NETANYAHU IN ROME: SUCCESSFUL FIRST TRIP AS FM

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 006094

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2012
TAGS: ISRAEL'>IS IT PREL KPAL UN
SUBJECT: NETANYAHU IN ROME: SUCCESSFUL FIRST TRIP AS FM

REF: TEL AVIV 7148

CLASSIFIED BY: POL MC THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: ROME WAS ISRAEL FM NETANYAHU'S FIRST STOP IN
HIS FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR SINCE HE ASSUMED THE FUNCTIONS OF FM.
BOTH SIDES PLACED EMPHASIS ON THE GREATER BALANCE IN ITALY'S
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APPROACH TO THE MIDDLE EAST SINCE BERLUSCONI TOOK OFFICE,
THOUGH THE ITALIANS MADE CLEAR TO NETANYAHU THAT THEY WILL
NOT SEVER ALL CONTACT WITH ARAFAT. NETANYAHU BELIEVES THAT
THE EU'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON THE CONFLICT WILL BE MORE
EVENHANDED DURING ITALY'S EU PRESIDENCY THE SECOND HALF OF
2003, THOUGH HE HAD NO ENTHUSIASM FOR THE EU ROLE WITHIN THE
QUARTET. SENIOR ITALIAN OFFICIALS REITERATED THEIR BELIEF IN
THE ROLE OF THE QUARTET AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE "ROAD
MAP" LEADING TO THE CREATION OF A PALESTINIAN STATE EXISTING
IN PEACE AND SECURITY NEXT TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL. END
SUMMARY.


2. (U) NETANYAHU HAD A BUSY TWO-DAY VISIT TO ROME DEC 18-19
WHERE HE MET WITH PM BERLUSCONI, FM FRATTINI, MOD MARTINO,
DEPUTY PM FINI, PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE PERA, AND PRESIDENT
OF THE HOUSE CASINI. AMBASSADOR SEMBLER HOSTED A DINNER FOR
NETANYAHU, A LONG TIME ACQUAINTANCE, DEC 18. AT ALL THESE
EVENTS, AND IN HIS PUBLIC COMMENTS, NETANYAHU'S CORE TALKING
POINTS TRACKED CLOSELY WITH HIS RECENT CAMPAIGN SPEECHES AND
WITH THE PRESENTATION HE GAVE TO CODEL PRICE/DAVIS (REFTEL):
THE ISSUE IS NOT ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION, BUT THE WORLDWIDE
ISLAMIC TERRORISM; ISRAEL HAS BEEN TOO RESTRAINED IN NOT
EXILING ARAFAT; PALESTINIANS CAN HAVE SELF-GOVERNMENT, BUT
NEVER A STATE, ETC.


3. (C) OUR ITALIAN AND ISRAELI SOURCES TOLD US THAT LITTLE
NEW INFORMATION WAS DISCUSSED IN THE MEETINGS WHICH THEY
DESCRIBED NONETHELESS AS "USEFUL" FOR BOTH SIDES. LUCA
FERRARI, THE MFA'S OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN
TERRITORIES WHO ATTENDED THE MEETING WITH FM FRATTINI,
DESCRIBED NETANYAHU'S SPEECH AS "A LECTURE AT THE AMERICAN
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ENTREPRISE INSTITUTE," FULL OF HIS USUAL "CAMPAIGN PITCH" AND
A CLEARLY STATED POSITION THAT ISRAEL'S PROBLEM IS PART OF A
WORLDWIDE MUSLIM TERRORISM PROBLEM.


4. (C) NETANYAHU TOLD AMB. SEMBLER THAT ISRAEL DEEPLY
APPRECIATED THE DRAMATIC CHANGE IN ITALY'S RELATIONS WITH
ISRAEL SINCE BERLUSCONI TOOK OFFICE, AND THE MAJOR REDUCTION
IN ARAFAT'S STANDING WITH ITALY IN THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS. TO
ALL HIS ITALIAN INTERLOCUTORS, NETANYAHU SAID THAT, IN THE
MIDDLE EAST, ISRAEL IS THOUGHT OF AS THE "SMALL SATAN", THE
U.S. BEING THE "BIG SATAN." NOW, ADDED NETANYAHU, ITALY IS
BECOMING THE "MEDIUM SATAN." FERRARI SAID THE NEXT DAY THAT
THIS REMARK OF NETANYAHU'S HAD HIT THE RIGHT CHORD WITH
ITALIAN OFFICIALS, WHO ARE AWARE OF THE RISKS BEING RUN BY
ITALY'S ACTIVITIES TO DISRUPT TERRORIST OPERATIONS. FERRARI
ADDED THAT NETANYAHU TOLD FRATTINI THAT ITALY IS ONE OF THE
FEW RELIABLE PARTNERS ISRAEL HAS WITHIN THE EU. NETANYAHU
WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED WITH MOD MARTINO FOR HIS PROFOUND
KNOWLEDGE OF THE WHOLE WORLD AND HIS COMMITMENT TO ACTIVELY
COMBAT TERRORISM.


5. (C) THE ISRAELIS ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY
OF THE EU, DURING THE SECOND HALF OF 2003, WILL BE FAR MORE
BALANCED THAN THE CURRENT DANISH PRESIDENCY. IN FACT, EHUD
GOL, THE AMBASSADOR OF ISRAEL IN ROME, HAS BEEN LOBBYING THE
MFA AND WRITING OP-EDS AFTER EVERY SINGLE DANISH STATEMENT ON
THE MIDDLE EAST. FERRARI HOWEVER DID NOT HIDE HIS ANGER AT
THE "UTTERLY NONPROFESSIONAL" BEHAVIOR OF THE ISRAELI EMBASSY
EARLIER THIS MONTH WHEN IT QUOTED VERBATIM BERLUSCONI'S
STATEMENT, IN A PRIVATE MEETING WITH ISRAELI PRESIDENT KATSAV
DEC 11, THAT THE CHIGI (ITALY'S PRIME MINISTERIAL PALACE) HAD
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"CUT OFF ALL CONTACT WITH ARAFAT AND HIS REPRESENTATIVES"
AFTER THE KILLINGS OF 29 ISRAELIS ON MARCH 27. (IN FACT,
NABIL SHA'ATH HAD BEEN IN THE CHIGI JUST DAYS BEFORE KATSAV).
FERRARI SAID THE ISRAELIS HAD SCORED A TEMPORARY PROPAGANDA
POINT, UNTIL THE PM'S OFFICE WAS FORCED TO DENY THE
STATEMENT. BUT THE RESULTING FUROR IN THE ITALIAN PRESS
WOULD NOW CONSTRAIN THE ITALIAN MFA'S ABILITY TO STEER A MORE
BALANCED COURSE; ITS EVERY MOVE AND STATEMENT WOULD NOW BE
SCRUTINIZED MORE CLOSELY BY THE ARAFAT SYMPATHIZERS, WHO WERE
NUMEROUS NOT ONLY IN THE OPPOSITION, BUT WITHIN BERLUSCONI'S
CENTER-RIGHT COALITION. POL MC SHARED FERRARI'S ASTONISHMENT
THAT THE ISRAELIS NEVER EVEN APOLOGIZED FOR THE GAFFE.

SEMBLER

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2002ROME06094 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL