MINISTER MARZANO VISITS IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 001233 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2012 TAGS: PREL PGOV ENRG ETRD IR PGOV ENRG ETRD IR IT ITPREL SUBJECT: MINISTER MARZANO VISITS IRAN CLASSIFIED BY: CDA POPE FOR REASON 1.5(B) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: AMBASSADOR SEMBLER ENGAGED THE MINISTER OF PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES ON IRAN, UNDERSCORING OUR CONCERNS WITH IRANIAN BEHAVIOR. MARZANO'S RELATIVE UNFAMILIARITY WITH OUR OBJECTIONS OR WITH THE DIVISION BETWEEN THE OFFICIAL AND SHADOW GOVERNMENTS IN CONTROLLING IRAN SHOWS THE NECESSITY OF REPEATING OUR MESSAGE FREQUENTLY AND CLEARLY. END SUMMARY. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 01233 01 OF 02 100126Z ¶2. (U) TUESDAY, MARCH 5, THE AMBASSADOR PAID A COURTESY CALL ON MINISTER FOR PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES, ANTONIO MARZANO. ALSO PRESENT WERE DCM POPE, ECMIN DEAN, AND MPA DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR GABRIELE CHECCHIA. THE MEETING PRINCIPALLY ADDRESSED TWO TOPICS: MARZANO'S RECENT VISIT TO IRAN AND OUR ADVOCACY FOR THE JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER. THE JSF WILL BE COVERED SEPTEL. ¶3. (SBU) RESPONDING TO THE AMBASSADOR'S INVITATION TO HEAR ABOUT HIS TRIP TO IRAN, MARZANO SAID THAT HE HAD GONE FOR TWO REASONS. THE FIRST, MORE OBVIOUS ONE, WAS ECONOMIC. ITALY DOES A LOT OF BUSINESS IN IRAN AND MARZANO FOUND IT USEFUL TO VISIT. IN THIS INSTANCE THERE WERE TWO LARGE CONTRACTS IN DIFFICULTY, ONE FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATION AND ANOTHER FOR ALUMINUM PRODUCTION. MARZANO FELT THAT HIS INTERVENTION HAD STRAIGHTENED OUT THE PROBLEMS. ¶4. (C) THE SECOND REASON FOR THE VISIT WAS POLITICAL, BUT MARZANO SAID THIS WAS "ALMOST BY ACCIDENT". THE MEETING WITH PRESIDENT KHATAMI WAS UNSCHEDULED. MARZANO THOUGHT THAT HE WAS A REFORMIST, WHO WAS MAKING THE SOCIETY FREER. THE PROBLEM WAS HIS ENEMIES, THE FANATIC MULLAHS. UNFORTUNATELY PRESIDENT BUSH'S STATEMENT ABOUT THE 'AXIS OF EVIL' ONLY SERVED TO STRENGTHEN THOSE EXTREMISTS. MARZANO TOLD US THAT, IN AN IRANIAN PRESS CONFERENCE, IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION HE HAD EXPLAINED THE 'AXIS OF EVIL' AS A WARNING, NOT AS A U.S. DECLARATION OF WAR, THAT IT SHOULD BE TAKEN AS A CAUTION NOT AS AN ACTION. MARZANO CONCLUDED BY ENDORSING THE ITALIAN POLICY LINE THAT IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO REINFORCE THE MODERATE FORCES HEADED BY KHATAMI. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 01233 01 OF 02 100126Z ¶5. (C) SWITCHING TO AFGHANISTAN AND IRAN, MARZANO REPORTED THAT IRAN SEEKS PEACE IN AFGHANISTAN AND FEELS FOR ITS PEOPLE. IRAN IS READY TO BE A PLATFORM FOR HUMANITARIAN AIR SUPPORT TO AFGHANISTAN. MARZANO ADMITTED THAT HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN PRIVATE COUNCILS, BUT THAT ITALY NONETHELESS THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO REINFORCE KHATAMI AND THOSE WHO WOULD ENDORSE CHANGE. THE DCM ADDED THAT THE IRANIANS HAD PLAYED A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN BONN, BUT THAT THEY HAVE NOT FOLLOWED UP. RATHER THEY ARE STARTING TO PLAY A DESTABILIZING ROLE, AND THIS RE-IGNITES U.S. CONCERNS ABOUT IRAN'S REAL INTENTIONS. ¶6. (C) MARZANO NOTED THAT ITALY IS ONE OF IRAN'S MAJOR EUROPEAN IMPORTERS, PARTICULARLY OF ENERGY. ENI AND ENEL PLUS MANY OTHERS WORK DIRECTLY WITH IRAN AND THE RELATIONSHIP IS TOO IMPORTANT TO BREAK. ON IMPORTS, MARZANO TOLD KHATAMI THAT IRAN SHOULD NOT EVEN SEEK TO IMPORT DUAL USE ITEMS. ASKED IF THERE WAS A SPECIFIC REQUEST WHICH HAD TRIGGERED THIS STATEMENT, MARZANO REPORTED THAT APPARENTLY THERE IS CONSIDERABLE HEPATITIS B IN IRAN AND THE IRANIANS WERE SEEKING TO IMPORT EQUIPMENT THAT COULD PRODUCE VACCINES, BUT WHICH COULD ALSO BE USED FOR BIO WARFARE. CONSEQUENTLY HE WAS ADAMANT IN REFUSING THE APPROVAL. ¶7. (C) THE AMBASSADOR MADE IT CLEAR THAT HOWEVER SYMPATHETIC ITALY WAS TO IRAN, IRANIAN INTERNATIONAL BEHAVIOR WAS UNACCEPTABLE. IN IRAN THERE ARE BOTH ELECTED POWERS AND UNELECTED POWERS. THE MULLAHS CONTROL THE MILITARY, THE COURTS AND THE SECURITY SERVICES, SO THE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 01233 01 OF 02 100126Z ELECTED GOVERNMENT IS NOT IN CHARGE. FOR EXAMPLE, EVEN THOUGH THE ELECTED GOVERNMENT MAY GIVE ASSURANCES THEY ARE NOT DESTABILIZING THE MIDDLE EAST, THE CAPTURE OF THE KARIN A LOADED WITH IRANIAN WEAPONS BELIES THEM. IRAN HAS THE CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND TO EXPORT THEM, DESTABILIZING THE MIDDLE EAST. THE AMBASSADOR ADDED THAT WE ARE READY TO SIT DOWN WITH IRAN ANYTIME; THE PROBLEM IS IN TEHERAN. IRAN'S ACTIONS MUST BE IN CONFORMITY WITH ITS WORDS. COMMENT: MARZANO APPEARED NOT TO HAVE HEARD THIS LINE OF DISCUSSION BEFORE AND WAS SURPRISED THAT WE WOULD SAY THE U.S. WAS WILLING TO TALK TO IRAN. HE DID AGREE THAT KHATAMI DID NOT CONTROL THE GOVERNMENT. IT APPEARS, MARZANO HAS NOT SERIOUSLY ENGAGED U.S. THINKING ON IRAN BEFORE AND THAT THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN IRAN'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND PRIVATE ACTS, BETWEEN OFFICIALS AND THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT WERE NEW CONCEPTS. END COMMENT. ¶8. (SBU) ON THE MIDDLE EAST, MARZANO WAS CONCERNED THAT EVENTS HAD REACHED AN IMPASSE, THAT THE TWO SIDES WERE AT A POINT WHERE EACH SIDE BELIEVES IT HAS TO KILL MORE OF THE OTHER TO BRING THEM TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE AND TO GET THEM TO STOP THE VIOLENCE. MARZANO WAS APPALLED BY THE STATE OF AFFAIRS AND FELT THAT VENDETTAS ONLY BRING CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ8993 PAGE 01 ROME 01233 02 OF 02 100127Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COME-00 CTME-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 E-00 VC-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 ITC-01 LAB-01 L-00 AC-01 NEA-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OES-01 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 PMB-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /010W -------------- 720378 100127Z /69 R 081614Z MAR 02 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2658 C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 001233 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2012 TAGS: PREL PGOV ENRG ETRD IR PGOV ENRG ETRD IR IT ITPREL SUBJECT: MINISTER MARZANO VISITS IRAN FORTH MORE VENDETTAS IN RESPONSE. POPE CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME01233 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL