PRESSING ITALIAN POLICYMAKERS ON EU BIOTECH ISSUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 004989

SIPDIS

USDA/FAS/MACKE/JONES/SLUTSKY;
USDA FOR DAVID HEGWOOD;
STATE PASS USTR FOR SLOAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2007
TAGS: ETRD EAGR TBIO EAGR TBIO IT EUN ITETRD EUN
SUBJECT: PRESSING ITALIAN POLICYMAKERS ON EU BIOTECH ISSUES

REF: A. A) BRUSSELS 4869

B. B) BRUSSELS 4538
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C. C) STATE 176834

D. D) BRUSSELS 3764

CLASSIFIED BY: ECMIN SCOTT KILNER, FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: IN DEMARCHES ON SENIOR GOI OFFICIALS OCTOBER
8-10, DCM, ECMIN, AGMIN AND SCIENCE COUNSELOR PRESSED THE
U.S. POSITION ON EU TRACEABILITY AND LABELING (T/L) AND FOOD
AND FEED (F/F) PROPOSALS. EMPHASIZING THAT THE UPCOMING
AGRICULTURE MINISTERS COUNCIL AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS
COUNCIL WOULD BE OF KEY IMPORTANCE, THEY ASKED THAT ITALY
TAKE MORE REASONABLE, SCIENCE-BASED POSITIONS (REF A) IN BOTH
MEETINGS. DESPITE UNDERSTANDING FOR OUR POSITION IN SEVERAL
PARTS OF THE GOVERNMENT, GOI BIOTECH POLICY CONTINUES TO BE
DRIVEN BY THE OBSTRUCTIONIST MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE. END
SUMMARY.

VICE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN TRADE URSO
--------------


2. (C) ECMIN MET OCTOBER 8 WITH DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN
TRADE ADOLFO URSO. HE TOLD URSO THAT, ALTHOUGH PRIME
MINISTER BERLUSCONI AND OTHER GOI OFFICIALS HAD SPOKEN IN
FAVOR OF BIOTECHNOLOGY, WE WERE DISAPPOINTED THAT AGRICULTURE
MINISTER ALEMANNO CONTINUED HIS ANTI-BIOTECH CAMPAIGN
UNCHECKED. ECMIN POINTED TO RECENT GOI/USG COOPERATION ON
THE WHEAT MARGIN OF PREFERENCE ISSUE AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THE
U.S. AND ITALY COULD WORK TOGETHER EVEN ON AGRICULTURE
ISSUES. WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE SIMILAR DIALOGUE AND
COOPERATION ON BIOTECHNOLOGY.

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3. (C) A MORE COHERENT, FLEXIBLE GOI POSITION WOULD BE VERY
IMPORTANT FOR THE EU AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL
MEETINGS OCTOBER 15-17. STRESSING THAT THE U.S. HAD WORKED TO
NARROW OUR REQUESTS FOR CHANGES IN THE T/L AND F/F PROPOSALS
TO A FEW CRUCIAL POINTS, ECMIN ASKED THAT URSO RAISE OUR
CONCERNS WITH HIS COLLEAGUES.

4.(C) URSO NOTED THAT MANY IN THE GOI, INCLUDING THE PRIME
MINISTER, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER -- AND URSO HIMSELF -- WERE
QUITE OPEN ON BIOTECHNOLOGY. HOWEVER, THE MINISTERS MOST
INVOLVED IN SETTING BIOTECH POLICY WERE AGRICULTURE MINISTER
ALEMANNO AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTER MATTEOLI. URSO UNDERSTOOD
THE U.S. POINTS, AND UNDERTOOK TO DISCUSS THEM WITH MINISTER
ALEMANNO, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER FINI AND THE PRIME MINISTER'S
OFFICE.


5. (C) URSO ALSO COMMENTED THAT, A FEW WEEKS AGO IN OTTAWA,
HE HAD DISCUSSED BIOTECHNOLOGY WITH CANADA'S DEPUTY MINISTER
OF FOREIGN TRADE. URSO HAD SUGGESTED A TRADE OFF BETWEEN A
MORE HELPFUL ATTITUDE TOWARD ITALY'S GEOGRAPHIC INDICATORS
PROPOSAL IN RETURN FOR A MORE HELPFUL ITALIAN ATTITUDE ON
BIOTECHNOLOGY. OF COURSE, THIS WAS ONLY AN IDEA, NOT YET A
PROPOSAL, AND NEEDED A GREAT DEAL OF WORK, BUT IT MIGHT
ADVANCE TWO ISSUES OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO OUR TWO RESPECTIVE
COUNTRIES.


6. (C) IN REPLY, ECMIN SAID THAT WASHINGTON WAS HIGHLY
UNLIKELY EVEN TO CONSIDER SUCH AN IDEA SO LONG AS THE
AGRICULTURE MINISTER CONTINUED TO CAMPAIGN FIERCELY AND
PUBLICLY AGAINST BIOTECHNOLOGY.

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7. (C) NOTE: URSO IS A LONG-TIME CLOSE ASSOCIATE OF DEPUTY
PRIME MINISTER FINI. FINI, URSO AND MATTEOLI REPRESENT THE
LEADING FACTION OF THE ALLIANZA NAZIONALE (AN) COALITION
PARTNERS. AGRICULTURE MINISTER ALEMANNO IS A MEMBER OF A
SMALLER FACTION WITHIN AN. MFA EU AFFAIRS OFFICIAL MASSIMO
GAIANI TOLD US OCTOBER 9 THAT URSO'S STAFF HAD BRIEFED HIM
ALREADY ON ECMIN'S MEETING WITH URSO. END NOTE.

AGRICULTURE U/S SCARPA
--------------

8.(C) AGMINCOUNSELOR MET WITH MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE UNDER
SECRETARY SCARPA TO DISCUSS REF A DEMARCHE. SCARPA, WHO

SIPDIS
STRONGLY DIFFERS FROM AGRICULTURE MINISTER ALEMANNO ON THE
SUBJECT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY, HAS CLOSE TIES TO BERLUSCONI.
SCARPA WELCOMED U.S. EFFORTS TO CONSTRUCTIVELY ENGAGE THE EU
ON WHERE AND HOW THE T/L AND F/F PROPOSALS COULD BE MADE MORE
PALATABLE FOR THE U.S. HE WAS, HOWEVER, PESSIMISTIC THAT
ALEMANNO COULD BE PERSUADED TO TAKE A MORE FLEXIBLE LINE ON
THE F/F PROPOSAL. SCARPA PROMISED TO SHARE THE U.S. MESSAGE
WITH THE AGRICULTURE MINISTER, BUT INDICATED THAT
BIOTECHNOLOGY WAS BECOMING AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL PLANK FOR
ALEMANNO, LEAVING HIM WITH LESS AND LESS ROOM FOR MANEUVER.

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ACTION EUR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COME-00
CTME-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 EXIM-01 E-00 VC-00
FRB-00 HHS-01 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 ITC-01 L-00
VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OES-01 OMB-01 OPIC-01
ACE-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00
EPAE-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /011W
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P 111626Z OCT 02
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6299
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
AMCONSUL MILAN
AMCONSUL FLORENCE
AMCONSUL NAPLES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 004989

SIPDIS

USDA/FAS/MACKE/JONES/SLUTSKY;
USDA FOR DAVID HEGWOOD;
STATE PASS USTR FOR SLOAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2007
TAGS: ETRD EAGR TBIO EAGR TBIO IT EUN ITETRD EUN
SUBJECT: PRESSING ITALIAN POLICYMAKERS ON EU BIOTECH ISSUES


9. (C) SCARPA ALSO PROMISED TO SHARE U.S. VIEWS WITH THE
PRIME MINISTER'S UNDER SECRETARY (AND CLOSE ADVISOR) GIANNI
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LETTA. SCARPA NOTED THAT, IN HIS VIEW, THE ONLY LEVERAGE
POSSIBLE WITH ALEMANNO IS HIS DESIRE TO AVOID CONFRONTATION
WITH THE PRIME MINISTER. HENCE, SCARPA'S EFFORTS TO KEEP
LETTA INFORMED OF DEVELOPMENTS. WE HAVE HEARD SUBSEQUENTLY
FROM SCARPA'S STAFF THAT LETTA HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE U.S. POSITION.

ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY DG CLINI
--------------


10. (C) SCIENCE COUNSELOR MET WITH ENVIRONMENT MINISTER
MATTEOLI'S DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS,
CORRADO CLINI, ON OCTOBER 9 TO DISCUSS REFTEL POINTS, AS WELL
AS THE MINISTER'S TRIP TO THE U.S. MATTEOLI WILL SIGN AN
AGREEMENT WITH EPA ADMINISTRATOR WHITMAN, PART OF WHICH WILL
INVOLVE SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION ON BIOTECHNOLOGY.


11. (C) CLINI NOTED THAT ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY MATTEOLI WILL
REPRESENT HIS MINISTRY'S VIEWS AT THE OCTOBER 17 COUNCIL OF
ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS, AS THERE WAS NO COORDINATED GOI
POSITION.

PRIME MINISTER'S DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR CASTELLANETA
-------------- ---

12.(C) THE DCM MET OCTOBER 10 WITH DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR
CASTELLANETA IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE. EXPLAINING THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE OCTOBER 15-17 MEETINGS IN BRUSSELS, THE DCM
ASKED CASTELLANETA TO HAVE THE MINISTERS OF AGRICULTURE AND
ENVIRONMENT WORK CONSTRUCTIVELY IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNCILS.

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13. (C) CASTELLANETA TOOK NOTES ON THE U.S. POSITION AND
UNDERTOOK TO COMMUNICATE WITH AG MINISTER ALEMANNO AND
ENVIRONMENT MINISTER MATTEOLI.

COMMENT:
--------------


14. (C) WE HAVE, WITHOUT QUESTION, GOTTEN THE GOI'S ATTENTION
ON THE UPCOMING BRUSSELS MEETINGS. DESPITE THE EXPRESSIONS
OF UNDERSTANDING FROM OUR SEVERAL GOI INTERLOCUTORS, IT
REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER ALEMANNO AND MATTEOLI WILL SOFTEN
THEIR STANCES WHILE IN THE ITALIAN CHAIR DURING THEIR
RESPECTIVE COUNCIL MEETINGS. IN THE LONGER RUN, ALL SIGNS
CONTINUE TO POINT TO THE REALITY THAT A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN
ITALY'S BIOTECH POLICY WILL REQUIRE THE DIRECT, PERSONAL
ENGAGEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER.
SEMBLER

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2002ROME04989 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL