European press review

The meeting between the leaders of France and Germany attracts widespread comment in the two countries' papers, while the weekend air crashes still dominate the news in Ukraine and Russia.

President Jacques Chirac of France and his prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, were the guests of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the town of Schwerin, in the former East Germany, on Tuesday for a summit between the two countries.

France lacks the will to play a new role in the new Europe

Die Welt

The French Le Figaro says that Chancellor Schroeder "sought to play down the extent of the differences between Paris and Berlin" over the reform of farm subsidies.

With Germany going to the polls in September, the paper notes, Mr Schroeder "chose not to spoil what may be his last Franco-German summit".

So the "thorny issues" - reform of the common agricultural policy as well as of the union's institutions - were "prudently set aside until the autumn".

Therefore, Le Figaro says, the two sides concentrated on things they can agree on, such as the EU's security and defence policy.

End of the road?

In Germany, however, the papers see little point in papering over the cracks.

Die Welt says that France will no longer lead in an enlarged European Union.

Behind "the beautiful facade", the paper says, Paris and Berlin have become estranged and are no longer willing to settle their disputes by compromise.

The engine runs a strong risk of staying broken down, at least until Germany's general election

Nouvel Observateur

This may be caused by the personalities involved, but the paper says the basic problem is that the differences run deeper.

"The dispute over agriculture policy is only one of many examples: in the interests of its farmers Paris blocks the necessary reforms in the EU and makes EU enlargement more difficult", the paper says.

Mr Schroeder, it adds, cannot accept that. It finishes with a warning:

"Further conflicts are to be expected."

For its part, Frankfurter Rundschau says the dispute over farm subsidies can't be allowed to delay EU enlargement.

If the differences haven't been resolved by December, the paper writes, this "would mean a major European crisis".

"In the light of the US's hegemonic diplomacy, this would be a catastrophe", it adds.

Back in France, the Nouvel Observateur notes that President Chirac called for "the re-starting" of what he sees as the European Union's "Franco-German engine".

But "despite all declarations of intent", the paper believes, "the engine runs a strong risk of staying broken down, at least until Germany's general election".

Blame the boss

Our major problem is Leonid Kuchma

Vecherniye Vesti

In Ukraine, the papers are still dominated by the world's worst ever air show disaster.

Blame for the accident, in which a Su-27 fighter jet crashed at a military air show, killing over 80 spectators, is still being apportioned, and some dailies target President Leonid Kuchma.

"The tragedy was not caused by organizers' negligence, the lack of army funding and not even by the lack of civil control over the armed forces," Vecherniye Vesti declares.

"These are all but small facts pointing to our major problem - total chaos in our country, the direct and indirect responsibility for which rests with our supreme commander-in-chief and president, Leonid Kuchma," the newspaper argues.

"It is time we understood that it is not defence ministers that are the problem," the paper concludes. "Our major problem is Leonid Kuchma."

Ukrayina Moloda also sees faults in the country's president.

Ukrainians are growing increasingly dissatisfied with our supreme commander-in-chief

Ukrayina Moloda

It accepts that, "as befits a head of state", he visited the site of the tragedy quickly, offered sincere condolences and dismissed several leading military figures.

But the paper says that "despite the well-played role of the 'nation's father', Ukrainians are growing increasingly dissatisfied with our supreme commander-in-chief".

It goes on to demand military reform.

"How many more such accidents will have to happen until it is not only society, but also the authorities who see at last the urgent need for change in Ukraine's military machine?" it asks.

Far-off fallout

The fallout from the Lviv disaster reaches further than Kiev - thousands of kilometres east, a Siberian governor has banned exhibition flights without official permission.

People are dying more and more often, and not just in the air, but on the ground

Novosibirsk Governor Tolokonskiy

Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports that the governor of Siberia's Novosibirsk Region has issued the order just days before the region hosts an air show marking 50 years since Russia's air force was first deployed in Siberia.

"People are dying more and more often, and not just in the air, but on the ground," the paper quotes Viktor Tolokonskiy as saying.

"Protecting them from disaster - that's my civil duty," the governor declares.

Leading daily Izvestiya, however, reports that the air show will go on.

A senior regional air force official tells the paper that "all responsibility for any emergency situations which may arise during an air show lies with the military".

Vladimir Yemelyanov describes what happened in Ukraine as "irresponsible and unprofessional work on the part of the air show's organizers".

He assures the paper that in Novosibirsk every single detail was being looked after to ensure public safety.

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.