ITALY PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS TO CUBANS SELECTED BY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003669

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2007
TAGS: PREL ECON EAID CU ITALY'>IT UN
SUBJECT: ITALY PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS TO CUBANS SELECTED BY
GOC

REF: SECSTATE 135151

CLASSIFIED BY: A/POL P. THIEDE FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 ROME 03669 250731Z

1. (C) IN RESPONSE TO REFTEL DEMARCHE, MFA OFFICE DIRECTOR
FOR CENTRAL AMERICA NICOLO' GORETTI DE FLAMINI TOLD POLOFF
JULY 23 THAT THE GOI PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS TO CUBANS AS PART
OF A FIFTEEN-YEAR OLD CULTURAL-SCIENTIFIC ACCORD BETWEEN THE
GOI AND GOC. UNDER THE TERMS OF THE ACCORD, THE GOC CHOOSES
THE CANDIDATES ITSELF. ASKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF
OFFERING SCHOLARSHIPS TO NON-GOC CANDIDATES, GORETTI SAID
THAT THE EU WAS CONSIDERING ESTABLISHING A SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM CALLED ALIS FOR LATIN AMERICANS. HE AGREED TO ASK
THE MFA'S EUROPEAN INTEGRATION BUREAU TO ADVOCATE THAT THE
AID BE PROVIDED THROUGH NON-OFFICIAL CHANNELS.


2. (C) GORETTI DESCRIBED AS DIFFICULT BOTH THE SITUATION
IN CUBA AND EUROPEAN-CUBAN RELATIONS. THREE FACTORS HAVE
CONTRIBUTED TO INCREASED REPRESSION AND CUBAN GOVERNMENT
POSTURING: (1) THE SPLIT BETWEEN "HAVES" -- CUBANS WHO WORK
WITH TOURISTS OR RECEIVE REMITTANCES FROM ABROAD -- AND
"HAVE-NOTS," LIVING ON AN AVERAGE OF $12 A MONTH, IS CREATING
A CRISIS IN THE SOCIALIST STRUCTURE. (2) THE CARTER AND BUSH
SPEECHES AND THE VARELA PROJECT HAVE EMBOLDENED DISSIDENTS.
(3) ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN CALLED FOR OCTOBER. "THE EU IS
FURIOUS WITH CUBA" OVER THE RESULTING CRACKDOWN, GORETTI
CONFIDED. FURTHERMORE, THE DANISH (EU) PRESIDENCY IS "QUITE
TOUGH" ON THE GOC.
SEMBLER

CONFIDENTIAL

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2002ROME03669 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL