ITALIANS SUPPORT ALBANIAN AMMO INCINERATOR PROJECT

UNCLAS ROME 003700 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EUN SUBJECT: ITALIANS SUPPORT ALBANIAN AMMO INCINERATOR PROJECT BUT CAN'T COMMIT FUNDING REF: STATE 135759 ¶1. THE GOI SUPPORTS THE AMMUNITION INCINERATOR FOR ALBANIA BUT DOES NOT HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE NOW TO CONTRIBUTE, ACCORDING TO MAURIZIO MASSARI, HEAD OF THE MFA'S BALKAN AFFAIRS OFFICE. HE TOLD POL-MIL OFFICER IT WAS NOT A MATTER OF WHETHER ITALY WOULD CONTRIBUTE, BUT WHEN. ITALY CONSIDERS THE PROJECT POLITICALLY IMPORTANT, HE SAID. MASSARI NOTED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE EASY TO CHANNEL FUNDS THROUGH THE EU BECAUSE THE PROJECT INVOLVES AMMUNITION RATHER THAN ARMS, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE REWRITING THE MANDATE OF ONE OF THE RELEVANT EU COMMITTEES. MASSARI SAID HE WOULD WORK WITHIN THE EU AND BILATERALLY TO URGE CONCRETE SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT. ¶2. POL-MIL OFFICER AND CANADIAN DCM NATHALIE DUBE INITIALLY PRESENTED THE DEMARCHE TO ALESSANDRO CEVESE, DIRECTOR OF THE MFA'S ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT OFFICE. CEVESE CONFIRMED THAT FUNDS ARE NOT AVAILABLE THROUGH HIS (FUNCTIONAL) DIRECTORATE, AS HE TOLD THE CANADIAN DELEGATION THAT DISCUSSED THE PROJECT WITH HIM IN JUNE. HE SAID HE WOULD COORDINATE WITH MASSARI, IN THE RELEVANT GEOGRAPHIC DIRECTORATE, SINCE ANY FUNDING ITALY CAN PROVIDE WILL LIKELY COME FROM THAT SOURCE. SEMBLER UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 03700 261555Z UNCLASSIFIED > 2002ROME03700 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED