ITALIAN RESPONSE TO PRE- GAERC POINTS ON DPRK,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 005569 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2007 TAGS: PREL PARM KN TU CY IT EUN SUBJECT: ITALIAN RESPONSE TO PRE- GAERC POINTS ON DPRK, TURKEY, AND CYPRUS REF: SECSTATE 229594 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 05569 151740Z CLASSIFIED BY: POLMC T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) ON NOVEMBER 14, POLMINCOUNS DELIVERED REFTEL POINTS TO ROCCO ANTONIO CANGELOSI, MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR EUROPEAN INTEGRATION. ON THE DPRK, CANGELOSI'S WANTED TO KNOW, "WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THEM IN ORDER TO REOPEN THE DIALOGUE?" POLMINCOUNS REPLIED THAT WE HAD LOST CONFIDENCE IN ANYTHING THE DPRK HAD TO SAY; WHAT WE EXPECTED WAS AN END TO THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM. CANGELOSI ASKED IF WE WERE SURE THAT THE PROGRAM HAD RESUMED. POLMINCOUNS ASSURED HIM THAT THE EVIDENCE WAS CLEAR, AS WAS THEIR ADMISSION. ¶2. (C) ON TURKEY, POLMINCOUNS STRESSED THAT NOT ONLY WAS TAYYIP ERDOGAN SAYING "ALL THE RIGHT THINGS," BUT WE BELIEVED THAT THE ELECTION RESULTS PRESENTED A VERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR THE EU AND FOR TURKEY, SINCE THE TURKISH PARLIAMENT WAS NOW BOTH PRO-EU AND PRO-REFORM. CANGELOSI SAID THE GOI SHARED THIS ANALYSIS AND FURTHERMORE BELIEVED THAT ERDOGAN WOULD NOT JEOPARDIZE TURKISH SECULARISM. IN RESPONSE TO POLMINCOUNS' REMARK THAT THE EU NEEDED TO SET A DATE FOR TURKISH ACCESSION TALKS, AS PRIME MINISTER AND ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI HAD REQUESTED, CANGELOSI SAID THAT BERLUSCONI WAS HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME FINDING SUPPORT AMONG HIS EU COUNTERPARTS FOR THIS SUGGESTION. ACCESSION TALKS WOULD MOST LIKELY BE A CLOSED MEETING, WHICH THE TURKS DID NOT FAVOR. IF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AGREED, HOWEVER, THE EU COULD DO IT PUBLICLY. ¶3. (C) WITH REGARD TO CYPRUS, CANGELOSI REMARKED THAT THE EU VIEWED TURKISH ACCESSION, THE EU-NATO RELATIONSHIP IN ESDP, AND CYPRUS AS "ALL A PACKAGE." THEY WOULD ALL NEED TO CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 05569 151740Z BE RESOLVED WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME OF EACH OTHER. SINCE ERDOGAN SEEMED TO BE OPEN TO THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL'S CYPRUS PROPOSAL, HE EXPECTED SOME PROGRESS IN PRAGUE. ¶4. (SBU) FINALLY, POLMINCOUNS ASKED WHETHER AN EU MISSION IN MACEDONIA WOULD BE ON THE GAERC AGENDA. CANGELOSI SAID THAT ONLY A PROGRESS REPORT WAS EXPECTED, AS THE SITUATION HAD NOT CHANGED. SKODON CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME05569 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL