CLARIFICATION OF ITALIAN POSITION ON SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 005106 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2007 TAGS: PREL GM IT UNSC SUBJECT: CLARIFICATION OF ITALIAN POSITION ON SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM REF: A. USUN NEW YORK 2561 ¶B. ROME 3384 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 05106 181537Z CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNS T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASON 1.5(D) ¶1. (C) POST READ WITH INTEREST REF A ON ITALY'S PIQUE ABOUT THE U.S. ENDORSEMENT OF A PERMANENT UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT FOR GERMANY. REF A'S COMMENT NOTED THAT THE GOI PERMREP "REFRAINED FROM MENTIONING ITALY'S HOPES FOR A PERMANENT SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT." HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO THE STATEMENT ON UNSC REFORM THAT IS POSTED ON THE MFA WEBSITE, "THE ITALIAN PROPOSAL WOULD LEAVE THE CURRENT FIVE PERMANENT AND TEN NON-PERMANENT SEATS UNCHANGED." AS REPORTED IN PARA 3 REF B, ITALY'S UNSC REFORM PROPOSAL IS TO ADD EIGHT TO TEN REGIONAL, NON-PERMANENT SEATS THAT WOULD BE SHARED BY COUNTRIES NOT REPRESENTED IN OTHER SLOTS ACCORDING TO THEIR U.N. CONTRIBUTIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ITALY IS NOT SEEKING A PERMANENT UNSC SEAT FOR ITSELF. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: UNDER THE PREVIOUS, CENTER-LEFT GOVERNMENT, SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM WAS PRACTICALLY AN OBSESSION. WHILE PM SILVIO BERLUSCONI HAS NOT CHANGED THE GOI POSITION ON THIS ISSUE, THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT HAS NOT RAISED IT AT A BILATERAL LEVEL. END COMMENT. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME05106 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL