(C) ITALY: LUKEWARM SUPPORT FOR PROJECT VARELA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001649 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2012 TAGS: PHUM CU IT UNHRC SUBJECT: (C) ITALY: LUKEWARM SUPPORT FOR PROJECT VARELA REF: A. SECSTATE 55698 ¶B. SECSTATE 49534 CLASSIFIED BY: POL MC TCOUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (U) POLOFF DELIVERED REF A DEMARCHE MARCH 26 TO CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 01649 031054Z AMBASSADOR NICCOLO' GORETTI DE FLAMINI, MFA OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN. GORETTI IS A FORMER AMBASSADOR TO NICARAGUA. ¶2. (C) ACCORDING TO GORETTI, THE GOI WAS IN FAVOR OF THE VARELA PROJECT AND WAS FOLLOWING IT CLOSELY. THE GOI HAD INFORMATION THAT THE GOC WOULD HAMPER THE PROJECT BUT WOULD WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. HE WOULD FAX OUR DEMARCHE TO THEIR AMBASSADOR TO CUBA. THEIR DCM IN HAVANA MET FREQUENTLY WITH DISSIDENTS AND WOULD SUPPORT THIS PROJECT IN THOSE MEETINGS. ¶3. (C) GORETTI NOTED THAT SOME CUBAN DISSIDENTS OPPOSED PROJECT VARELA. THEY DID NOT BELIEVE THE GOC WOULD EVER ALLOW A REFERENDUM. ¶4. (C) ASKED WHETHER THE GOI WOULD SUPPORT A RESOLUTION IN THE UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (UNCHR) ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN CUBA (REF B),GORETTI SAID THE GOI WOULD HAVE TO SEE THE TEXT AND COORDINATE WITHIN THE EU. PROBABLY THE GOI WOULD VOTE IN FAVOR OF SUCH A RESOLUTION BUT WOULD NOT COSPONSOR IT. ITALY WOULD BE LIKELY TO ABSTAIN ONLY IF THE TEXT MADE FAVORABLE MENTION OF THE AMERICAN EMBARGO, WHICH THE GOI OPPOSES. A BRITISH DEMARCHE ON THE SAME SUBJECT HAD SUGGESTED THAT THE EU TAKE A LOW PROFILE BUT VOTE IN FAVOR OF A RESOLUTION. THE GOI AND HMG PREFERRED THAT THE EMBARGO NOT BE MENTIONED IN A RESOLUTION, BUT SOME "EU GOVERNMENTS ON THE LEFT" DISAGREED AND, HE IMPLIED, WERE SEEKING TO INSERT A NEGATIVE REFERENCE TO THE EMBARGO. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: GORETTI'S PROFESSION OF SUPPORT FOR CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 01649 031054Z PROJECT VARELA APPEARED PERFUNCTORY, AND HE REPEATEDLY DODGED POLOFF'S REQUEST FOR THE ITALIAN EMBASSY TO PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT AND TO URGE THE GOC TO ALLOW THE PROJECT TO CONTINUE. HE SEEMED MORE EAGER TO TAKE POT SHOTS AT U.S. POLICY, WHICH HE SAID WAS BASED ON U.S. DOMESTIC POLITICS. END COMMENT. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME01649 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL