruction workers instead of soldiers,"
adding: "A change has been indicated in America's policy on
Afghanistan: Washington pushes for a new civilian coordinator."

Frankfurter Rundschau analyzed Britain's approach: "By exerting
additional pressure on Karzai, PM Brown tries to assuage the
sentiment at home. Simultaneously, there are considerations to
withdraw British soldiers to safer places... Also army personnel
are wondering whether such measures could indeed quieten the
increasing calls to withdraw troops. Without the support of the
people the war could not be successful.... Many British people
believe their government leader could get lost in the difficult
parts of Afghanistan, just like his predecessor Blair in Iraq."

5. Health Care Reform

Sueddeutsche editorialized: "The tough battle in the House of
Representatives indicates how difficult it will still be to
implement the reform. The approval by the Senate is anything but
certain. A handful of Democrats is opposing the bill in the Senate.
They are afraid of their voters.... Failure would inevitably get
the Republicans a majority in the Congress again in 2010. Even
conservative Democrats cannot want this."

Under the headline "Only a small success for Obama," Berliner
Zeitung remarked: "This was not yet the great liberating success for
Obama. The paralyzing dispute over the U.S. health care reform is
simply going into the next round. The result is unpredictable. By
approving the bill in the House of Representatives, Obama's
democrats took the bull by the horns. The fear to be left behind
with nothing is uniting them right now. Recent election defeats in
Virginia and New Jersey demonstrated what would happen if the
governing party does not rule.... Obama needs this reform-quickly.
Too many problems are on his plate to allow Washington to be
paralyzed by the dispute over health care. Unemployment is the
highest in 25 years. Other reforms are waiting."

BERLIN 00001416 003 OF 003

Under the headline "Miracles have a price tag," Tagesspiegel
commented: "It is a success for Barack Obama. A slim majority in
the House of Representatives approved a health care reform that is
close to his ideal. The health care reform has been on the
Democrat's agenda for a very long time. They have never come so
far. However, it was a costly and laborious victory. The majority
was only achieved after compromises were made that the grassroots
consider to be serious: the prohibition to pay for abortion with
healthcare funds.... The draft does not have a chance of getting
through the Senate unchanged. The second part of the Congress will
approve a different version with further significant changes."

MURPHY

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