French press review 28 September 2013

Syria is the big story on most front pages, following the UN Security Council's approval of a resolution on Friday. The resolution has called for the destruction of the regime’s chemical weapons and condemns a deadly poison gas attack in Damascus. 

Le Figaro reports that the major powers overcame a prolonged deadlock between the United States and Russia in order to approve the landmark resolution in the conflict, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives. According to the paper, Resolution 2118 gives international binding force to the plan drawn up by Washington and Moscow to eliminate President Bashar al-Assad's chemical arms. Buoyed by the breakthrough, UN chief Ban ki-Moon immediately announced plans to convene a peace conference in mid-November.

Libération exposes the ugly face of the 30-month conflict in the besieged town of Raqqa, where the population is trapped in clashes with rival Islamist militia battling for control of the strategic enclave. The coverage is complete with graphic pictures, showing the scale of destruction after the town's alleged liberation by Jihadists six months ago. Libé says its reporter hid behind the Islamic veil to be able to carry out its assignment.

A controversial French law barring chain stores from opening on Sundays and late at night is in the eye of the storm, as several national dailies question the rationale of stopping people from working during a time of crisis. The stores slapped by the ban would include DIYs and favourite hangouts for tourists.

Le Parisien gives the background to the standoff, which broke out last week when cosmetics store Sephora on the Champs-Elysées avenue was forced to end its late night shopping offer by labour inspectors. The paper recalls that salaried workers at the chain store, who opted to do night shifts, are furious and face layoffs. The company said it was facing a shortfall in sales of about 20 percent. Le Parisien says the determination of Sephora’s managers and their staff has emboldened DIY chains like Castorama, Bricorama and Leroy Merlin in the Paris region, and they are ready to go to war in their defiance of the law.

Le Figaro described the legislation as incomprehensible, noting that it is causing divisions within the ruling Socialist party and the opposition UMP. For the paper, what it risks doing is to turn away shopaholics and tourists who have made France their most favoured destination. According to Le Figaro, a hundred thousand jobs could be created if the outdated legislation is scrapped. For Le Figaro, the French authorities must be crazy to spend time philosophizing when 3.3 million people are out of work.

The Roma controversy is not going away, if we go by today’s issue of Le Parisien. The paper publishes the findings of a snap survey testing French opinion about Interior Minister Manuel Vall’s tough stance on Romas' continued presence in France. The poll found that 77 percent of French people back their minister’s view that the Roma are not ready to integrate into French society.