ITALIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ITALY'S TROOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 004807 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2007 TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS MARR AF PGOV MOPS MARR AF IT ITPREL IRAQI FREEDOM SUBJECT: ITALIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ITALY'S TROOP CONTRIBUTION TO OEF CLASSIFIED BY: POL MINCOUNS THOMAS COUNTRYMAN, REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT GAVE SUBSTANTIAL -- IF REDUCED FROM LAST NOVEMBER'S VOTE FOR THE ORIGINAL DEPLOYMENT -- SUPPORT TO THE GOI PROPOSAL TO SEND UP TO 1,000 ALPINI GROUND TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN FOR OPERATION ENDURING CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 04807 01 OF 02 031600Z FREEDOM. THE OPPOSITION SPLINTERED BADLY AND ATTEMPTED TO LINK REINFORCEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN TO A PRESUMED U.S. ATTACK ON IRAQ. BERLUSCONI'S CENTER-RIGHT COALITION HELD FAST. IN ITS DISARRAY, THE CENTER-LEFT WAS THE LOSER, WITH ITS INABILITY TO REACH CONSENSUS A BIGGER HEADLINE THAN THE IMPENDING DEBATE. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) GOI DEFENSE MINISTER MARTINO PRESENTED THE GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO REINFORCE OEF BY SENDING 800-1,000 ALPINI TROOPS TO BOTH PARLIAMENTARY CHAMBERS OCTOBER 2, SPEAKING BEFORE THE SENATE AND LEAVING THE TEXT WITH THE CHAMBER. HE OUTLINED THE MISSION THE ALPINI WOULD PERFORM, LISTED THE DECISIONS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AUTHORIZING USE OF FORCE AGAINST TERRORISM IN AFGHANISTAN, AND HIGHLIGHTED THE GOI POSITION THAT THE NOVEMBER 7, 2001, PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORIZATION FOR ITALIAN PARTICIPATION IN OEF AUTHORIZED THIS "RECONFIGURATION" OF THE ITALIAN PARTICIPATION, AS WELL, BUT THAT THE GOI WANTED TO MEET "NEW EXPECTATIONS" BY CONSULTING PARLIAMENT. MARTINO CALLED ON THE OPPOSITION TO AGAIN "PUT INSTITUTIONAL DUTY BEFORE POLITICAL PARTY INTERESTS" AND REPEAT THE ALMOST UNANIMOUS SUPPORT IT GAVE THE GOVERNMENT LAST YEAR. HE REPEATEDLY UNDERSCORED THAT ITALIAN SUPPORT TO OEF WAS NOT LINKED IN ANY WAY TO AN ATTACK ON IRAQ BY EITHER THE U.S. OR AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION; DEPLOYMENT OF ITALIAN GROUND TROOPS WOULD NOT "COMPRISE SUBSTITUTION OF U.S. PERSONNEL AND VEHICLES TO ALLOW THEIR HYPOTHETICAL REDEPLOYMENT IN OTHER THEATERS." THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM AND THE STRUGGLE FOR STABILITY AND SECURITY IN AFGHANISTAN ARE NOT OVER. TO WITHDRAW ITALIAN SUPPORT FOR THE EFFORT NOW WOULD BE TO VOTE AGAINST THE INTERNATIONAL TRUSTWORTHINESS OF ITALY. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 04807 01 OF 02 031600Z ¶3. (U) SENATE DEBATE ON MARTINO'S PRESENTATION BEGAN THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 3. THE OPPOSITION DID NOT RESPOND WITH THE SAME NEAR-UNANIMOUS SUPPORT AS LAST NOVEMBER; IN FACT, THE CENTER-LEFT SPLINTERED. IN COMPLICATED VOTING ON A SERIES OF SIX RESOLUTIONS, COMMUNIST RENEWAL (RC),THE GREENS, AND THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF ITALY (PDCI) VOTED CONSISTENTLY AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. MOST OF THE DEMOCRATS OF THE LEFT (DS) ALSO VOTED CONSISTENTLY AGAINST THE GOI, BUT DS SAW SEVERAL PROMINENT DEFECTIONS. THE SMALL REPRESENTATION OF THE CENTER-LEFT UNION OF DEMOCRATS FOR EUROPE (UDEUR) AND ITALIAN SOCIALISTS (SDI) SUPPORTED THE GOI. THE MORE CENTRIST DAISY AND SEVERAL DS SENATORS (THE "DISSIDENTS") LEFT THE FLOOR WHEN THE VOTE WAS CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT'S RESOLUTION TO SHOW THEY WERE NOT OPPOSED, ALTHOUGH THEY COULD NOT "POLITICALLY" VOTE IN FAVOR. DAISY GROUP LEADER WILLER BORDON SAID BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY THAT THE DAISY DID NOT INTEND TO EXPRESS OPPOSITION TO THE CENTER-RIGHT MOTION. ¶4. (U) DAISY AND THE SDI OFFERED A SEPARATE RESOLUTION, LARGELY APPROVED WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNING COALITION, IN FAVOR OF SENDING TROOPS TO OEF WITH SOME CONDITIONS. MARTINO URGED SUPPORT FOR THE PARTS OF THE RESOLUTION CONFIRMING ITALY'S COMMITMENT AGAINST TERRORISM AND TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF DEMOCRACY IN AFGHANISTAN. HE URGED THAT THE PART OF THE RESOLUTION COMMITTING THE GOI TO SUPPORT DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS ON IRAQ IN ORDER TO AVOID A UNILATERAL, PREVENTIVE ARMED INTERVENTION BE DEFEATED SINCE IT ARBITRARILY LINKED UNRELATED OPERATIONS. THIS PART OF THE RESOLUTION WAS DEFEATED. ANOTHER RESOLUTION OFFERED BY UDEUR CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 04807 01 OF 02 031600Z (NOT YET MADE PUBLIC, BUT EVIDENTLY SUPPORTIVE, AS MARTINO ALSO URGED THAT IT BE APPROVED) WAS ALSO PASSED. RESOLUTIONS OFFERED BY DS, GREENS AND PDCI, AND RC WERE ALL DEFEATED. ¶5. (SBU) DEBATE IN THE CHAMBER BEGAN AT 15:00 LOCAL TIME. THE RESULTS MIRRORED THOSE IN THE SENATE: THE MAJORITY-BACKED RESOLUTION PASSED 266 TO 151, WITH 65 ABSTENTIONS, FOLLOWING THE SAME PARTY LINES DESCRIBED ABOVE. THE DAISY-SDI AND UDEUR RESOLUTIONS ALSO PASSED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE UNRELATED PART OF THE DAISY MOTION. REVEALINGLY, DAISY LEADER FRANCESCO RUTELLI SAID HIS PARTY (N.B. NOT HIS COALITION; RUTELLI REMAINS THE TITULAR HEAD OF THE OLIVE TREE CENTER-LEFT COALITION) WOULD VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL OUT OF A SPIRIT OF SERVICE FOR ITALY. HE REGRETTED THAT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE WAS NOT TRYING TO REPRESENT THE OLIVE TREE COALITION, BUT ONLY HIS OWN DAISY PARTY. "ONE YEAR AGO, WE SAID THAT WITHOUT THE DEFEAT OF TERRORISM, THERE WOULD NOT BE PEACE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS FAR FROM BEING ACHIEVED," RUTELLI NOTED. ¶6. (U) BOTH CHAMBERS APPLAUDED THE DEPARTING ITALIAN TROOPS UNANIMOUSLY AT THE CLOSE OF DEBATE. FOLLOWING THE SENATE VOTE, SENATE PRESIDENT MARCELLO PERA SAID THE ITALIAN TROOPS CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ3827 PAGE 01 ROME 04807 02 OF 02 031605Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /005W -------------- F10B8B 031605Z /75 O 031522Z OCT 02 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6149 INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE AMCONSUL FLORENCE AMCONSUL MILAN AMCONSUL NAPLES C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 004807 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2007 TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS MARR AF PGOV MOPS MARR AF IT ITPREL IRAQI FREEDOM SUBJECT: ITALIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ITALY'S TROOP CONTRIBUTION TO OEF "WILL BE GOING TO A DIFFICULT AND DEMANDING THEATER, BUT THEY WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR APPLAUSE AND BY OUR SALUTE. THEY MERIT THIS." ¶7. (C) COMMENT: WHILE THE OUTCOME OF THIS VOTE IS BOTH HISTORIC (FIRST ITALIAN COMMITMENT OF OFFENSIVE GROUND FORCES CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 04807 02 OF 02 031605Z SINCE WORLD WAR II) AND IMPORTANT TO THE U.S. (ITALY WILL BECOME IN MARCH OUR BIGGEST PARTNER IN OEF),THE DEBATE HAD ALMOST NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MERITS OF THE DEPLOYMENT. RATHER, IT WAS THE PRODUCT OF THREE FACTORS: -- THE OPPOSITION'S FIXATION ON SCORING POINTS AGAINST PRIME MINISTER BERLUSCONI WHENEVER THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY; -- EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS ARE THE LEADERSHIP STRUGGLES WITHIN THE OPPOSITION, AND PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE DS; -- AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, BOTH THE GOI AND THE OPPOSITION ARE WARMING UP FOR THE EVENTUAL DEBATE ABOUT IRAQ THEY BOTH EXPECT. ¶8. (C) COMMENT, CONTINUED. DESPITE THE GOI'S BEST EFFORTS TO CLARIFY THAT THE ISSUE OF OEF REINFORCEMENT IS SEPARATE FROM A POTENTIAL ATTACK ON IRAQ AND THE EMBASSY'S OWN DIRECT BRIEFINGS TO THEM, THE OPPOSITION PERSISTED IN LINKING THE TWO IN AN EFFORT TO LEGITIMIZE THEIR ABOUT-FACE FROM LAST NOVEMBER'S VOTE. ITALY'S CENTER-LEFT (WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF THE DAISY PARTY) IS SEEKING TO CAPITALIZE ON STRONG ANTI-WAR PUBLIC SENTIMENT. THEIR EFFORTS LARGELY FAILED, HOWEVER -- MOST OF TODAY'S MEDIA HEADLINED THE "COLLAPSE" OF THE LEFT EVEN MORE THAN THE UPCOMING DEBATE. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME04807 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL