ITALIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER DISCUSSES GALILEO WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 006059 SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES/SAT AND EUR/ERA E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2012 TAGS: TSPA ETTC IT EUN SUBJECT: ITALIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER DISCUSSES GALILEO WITH DE PALACIO ¶1. (U) THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED BY ECONOMIC MINISTER COUNSELOR SCOTT KILNER. REASONS 1.5B AND D. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY. ON 4 DECEMBER DCM MET WITH MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COUNSELOR EMILIO MARAINI AND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 06059 191120Z OUTLINED USG VIEWS ON THE PROPOSED OVERLAY OF GPS M-CODE BY THE PUBLIC REGULATED SERVICE (PRS) OF THE GALILEO SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM. DCM ALSO DELIVERED A LETTER FROM AMBASSADOR TO MINISTER OF TRANSPORT LUNARDI. IN A DEC 12 CONVERSATION WITH MARAINI, POST LEARNED THAT LUNARDI HAD USED THE LETTER TO OPEN A PERSONAL DISCUSSION ON M-CODE WITH TRANSPORT COMMISSIONER DE PALACIO. HOWEVER, DE PALACIO'S ASSISTANT ILBRECHT INSISTED THAT THE OVERLAY PROBLEM COULD BE SOLVED BY MODULATION OF THE PRS SIGNAL RATHER THAN MOVING PRS TO A SEPARATE SEGMENT OF SPECTRUM. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) DCM CALLED ON MARAINI ON THE EVE OF HIS DEPARTURE FOR THE DEC.5 TRANSPORT COUNCIL TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE THE USG ATTACHES TO MOVING GALILEO'S PROPOSED PRS TO A FREQUENCY WHICH WOULD NOT OVERLAY THAT OF U.S. M-CODE. DCM STRESSED THAT THE USG WAS NOT OPPOSED TO THE EUROPEAN SYSTEM, IN FACT SAW POSSIBLE BENEFITS FOR USERS OF GALILEO AND GPS, BUT SIMPLY COULD NOT ACCEPT THE RISKS TO U.S. AND NATO MILITARY OPERATIONS AND PERSONNEL THAT WOULD RESULT FROM THE OVERLAY OF VITAL M-CODE BY GALILEO'S PROPOSED PRS. DCM UNDERLINED THAT NO TECHNICAL FIX WAS POSSIBLE, AND THAT THE EU NEEDED TO TAKE THE POLITICAL DECISION TO ABANDON THE IDEA OF FREQUENCY OVERLAYS. HE CONCLUDED BY POINTING TO OUR LONG STANDING POLITICAL AND INDUSTRIAL BILATERAL COOPERATION AS AN INDICATION THAT A SOLUTION COULD BE FOUND. ¶4. (SBU) MARAINI-- IN HIS JOB JUST A FEW MONTHS--WAS AWARE OF USG VIEWS, BUT SAID THAT THE TRANPORT MINISTERS LACKED THE COMPETENCE TO ENTER INTO THE MILITARY ASPECTS OF GALILEO, SINCE THE COMMISSION MANDATE WAS CIVILIAN AND COMMERCIAL. HE EXPECTED THE MINISTERS TO INDICATED THE NEED FOR THE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 06059 191120Z COMMISSION TO STUDY SERIOUSLY POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS IN CLOSE COOPERATION WITH THE U.S. HE PROMISED TO DELIVER THE AMBASSADOR'S LETTER TO MINISTER LUNARDI, AND TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES WITH THE MINISTER EN ROUTE TO BRUSSELS. ¶5. (C) POST LEARNED ON DECEMBER 12 FROM MARAINI THAT MINISTER LUNARDI HAD RAISED USG CONCERNS WITH TRANSPORT COMMISSIONER DE PALACIO ON THE MARGINS OF THE COUNCIL. ACCORDING TO MARAINI, LUNARDI STRESSED THE NEED TO ADDRESS USG SECURITY CONCERNS RESPONSIVELY. IN HER REPLY THE COMMISSIONER CALLED ON HER ASSISTANT ILBRECHT, WHO ARGUED THAT THE OVERLAY PROBLEMS RAISED BY THE THE U.S. COULD BE RESOLVED BY MODULATION OF PRS SIGNAL WITHOUT THE NEED TO MOVE PRS TO A SEPARTE FREQUENCY. ¶6. (C) COMMENT. EMBASSY BELIEVES THAT ITALY, BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STAKES IN GALILEO, WILL SUPPORT A RESOLUTION OF THE OVERLAY ISSUE IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH TENDERING THE PROJECT, WHICH COULD HAPPEN AS EARLY AS NEXT JUNE. HOWEVER, THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT IS NOT FULLY CONVINCED THAT THE TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS OFFERED UP BY THE COMMISSION ARE INFEASIBLE. INDEED, MARAINI TOLD US THAT THE U.S. STYLE-- IN HIS WORDS, NEGOTIATING BY ULTIMATUM--DID NOT SIT WELL WITH EITHER ITALY OR THE COMMISSION. WE EXPECT THE ITALIANS WILL WANT A CLEAR TECHNICAL EXPLANATION OF WHY SOLUTIONS PROPOSED BY THE COMMISSION WILL NOT WORK. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME06059 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL