NIGERIA, ZIMBABWE, COTE D'IVOIRE: ITALY, EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 005832 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2007 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CI ZI NI PGOV PHUM CI ZI NI IT ITPREL SUBJECT: NIGERIA, ZIMBABWE, COTE D'IVOIRE: ITALY, EU CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 05832 01 OF 02 050113Z CONSIDER APPROPRIATE ROLE REF: 12/2 D. EPSTEIN-K. METRES EMAIL CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNS T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. AFRICA DG CABRAS REQUESTED A MEETING WITH POLMINCOUNS TO GET U.S. VIEWS ON THE CRISIS IN NIGERIA AND REVIEW OTHER TIMELY ISSUES. SOME ITALIAN NGOS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE APPLICATION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN NIGERIA, BUT CABRAS AGREED THAT THE GOI'S FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITY MUST BE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS. ON ZIMBABWE, CABRAS MENTIONED THAT AN UPCOMING EU MEETING WOULD DISCUSS HOW TO HANDLE THE QUESTION OF WHETHER TO INVITE MUGABE TO NEXT YEAR'S EU-AU MINISTERIAL. THE EU MEETING WOULD ALSO DISCUSS COTE D'IVOIRE, AND THE GOI WOULD PUSH FOR GREATER EU INVOLVEMENT IN PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. POLMINCOUNS RAISED THE FOOD CRISIS IN SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AFRICA, AND CABRAS SPOKE BRIEFLY ABOUT TERRORISM IN KENYA. END SUMMARY. -------------- NIGERIA: DEATH PENALTY, ELECTIONS -------------- ¶2. (C) ON DECEMBER 2, POLMINCOUNS MET WITH BRUNO CABRAS, THE MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS. CABRAS REQUESTED THE MEETING IN ORDER TO PREPARE THE FONMIN FOR AN UPCOMING MEETING WITH NESSUNO TOCCHI CAINO (LET NOBODY TOUCH CAIN),A LOCAL ANTI-DEATH PENALTY NGO. NOTE: THE DEATH SENTENCES AGAINST TWO UNWED NIGERIAN MOTHERS ATTRACTED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 05832 01 OF 02 050113Z WIDESPREAD CONCERN IN ITALY, PUTTING NIGERIA ON THE MFA'S RADAR SCREEN. END NOTE. POLMINCOUNS DREW FROM REF A POINTS ON ELECTION ASSISTANCE, TO WHICH CABRAS REPLIED, "OUR POSITIONS COINCIDE ALMOST PERFECTLY." THE GOI'S FIRST PRIORITY WAS SUPPORTING THE ELECTION PROCESS; ITALY HAS PROVIDED ITALIAN OBSERVERS AND TECHNICAL AID OVER AND ABOVE THE EU PROGRAM. CABRAS OPINED THAT THE REAL CAUSES OF THE STRIFE WERE POLITICAL STRUGGLE AND ECONOMIC DEGRADATION, NOT ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES PER SE. -------------- EU-AU: THE ZIMBABWE QUESTION, ROUND II -------------- ¶3. (C) IN A DECEMBER 4 MEETING IN BRUSSELS, EU AFRICA HANDS WILL DISCUSS HOW TO HANDLE THE EU-AU MINISTERIAL PLANNED FOR LISBON IN 2003, IN LIGHT OF THE FAILURE OF THE EU-SADC MAPUTU "SOLUTION" TO THE DILEMMA OF ACCORDING MUGABE THE HONOR OF AN INVITATION TO EUROPE. CABRAS ASSERTED THAT SINCE THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING WAS DIALOGUE, NO COUNTRY COULD BE EXCLUDED. HE BELIEVED THAT POSTPONEMENT WOULD "SEND A VERY BAD MESSAGE" AND THAT THE AU STATES WOULD NOT COME IF MUGABE WERE NOT INVITED. POLMINCOUNS SAID THAT THE SUMMIT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO THE AU THAN IT IS TO THE EUROPEAN LEADERS. THE EU SHOULD NOT BE SO HESITANT TO USE THAT LEVERAGE TO FIND A WAY TO EXCLUDE MUGABE. -------------- -------------- COTE D'IVOIRE: COULD THE EU HELP THE DISMAL SITUATION? -------------- -------------- CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 05832 01 OF 02 050113Z ¶4. (C) TURNING TO COTE D'IVOIRE, CABRAS SAID THE GOI'S FIRST PRIORITY WAS THE SUCCESS OF THE ECOWAS NEGOTIATIONS, WHICH HE NOTED, "ARE NOT GOING WELL." THE ROLE OF PRESIDENT WADE OF SENEGAL, WHO "WANTED TO BE CENTER STAGE" IN SPITE OF OTHER COUNTRIES' DISSENSION, WAS PROBLEMATIC, AND THE REBELS HAD CALLED INTO QUESTION THE ENTIRE CONSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF CDI. IF THE GCI COULD NOT RECAPTURE MAN, THERE WOULD BE NO MILITARY OPTION FOR THE GCI UNLESS FRANCE BACKED IT. THERE WAS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY THAT GCI FORCES COULD TURN AGAINST PRESIDENT GBAGBO, LEADING TO CDI'S PARTITION AND "ECONOMIC DISASTER FOR THE COUNTRY AND THE REGION." ¶5. (C) AT THE BRUSSELS MEETING, WHICH THE GOI WOULD CHAIR, A DISCUSSION OF WHETHER DIRECT ENGAGEMENT BY THE EU IN CDI COULD HELP WOULD BE "VERY, VERY HIGH ON THE AGENDA." THE GOI, WHICH FAVORS ENGAGEMENT BY THE EU, MIGHT PROPOSE SENDING A SPECIAL ENVOY TO "ORIENT THE NEGOTIATION" BETWEEN THE PARTIES. CABRAS WASN'T SURE THAT FRANCE WOULD BE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT AN EU ROLE BUT PREDICTED THAT IN A FEW WEEKS OR MONTHS, THE GOF WOULD WELCOME THIS SHARING OF THE BURDEN. -------------- FOOD CRISIS: MFA WITH US ON GMO ISSUE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ7541 PAGE 01 ROME 05832 02 OF 02 050114Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 AF-00 AID-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /007W -------------- 12D607 050114Z /21 R 040510Z DEC 02 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7184 INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN AMEMBASSY ABUJA AMEMBASSY ACCRA AMEMBASSY BAMAKO AMEMBASSY CONAKRY AMEMBASSY MONROVIA AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU AMCONSUL LAGOS USEU BRUSSELS 2989 C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 005832 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2007 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CI ZI NI PGOV PHUM CI ZI NI IT ITPREL SUBJECT: NIGERIA, ZIMBABWE, COTE D'IVOIRE: ITALY, EU CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 05832 02 OF 02 050114Z CONSIDER APPROPRIATE ROLE -------------- ¶6. (C) FURTHER DISCUSSION FOCUSED ON FOOD SECURITY AND TERRORISM IN KENYA. POLMINCOUNS RAISED THE ISSUE OF THE FOOD CRISIS IN SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AFRICA. IN SPITE OF THE CONTROVERSIAL NATURE OF THE GMO ISSUE IN ITALY, CABRAS SAID, "WE ARE ON THE SAME LINE (WITH YOU)." ASKED ABOUT KENYA, POLMINCOUNS MENTIONED THAT WE HAD RELEASED A TRAVEL ADVISORY ALSO COVERING DJIBOUTI AND YEMEN. CABRAS AGREED THAT SUCH ACTION WAS NECESSARY BUT REGRETTED THE IMPACT OF SUCH WARNINGS ON THE ECONOMIES OF THE COUNTRIES NAMED. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME05832 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL