EU COPENHAGEN SUMMIT: GOI STRESSES NEED FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 005939 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2012 TAGS: PREL EU IT CY ESDP SUBJECT: EU COPENHAGEN SUMMIT: GOI STRESSES NEED FOR "POLITICAL WILL" FOR PROGRESS ON CYPRUS; OPTIMISTIC ON ESDP/BERLIN-PLUS REF: STATE 253376 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 05939 111724Z CLASSIFIED BY: A/POL MINISTER COUNSELOR GARY ROBBINS. REASON:1.5 (B)(D ). ¶1. (C) DRAWING ON POINTS REFTEL, POLOFF ON DECEMBER 11 EMPHASIZED WITH GIOVANNI RICCIULI, DIRECTOR OF THE MFA'S OFFICE FOR MEDITERRANEAN AND SOUTHERN EUROPE ISSUES, THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON ALL SIDES TO AGREE TO A CYPRUS SETTLEMENT. RICCIULI UNDERLINED THAT THE GOI SHARED THE USG'S SENSE OF URGENCY, AND IN FACT FM FRATTINI WOULD BE MEETING WITH CYPRIOT FM IOANNIS KASOULIDES IN ROME THAT VERY AFTERNOON. (COMMENT: RICCIULI INTERRUPTED THE MEETING TO ASK AN ASSISTANT TO HAND CARRY REFTEL POINTS TO FRATTINI'S STAFFERS SO THAT THEY COULD BE INCLUDED IN HIS BRIEFING MATERIALS.) ¶2. (C) RICCIULI SAID THAT THE DETAILED ANALYSIS PROVIDED REFTEL WOULD PROVE VALUABLE DURING THE FRATTINI/KASOULIDES MEETING AND IN DISCUSSIONS LEADING UP TO AND IN COPENHAGEN. HOWEVER, HE CONTINUED, IF WE HOPED FOR A CYPRUS AGREEMENT IN TIME FOR THE COPENHAGEN SUMMIT, ALL SIDES WOULD HAVE TO CONCUR ON THE POLITICAL NECESSITY OF AN AGREEMENT; THE "POLITICAL WILL" OF BOTH SIDES TO AGREE ON THE OVERALL CONCEPT OF THE UN PROPOSAL IS NECESSARY. DETAILS WOULD HAVE TO BE WORKED OUT LATER. UNSYG ANNAN HAD TIMED THIS PROPOSAL CAREFULLY, TO COINCIDE WITH COPENHAGEN. FRATTINI WOULD EMPHASIZE TO KASOULIDES THAT THERE WAS "NO TIME TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER COPENHAGEN" FOR A DEAL, THAT AGREEMENT WOULD REQUIRE A "MAJOR POLITICAL EFFORT" AND CONCESSIONS, AND THAT NO SIDE WOULD BE COMPLETELY HAPPY. RICCIULI SAID THAT FRATTINI KNOWS THAT THE EU, U.S., AND UN MUST KEEP THE PRESSURE ON ALL SIDES. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 05939 111724Z ¶3. (C) SANDRO DE BERNADIN, IN THE MFA'S OFFICE OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, TOLD POLOFF DECEMBER 11 THAT THE GOI CAME OUT OF THE COPENHAGEN MINISTERIAL "HOPEFUL" THAT ENOUGH PROGRESS COULD BE MADE ON ESDP AND BERLIN-PLUS IN THE COMING MONTHS SO THAT EUROPE COULD "HONOR ITS DECLARED COMMITMENTS" TO HELP STABILIZE MACEDONIA. THIS COULD NOT BE DONE WITHOUT AGREEMENT ON BERLIN-PLUS, AND ITALY SHARES THE BRITISH VIEW THAT AD-HOC ARRANGEMENTS OR BERLIN-PLUS "WORK AROUNDS" ARE UNACCEPTABLE. ¶4. (C) ACCORDING TO DE BERNADIN, MOST MINISTERS AT THE GAERC WERE SUPPORTIVE OF HIGH REP SOLANA'S IDEA TO LINK BERLIN-PLUS TO ONLY THOSE COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE. THE PROPOSAL CAUGHT GREEK FM PAPANDREOU OFF GUARD, HE SAID, BUT THE GOI WAS HOPEFUL THAT THE PROPOSAL ANSWERED GREEK CONCERNS. THE GOI WOULD WORK HARD AT COPENHAGEN TO DE-LINK THE ESDP AND TURKEY ACCESSION ISSUES, DESPITE GERMAN FEELINGS TO THE CONTRARY. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME05939 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL