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ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081317Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6233
INFO RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
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RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1669
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BERLIN 000028
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PAPD, EUR/PPA, EUR/CE, INR/EUC, INR/P,
SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/DSAA, DIA FOR DC-4A
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"PERISHABLE INFORMATION -- DO NOT SERVICE"
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TAGS: OPRC KMDR KGHG IR PK RS NATO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AVIATION SECURITY, IRAN, EU-TURKEY,
U.S.-CHINA, COPTIC CHRISTIANS;BERLIN
1. Lead Stories Summary
2. Aviation Security
3. Iranian regime
4. U.S.-Chinese Relations
5. Turkish EU Membership Bid
6. Killings of Christians in Egypt
1. Lead Stories Summary
ZDF-TV's and ARD-TV's primetime newscasts opened with reports that
the Laender have ordered too much vaccine against the H1N1 flu and
that they are now in talks with pharmaceutical companies to reduce
these orders. Print media led with a variety of stories ranging
from a retrial of a police officer over the death of an asylum
seeker, to Foreign Minister Westerwelle's trip to Turkey
(Sueddeutsche), the most recent DeutschlandTrend opinion poll (Die
Welt), to an interview with NRW's Minister President Ruettgers
(FAZ). Editorials focused on the retrial over the death of an
asylum seeker in Dessau and on the state of the coalition.
2. Aviation Security
ARD-TV's Tagesschau led this morning with a story saying "U.S.
President Obama ordered stricter security measures after the
thwarted attack on a passenger plane. He believes in stricter
checks at airports and new technology to find explosives. Obama
also accepted the responsibility for the mistakes in the run-up to
the attempted attack." The report showed the President saying:
"This incident was not the fault of a single individual or
organization, but rather a systemic failure across organizations and
agencies... And when the system fails, it is my responsibility."
Spiegel Online headlined "Obama takes responsibility for the failure
of the system," and highlighted: "U.S. authorities made dramatic
mistakes prior to the attempted attacks in Detroit. 'The system has
failed,' said Obama after an official analysis of the mistakes. He
announced tougher checks of passengers and made clear who is
responsible: he himself."
Sueddeutsche carried a report under the headline: "Late Warning
Against The Attacker," and reported: "U.S. security agencies became
suspicious of the alleged attacker Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab only
during the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit and they planned to
interrogate him after landing. This is the result of the
investigative report on the circumstances of the prevented terrorist
attack, which the White House published on Thursday. At the center
of criticism is the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) that
was created in 2004 to process the abundance of data that the 16
U.S. intelligence services create day after day. Despite existing
indications, the NCTC did not warn against Abdulmutallab. However,
for the time being, no one expects President Obama to fire any of
the responsible officials after the failure."
Under the headline: "Naked Nonsense," weekly Die Zeit dealt with the
failed terrorist attack and argued: "The threat from al-Qaida and
other terrorist groups is real and possibly deadly, but what is the
conclusion from this insight? Is it compelling evidence that body
scanners should be put up at all airports? The answer is 'no.' The
failed terrorist attempt primarily demonstrates that the billions of
dollars that the U.S. invested do not guarantee any protection. And
it shows that the intelligence services again failed to correctly
process the abundance of data they had collected. The use of body
scanners would not have changed this fact. The 'naked scanners'
would not have necessarily recognized the kind of explosives that
Umar Faruk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate in Detroit. And it has
thus far been a promise by scientists that the new version of
scanners is able to do this. This debate over full-body scanners
replaces serious thinking about the right approach to control
passengers. It suggests that there is a solution that guarantees
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security. But this is wrong. Only slowly people are beginning to
realize that the probably safest airport in the world, Ben Gurion
Airport in Tel Aviv, does without full-body scanners. Israeli
security agencies pin their hopes on human, not technical,
intelligence, on well-trained, well-paid security personnel that
looks for suspects instead of making every old lady a potential
suspect. But such 'profiling' costs money and cannot be so easily
implemented by politicians as a new technical device. This hectic
call for body scanners alone will not jeopardize our freedom. But
much more worrying is how quickly people fall back into the
automatism of calling for even more technical state-of-the-art
devices following each new attack, and how quickly we tend to forget
that absolute security does not exist."
Regional daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung judged: "What is
going to happen to terror suspects after their transfer? In Saudi
Arabia, they land in obscure re-education camps. In Yemen, they
were released after mock trials... and continue to operate their
al-Qaida network. Is everything better than Guantanamo? Thus far,
none of the prisoners has come to Germany because the government in
Berlin is refusing to accept any of them. But those who call for
the end of the lawlessness in Guant namo must also do something for
it: with the power of the rule of law. Trials against two former
suspects who were transferred from Guant namo, are currently taking
place in Italy. Germany should follow suit."
3. Iranian regime
Die Welt editorialized: "Nobody knows what is going on in the
country of 75 million people, what the future will bring and whether
the West can stop the regime from taking the last steps towards the
nuclear bomb. There are hardly any Western journalists left in the
country, and when they are there they cannot move freely. Given the
experience with Iraq, it can be questioned whether the intelligence
authorities have an accurate picture of the country. In short, we
should be carful about jumping to conclusions about Iran... It is
difficult to say what the West can do in this situation. Any
decision can be the wrong one. However, the West must take action.
It should impose sanctions--if necessary without the Russians and
Chinese--and justify them with human rights violations in Iran. The
Iranian eople need to be assured that they are not alone."
4. U.S.-Chinese Relations
Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized: "The American President has
used his first year in office to reach out to all sides. However,
you can't make a fool out of him without being punished. This is
what China is currently facing. The message from Washington is
reaching Beijing via Taiwan. The democratic island republic, which
is right to complain about an increasing threat of Chinese missiles,
will get Patriot missiles. Beijing's leadership will see this as an
unfriendly act--at the least. Some of the hardliners will use tough
language. The reasonable people in China should make their minds up
about whether it really is in the interest of the country to
threaten the other China, which is so resistant, with military
violence. And it would also be good for China to reconsider whether
it is still a good idea to act like a strong man in the 21st
century... Chinese leaders should be assessed by their actions."
5. Turkish EU Membership Bid
Sueddeutsche Zeitung opined: "The government in Ankara quickly
realized the advantage it has with Westerwelle: the chief diplomat
enjoys his role and does not even think about changing the German
government's recent policy, which, ever since Joschka Fischer and
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has been that Turkey can become a EU
member. It is only a question of time--which can be until the cows
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come home. In addition, Westerwelle does not care to oppose his
coalition partner in Berlin, who is skeptical about Turkey...
Concerning Ankara, Westerwelle is right. For the first time in
decades and maybe in history, Turkey is pursuing a global foreign
policy that aims to resolve conflicts. Dashing Turkey's hopes to
become an EU member at this time would be very unwise. Europe can
in fact benefit from good relations to Ankara. Stopping the EU
talks, as demanded by some CDU and CSU politicians, would snub those
in Turkey who see Europe as a guarantee for a further
democratization of the country."
Handelsblatt remarked: "FDP Chairman Westerwelle has made things
clear in Ankara. While the CSU calls the coalition contract into
question with its call to immediately stop the EU membership
negotiations, Westerwelle said more bluntly than ever before that he
stands by what the EU and Turkey have agreed. Given the
Chancellor's silence, the clarification was bitterly necessary. For
a long time, Europe has snubbed Turkey and undermined the EU
membership process that has led to massive and important reforms in
the country. Westerwelle was right to make clear that it remains
important to Germany that Turkey gets closer to Europe, also under
the CDU/CSU-FDP government."
6. Killings of Christians in Egypt
Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized: "The consensus between the
Muslim majority and the Muslim minority is one of the main values of
modern Egypt. The killing of six Copts and one Muslim shows that
fanatics among Muslims call this consensus into question. Time and
again, there have been tensions between the two religious groups.
The recent killings are supposed to be an act of revenge. However,
the fact that the killer is known to the police and enjoys the
protection of local politicians speaks against this theory. The
spiral of violence must be stooped."
Regional daily Wiesbadener Kurier commented: "Following the bloody
attack on a Coptic Church in Egypt, one thing must be kept in mind:
It is not Islam, but Islamism that is threatening Christians. The
supporters of this ideology live in religious states, in Tehran and
Riyadh. In disintegrating states such as Somalia and Afghanistan,
the radicals are also fed with money from robberies and drug
trafficking. Much would be won if such sources of support could be
closed because the ones who persecute Christians are enemies of all
peace-loving people, including Muslims."
DELAWIE