LIBELATION ? Who tries to harm Franco-Spanish/US relations and why ? CoE+EU Elections deserve better

(Opinion).

Who tried to harm the good relations between France and Spain, at the eve of Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero's visit to Strasbourg (France) for CoE's Assembly, shortly before the conclusion of the Spanish presidency of the CoE on May in Madrid, and why ?

Press Deontology excludes 2nd hand reporting, unverified infos, personal attacks, superficial bla-bla instead of serious analysis, copying others and grossly distording knowingly, as well as concerted mob-attacks to lynch a person.

But, didn't all this happen with French "socialist" Newspaper "Liberation"''s claims about President Sarkozy's reported descriptions of some other Heads of State/Government, which were immediately copied, sometimes even distorded worse (fex. Guardian), and abused by certain Media, as if to slander and undermine relations and trust ?  

It's as if our fellow Media, (which has the responsibility to inform a part of the public opinion in one among the most important CoE's 47 Member Countries), confused an "r" with an "l", changing over to .. "Libelation"...

Because, in fact, reality seems to be exactly the ..opposite from what "Libelation" and its copyists claim :

During that conversation, Sarkozy had reportedly praised Spanish Prime Minister's move to stop TV Commercial Ads in the Public sector, as France had already done earlier, and he defended M. Zapatero against the criticism of a French Socialist MP. Emanoueli, who had marked a disagreement against his Spanish friend.

Clearly, this appears to be the meaning of the reply to Mr. Emanoueli's critisism of Zapatero, that, even if he (Emanoueli) may think that Spanish PM's move might, perhaps, not be very bright, nevertheless, he had succeeded in politics better than French Left did back in 2002...

This view is also supported by French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, a long-time Socialist, as well as by "Green" MP

Moreover, at least 2 eye-witnesses denied "Libelation"'s claims on Sarkozy's reported observation about his collegue, Zapatero, and these denials came even from Leftist MPs.

Franco-Spanish relations' level is good : The Spanish Prime Minister was invited even in Franco-Germano-Russian Summits, exceptionally extended to Spain in 2005, by Jacques Chirac, and he recently worked closely together with Nicolas Sarkozy for the succesful 1st EuroZone Summit in Paris, October 2008, while Sarkozy decided that France would give its 2nd seat at Washington's G-20 Summit (as EU chairman then) to Spain, on November 2008.

As for the new American President, Sarkozy, who always likes to stress his good personal relations with Obama, had reportedly praised him as "brillant", "very clever", "charismatic", etc., simply adding what everybody knows : That he just started his White House new job only a few months ago, his 1st term as head of a Government after 4 years as Senator, and, for the moment, seems careful before determining his stance on some issues, according to "Libelation" itself.

Certainly it's not Obama himself who might find this simple fact so scandalous as "Libelation" pretends, since he has just declared to all Latin American leaders himself, (at an obvious attempt to "charm" them and make a good new start on PanAmerican relations), that he came to the InterAmerican Summit in order "to learn".

(Precisely as he had declared, at the beginning of his European trip, that he came, first of all, in order "to listen" what USA's European friends might have to say).

The German Press' generally calm, serious stance, and refusal to be so easily manipulated, by a reported remark that the Economic Crisis' impact would have incited Chancelor Merkel  to fully realize the need for a strong common Franco-German initiative in favor of an EU Stimulus plan,  shows that Franco-German links are stronger, deeper, and more serious than "Libelation"'s superficial claims..

What's common between "Libelation"'s claims, Guardian's obvious worsening (exceptionally followed in part by Brittsh conservative "Telegraph"), a few Spanish  media's row, and NYT's copying  ?

Perhaps, only one thing : All this happens at the start of the Electoral campain for crucial June 2009 EU Elections, and  those who followed "Libelation"'s abuse, are notoriously opposed to President Sarkozy's famous preference for a privileged partnership, instead of accession, for Turkey's controversial EU bid, But they don't seem to have anything substantial to say yet, in order to convince a majority of equally opposed EU Citizens in France, Germany, Netherlands, Austria and several other EU Countries...

Even CoE is currently in a pre-electoral mood, since its inter-Governemental Committee of Ministers has to prepare the election of a new CoE Secretary General before June !

At any case, 2009 EU Elections really "deserve a real debate on European issues", and not to fall victim of "a Hold-up" with anti-Sarkozy "tracts", as French UMP party spokesman, Lefebvre, put it this week.

"Libelation" harshly replied by accusing Lefebvre to be a "pug" (sic !), and cried about "Freedom of Press".

The following weeks will prove whether "Libelation"'s networks also respect "EuroFora"'s Press Freedom.

Some of "Libelation"s friends should remember that former Socialist leader and subsequently French President Mitterand had won his first election, back in the 1980ies, with arguments and political moves, not with libel...

Not sly personal attacks, (which only reveal a political weakness in those who are responsible for such a kind of anti-deontologic behavior by some old Medias).

European Democracy needs for 2009 EU Elections a loyal and substantial debate on important political choices about general interest issues which affect EU Citizens' lives now and in the foreseable Future.