58TH UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS: ITALIAN VIEWS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001556 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2012 TAGS: PHUM PREL AORC IT UNHRC HUMAN RIGHTS SUBJECT: 58TH UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS: ITALIAN VIEWS REF: A. STATE 49534 ¶B. STATE 55718 CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNSELOR TOM COUNTRYMAN. REASON 1.5 (B),(D). ¶1. (SBU) IN THE ABSENCE OF OFFICE HEAD COUNSELOR EMANUELE PIGNATELLI IN GENEVA, POLOFF DISCUSSED REF A DEMARCHE POINTS 3/19 WITH MFA OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS COUNSELOR ALBERTO CECCARELLI. ON SAME DAY (3/26) AMBASSADOR MET WITH MFA SECRETARY GENERAL GIUSEPPE BALDOCCI (SEPTEL),POLOFF SIPDIS CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 01556 271556Z DELIVERED A DUPLICATE SET OF REF B TALKING POINTS TO CECCARELLI. ¶2. (C) CECCARELLI COMMENTED ON REF A POINTS AS FOLLOWS: -- CUBA: ITALY FAVORS HAVING A RESOLUTION PRESENTED. CECCARELLI REFERRED TO EU VIEW THAT RESOLUTION SHOULD INCLUDE REFERENCE TO CUBA'S "ECONOMIC SITUATION" (I.E., HE DID NOT/NOT USE THE WORD "EMBARGO" -- A WORD ABSENCE WE ATTRIBUTE TO DIPLOMATIC DELICACY, NOT A CHANGE IN POLICY). -- MIDDLE EAST: CECCARELLI AGREED RESOLUTIONS SHOULD BE BALANCED. (DURING THEIR 3/26 MEETING, MFA SECRETARY GENERAL BALDOCCI TOLD THE AMBASSADOR HE WOULD REVIEW OUR TALKING POINTS AND GET BACK TO US. WE SUGGESTED ITALY MIGHT WISH TO RECONSIDER ITS TRADITIONAL POLICY OF GOING ALONG WITH THE EU CONSENSUS, WHATEVER THAT MIGHT BE, AND TAKE THE LEAD ON THIS OCCASION TO CALL FOR A VOTE ON ONE OR MORE OF THE UNBALANCED RESOLUTIONS.) -- SUDAN: ONE OF THE "GRAVEST SITUATIONS," ACCORDING TO CECCARELLI. NONETHELESS, HE SAID, THE KEY TO PROGRESS LIES IN OPENING A DIALOGUE DOOR WITH THE SUDANESE. -- IRAQ: CECCARELLI OBSERVED WE ARE PASSING FROM A SITUATION OF POTENTIAL PERIL TO REAL PERIL. -- IRAN: CECCARELLI RETURNED AGAIN TO THEME "DIALOGUE." THE EU IS FOLLOWING A DOUBLE TRACK, HE SAID, CRITICIZING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, TRYING TO RECOGNIZE AND FAVOR POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 01556 271556Z -- PARTS OF SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE: EU MEMBERS HAVE NOT YET SEEN A RESOLUTION DRAFT TEXT. -- AFGHANISTAN: THE GOI, HE SAID, IS KEEPING THE SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN UNDER REVIEW. -- CHECHNYA: THE EU IS EXAMINING ELEMENTS FOR DISCUSSION AND A POSSIBLE EVENTUAL CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT. -- ZIMBABWE: THIS YEAR'S "BLACK SHEEP;" THE DEVELOPING SITUATION LEAVES THE GOI MUCH DISTRESSED. -- ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS: CECCARELLI REFERRED TO U.S./EU DIFFERENCES BUT DISMISSED THEM AS "NO BIG DEAL." -- DEATH PENALTY: ON THE OTHER HAND, THIS IS A POINT OF "COMPLETE ACCORD" IN THE EU (I.E., AND THEREFORE OF COMPLETE DISACCORD WITH THE U.S.). -- OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE TORTURE CONVENTION: CECCARELLI OBSERVED THAT ITALY EXPECTS TO ADOPT A LAW ON TORTURE. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: RESPONDING TO POLOFF'S QUESTION, CECCARELLI SAID HE HAS SEEN NO OBVIOUS CHANGES IN GOI APPROACHES TO UNCHR ISSUES. THE CENTER-RIGHT BERLUSCONI GOVERNMENT, HE SAID, IS PURSUING THE SAME OBJECTIVES, AND EMPLOYING THE SAME TACTICS, AS ITS CENTER-LEFT PREDECESSORS. NONETHELESS, WE BELIEVE SOME ROOM EXISTS FOR ENCOURAGING NEW GOI THINKING. THE GOI UNDER BERLUSCONI RETAINS A EUROPEAN OUTLOOK, BUT WITH A DIFFERENCE. IT CONSIDERS THE ASSERTION OF NATIONAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 01556 271556Z INTERESTS WITHIN EU FORUMS AS LEGITIMATE FOR ITALY AS IT IS, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR GERMANY AND FRANCE. AT LEAST FOR NOW, BERLUSCONI HIMSELF HEADS NOT ONLY THE GOI BUT ALSO THE MFA. DIRECT AND EARLY/EARLY U.S. APPROACHES TO BERLUSCONI, BEFORE THE "EU CONSENSUS" SETTLES INTO CONCRETE, COULD ENERGIZE THE PRESENTATION OF ITALIAN VIEWS IN BRUSSELS AND PRODUCE, FOR THE USG, EU POLICY DIVIDENDS. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME01556 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL