European press review

Friday's European papers consider a rift amongst French socialists on the draft EU constitution, whilst the German finance minister comes under fire on borrowing.

Russian newspapers are interested in the new Russian base in Kyrgyzstan but still have time to ponder the continuing row with neighbouring Ukraine.

European constitution

France's Le Monde detects what it calls "increasingly serious disagreements among the French Socialists" over the draft European constitution.

The paper believes that while the Socialist Party has not yet settled on a final position, it couldn't rule out the possibility that a 'no' vote might prevail.

The government has tarnished Hungarian foreign policy Nepszabadsag

"Such a rejection would constitute a turning point in the history of the French Left, which has often been in the vanguard of European integration," it observes.

Hungary's Nepszabadsag criticizes the government for taking up an opposition proposal for a minorities protection clause in the draft EU constitution.

The paper points out that the opposition has been pushing for such a clause despite existing European human rights principles.

By backing this demand, the government has "tarnished Hungarian foreign policy", the paper charges.

Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic on his recent visit was right, the paper suggests, to reject the idea that Serbia's ethnic Hungarians should be given dual citizenship on the grounds of their ethnicity.

"What is most painful about all this is that it is a Serbian prime minister who is allowed to explain this to us in Budapest," it says.

Russia's new military base

Russia's Izvestiya welcomes yesterday's official opening of the Russian airbase at Kant in Kyrgyzstan.

"This is the first military base abroad established by Moscow since the collapse of the Soviet Union," the paper points out.

Russia's international military policy is becoming more hard-line Nezavisimaya Gazeta

Rossiyskaya Gazeta is intrigued by the fact that the new base will have unusual neighbours.

"The opening of foreign military installations on their territory is nothing new for the Kyrgyz," it says, "American fighter planes have been based at the capital's Manas airport for several years now."

"Russian and American bases have never been in such close proximity to each other," the paper says but adds. "Our side is not worried by such proximity."

But Nezavisimaya Gazeta seems not so sure of this.

"The air base in Kant can be viewed as an important outpost of Russia's interests in Central Asia," it says.

"All this means that Russia's international military policy is becoming more hard-line," the paper states.

"At the same time," the paper feels, "this can scarcely be seen as a return to Cold War times."

Germany is living beyond its means and abusing the finances of all citizens Die Welt

Kyrgyz interest in the base is more practical than political, Nezavisimaya Gazeta feels.

"It has to be said that the NATO base at Manas airport is a cause of much greater rejoicing for the people of Kyrgyzstan," the paper says.

"And not just because it brings supplementary cash into the budget - almost more than all other sources of revenue put together."

"But also," the paper discloses, "because the Americans, Italians, Germans and Frenchmen make desirable fiancés."

"The daughters of the Kyrgyz nation, particularly from the capital, now have a real chance of sampling the benefits of civilisation," it says.

Record German debt

Under the headline "The finance minister's four mistakes", Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung writes out Germany's 11-digit figure of new debts this year.

"Borrowing is to amount to precisely 43,400,000,000 euros this year," it announces.

Yesterday the gap between the positions of Russia and Ukraine continued to close Trud

The paper argues that while the development is partly the result of three years of recession, Finance Minister Hans Eichel must shoulder some of the blame.

One of his errors, it believes, was to work out a plan providing for a gradual reduction in borrowing levels over a period of seven years.

"This was based on the mistaken belief," the paper says, "that the economic situation is not subject to cycles."

Die Welt observes that what it calls the minister's "loss of stature" is not just to his personal detriment or to that of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

"It is, after all, not Hans Eichel's or Gerhard Schroeder's state which is going bankrupt," it warns, it is Germany "which is living beyond its means and abusing the finances of all citizens".

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung blames the governing coalition.

"Eichel's budget is the culmination of shortcomings on the part of the red-green coalition," it believes.

Causeway celebre

Russia's Krasnaya Zvezda takes keeps its readers up to date on the row between Russia and Ukraine over joint waterways.

"A problem over which emotions have been simmering for two weeks now is becoming a topic for civilized talks," the paper says.

"But the probability that the tension will be defused quickly is small," it feels. "The desire of the instigators of the squabble to escalate it to a large-scale conflict is too great for that."

It suggests that a peaceful gesture from Ukraine would be a hundred times more effective than "the belligerent sound effects of the border guards, pilots and rocket troops, together with the hysterical screeching of politicos".

Trud is also not optimistic about the situation.

"Yesterday the gap between the positions of Russia and Ukraine continued to close," it says.

"This is depressing and dangerous since we are not talking of a negotiating process on the problems, but of positions more akin to combat positions."

Rossiyskaya Gazeta agrees but puts the blame on Ukraine.

"Until now Moscow has done nothing but patiently endure the unpleasantnesses handed out by its restive neighbour," the paper asserts.

Talks on the issue, as murky as the waters of the Kerch Strait, have led nowhere. The problem became 'silted up', it explains.

"So the Russian construction project at our neighbour's very flank seems to be an attempt to clear a 'channel'," the paper says.

"The dike that has been constructed will serve as a graphic reminder that there's no point in procrastinating further."

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