French press review 2 June 2012

The bad US job figures that could wreck President Barack Obama’s reelection prospects, the worsening crisis in Syria and the ugly face of conflict in Southern Sudan hit the French front pages today.

Le Figaro headlines on the great misses of the American economy which have sent world markets crashing.

The paper comments that an 8.2 per cent rise in the US jobless rate published on Friday is affecting into global markets, stalling growth across major economies, especially the eurozone where a constant dark cloud continues to hang on Greece and Spain.

According to the paper the disappointing American job figures have dented Obama's reelection hopes, boosting his Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who now brands Obama as a failure who cannot create jobs.

The visit to Paris of Russian President Vladimir Putin draws comments from several national papers.

Le Figaro underlines what it described as a “tough” dialogue and the discord on Syria that marked the first meeting between the French and Russian leaders.

The paper says French President François Hollande failed to convince his Russian counterpart about the necessity of military action against the regime in Damascus following the massacre in Houla in which 104 people were killed, including 34 women and 49 children.

Libération says unprecedented diplomatic pressure is being piled on Syria’s allies as civil war looms after the horrible massacre in Houla. The left-leaning daily points to an “evident malaise” that had gripped Western public opinion when the Syria crisis comes up for discussion.

Libé says it is shameful for the world to sit back and watch, while the brave people of Syria are giving their lives in a desperate struggle to evict the bloody tyrant of Damascus. Libération doesn’t understand why the international community continues to talk of the risk of regional conflict and the opening of a new front for Al-Qaeda in the Middle East, as reasons why the use force in Syria would be reckless.

Le Figaro continues its bashing campaign against the economic policies of the new Socialist government. The latest line of attack is inspired by comments from the ex-German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, “architect of Germany’s industrial miracle”, who is urging his Social Democratic Party not to copy from Hollande’s economic programme.

Le Figaro described the remarks as “proof” that the Socialists are wrong when they insist on raising the minimum wage, increasing taxes and social security contributions while lowering the retirement age.

According to Le Figaro, government efforts to minimise the ravages of massive layoffs in the industrial sector would come to nothing, if President Hollande continues “playing the fireman while lighting fires all over the place at the same time”.

La Croix unveils a human dimension of the long conflict raging in Southern Sudan. Millions of poor villagers are trapped in the civil war over oil pitting Khartoum’s military against Southern Sudanese rebels. Reporters dispatched by the Catholic daily managed to reach the Nuba people, who have been decimated by famine and strife as fighting rages on in southern Kordofan province.

Also in today’s Le Monde is an investigative report on how the tobacco lobby “subsidised” pharmaceutical laboratories here in France. One of the stunning revelations is that it is “American cigarettes” that have funded the works of several renowned French researchers.