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French press review 6 February 2015

The French papers opt for different front page ledes this morning. But, they agree on the running stories which warrant our attention. These are  French President François Hollande's and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel's initiative to halt or, at least slow, the escalation of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. There's the continuing wrangle in the eurozone over Greece's debt crisis. How to respond to the latest barbarities of the so-called "Islamic State". And France's efforts to improve the "social mix", to reverse the slide into religious and ethnic ghettos.

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Hollande and Merkel were in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Thursday, pleading for a ceasefire in the civil war in the east of the country. Fighting there between pro-Russian rebel separatists and government loyalists has intensified in recent days and the number of casualties has risen alarmingly. Many among the dead and wounded are civilian non-combatants.

Today they are in Moscow for a meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Europe and the United States accuse Putin of being the puppetmaster of the rebels, supplying them with heavy weapons and bolstering their forces with Russian volunteers. Whether that is true or not, the man in the Kremlin is a key player.

The Catholic daily La Croix says the approach by Hollande and Merkel is "spectacular".

"They are trying to stop the machinations which threatens the future of Ukraine and destabilises all of Europe," says the paper's front page editorial. Hollande and Merkel in tandem should help Putin recognise the disquiet the conflict in causing in Europe.

The paper notes that Germany is Russia's biggest trade partner, while France is both a nuclear power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. They will make clear that their interests are not the same as those of the United States. France and Germany want a long-term partnership with Russia.

Whether ot not the dynamic duo will persuade Putin to change direction remain to be seen. Still, La Croix concludes that it's another chance for Hollande and Merkel to get to know each other better. Given the several challenges Europe is facing, this can only be a good thing.

Right-wing Le Figaro calls the Franco-German initiative "the last chance mediation".

The meeting in Moscow today is an attempt to prevent what it calls "an irreversible escalation in the conflict". Hollande has warned that the diplomatic route won't be open forever. The paper notes that Russia is worried that the West, notably Washington, might begin sending weapons to Kiev.

Le Figaro says that Putin must seize this opportunity. And concludes that there is a reasonable chance of success. The situation on the ground in eastern Ukraine will be the best guide to whether the carrot-and-stick approach has actually worked.

Left-leaning Libération wonders how to react to the latest horrors perpetrated by the Islamic State armed group.

Troops on the ground? Support for Arab countries? Exploit divisions among the jihadists? Certainly, the West must find a response, the paper says. After the atrocious murder of the Jordanian pilot, who was burned alive in a cage by jihadists who captured him in Syria, and given the new threats to France, Western countries and countries near areas under IS control, the question is how to counter-attack, the paper says.

Libé believes the professional-quality images of the killings aimed to undermine the determination of the international coalition and attract new recruits.

The paper reminds us that history is filled with periods of terror when nothing seems possible to stop them. They have all come to an end. A great comfort to civilians cowering beneath mortar fire eastern Ukraine, I imagine.

The communist daily L'Humanité continues to savour the row between Greece's newly elected radical-left government and the money men of the eurozone. Like the new leaders in Athens, the paper is unashamedly in the anti-austerity camp. This morning's front page tells us that the European Central Bank (ECB), a key contributor in the bail-out of Greece's massively indebted public finances, has "declared war on the Greek people and threatens Europe".

The reporting is rather melodramatic. European bankers in Frankfurt are described as solemn and satisfied, looking like generals emerging from a bunker after having taken weighty decisions with life-and-death consequences.

The bankers had decided to do everything possible to save what the paper calls their founding austerity policy. The danger is a downward spiral which threatens the entire European project, L'Humanité's says. As Greek ministers tour Europe seeking support for an easing of harsh conditions imposed by lenders, the ECB has cut funding to Greece's cash strapped banks. L'Humanité says the ECB has acted irresponsibly and calls for solidarity with Syriza, Greece's ruling party.

The French Communist Party has urged people to take part in a rally in Paris to show their support for Greece and the need to respect the choice of Greek voters. A small demo in Paris seems unlikely to sway Europe's central bankers.

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