C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 006134

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2007
TAGS: PHUM PREL KPAO ITALY'>IT UNHRC
SUBJECT: UNHCR PROFILE: ITALY

REF: STATE 252917

CLASSIFIED BY: A/POL MC GARY ROBBINS, REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS KEYED TO REFTEL QUESTIONS TO
ASSIST IN PREPARATION OF CHR COUNTRY PROFILE FOR ITALY.

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 ROME 06134 241147Z

2. (C) THE MFA WILL DEVELOP AND COORDINATE ITALY'S POSITIONS
ON CHR RESOLUTIONS AND RELATED ISSUES; BUT IT WILL FOLLOW
OVERARCHING PARAMETERS AND, IN SOME CASES, SPECIFIC POSITIONS
FORMULATED BY PRIME MINISTER BERLUSCONI AND HIS ADVISORS.
BERLUSCONI RECENTLY NAMED A NEW FOREIGN MINISTER, FRANCO
FRATTINI, AFTER DUAL-HATTING HIMSELF AS ACTING FOREIGN
MINISTER FOR ELEVEN MONTHS, BUT HE CLEARLY INTENDS TO KEEP AN
ACTIVE HAND IN FOREIGN POLICY. WITHIN THE MFA, HUMAN RIGHTS
OFFICE DIRECTOR COUNSELOR GIUSEPPE CALVETTA AND HIS STAFF
COORDINATE ITALIAN POSITIONS AND SHOULD SERVE AS TRAFFIC COPS
BETWEEN ROME AND THE ITALIAN DELEGATIONS IN BRUSSELS AND
GENEVA. THE COUNTRY DESKS AND DIRECTORATES ARE EXPECTED TO
TAKE THE LEAD IN DEVELOPING POSITIONS ON KEY COUNTRY
RESOLUTIONS. MULTILATERAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR GENERAL
(A/S-EQUIVALENT) GIANCARLO ARAGONA HAS SHOWN A PROPENSITY
(MOST RECENTLY REGARDING LIBYA'S NOMINATION AS CHR-59 CHAIR)
TO WADE INTO KEY ISSUES AND CALL COUNTERPARTS DIRECTLY.


3. CONTACT INFO: DIRECTOR GENERAL (PERSONAL RANK OF MINISTER)
GIANCARLO ARAGONA: 39-06-3691-2174
DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL (PERSONAL RANK OF MINISTER) CLAUDIO
BISOGNIERO: 39-06-3691-2222
COUNSELOR GIUSEPPE CALVETTA: 39-06-3691-2240


4. ITALY IS NOT A MEMBER OF CHR-59, BUT ITS MEMBERSHIP ON THE
EU TROIKA (AS THE NEXT EU PRESIDENT FOLLOWING GREECE) SHOULD
GIVE IT SUBSTANTIAL, IF INDIRECT, INFLUENCE OVER COMMON EU
POSITIONS ON SPECIFIC CHR TOPICS THAT WOULD THEN BE DEPLOYED
BY THOSE MEMBER-STATES SERVING ON THE COMMISSION. ITALY'S
PRINCIPAL GOALS FOR THE 2003 COMMISSION ARE TO MAINTAIN AND
IMPROVE THE COMMISSION'S EFFECTIVENESS AND TO REINFORCE FOR
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03 ROME 06134 241147Z
ITS OWN PROSPECTS FOR RETURNING TO THE COMMISSION IN 2004.
(ITALY WITHDREW ITS CANDIDACY WITHIN THE WEOG FOR CHR-59 IN
ORDER TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR RENEWED U.S. MEMBERSHIP.)


5. POSSIBLE LEVERAGE: IN EXCHANGE FOR POSTPONING THEIR OWN
RETURN TO THE CHR, THE ITALIANS EXPECTED ENHANCED
CONSULTATIONS WITH THE U.S. ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES. COUCHED
UNDER THIS RUBRIC, ADDITIONAL BILATERAL EXCHANGES COULD BE AN
ESPECIALLY USEFUL MECHANISM TO INFLUENCE THEIR THINKING IN
ADVANCE OF INTERNAL EU DELIBERATIONS. THE ITALIANS ARE
FAITHFUL, GENERALLY ENTHUSIASTIC PARTICIPANTS IN THE EU'S
COORDINATION PROCESS THAT PRODUCES COMMON UNION-WIDE
POSITIONS. HOWEVER, THE BERLUSCONI GOVERNMENT HAS SHOWN AN
INCREASED WILLINGNESS TO RESIST REFLEXIVELY ACCEPTING AN EU
CONSENSUS POSITION TO THE DETRIMENT OF ITS NATIONAL INTERESTS
(AN APPROACH THAT UNFORTUNATELY HAS NOT WORKED TO OUR
ADVANTAGE IN THE LIBYAN CHAIRMANSHIP DEBATE). WE MAY BE ABLE
TO USE THIS WILLINGNESS TO INFLUENCE THE ITALIAN POSITION ON
SPECIFIC CHR TOPICS OF ESPECIALLY HIGH IMPORTANCE -- BUT WE
WOULD NEED TO CHOOSE CAREFULLY. LIKE OUR EMBASSIES IN OTHER
EU CAPITALS, WE CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY
ENGAGEMENT, BEFORE EU DELIBERATIONS BEGIN TO COALESCE AROUND
A COMMON POSITION. AS THE DISCUSSIONS OVER LIBYAN
CHAIRMANSHIP HAVE SHOWN, ITALY HAS A FAIRLY UNIQUE POSITION
ON LIBYA GIVEN THE HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP, COMMERCIAL TIES
AND GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF ENGAGEMENT. PM BERLUSCONI'S
OCTOBER VISIT TO TRIPOLI REINFORCED THEIR INVESTMENT IN
"REHABILITATING" AND LEFT THE MFA WITH LITTLE ROOM FOR
MANEUVER. LIKE MANY EUROPEAN FOREIGN MINISTRIES, THE ITALIANS
ARE IN MANY CASES SPREAD FAIRLY THIN. THE MFA WELCOMES
DETAILED U.S. ASSESSMENTS AND INPUT ON INDIVIDUAL ISSUES.
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 04 ROME 06134 241147Z


6. ITALIAN MEDIA ARE GENERALLY INTERESTED IN SENIOR-LEVEL USG
OP-EDS OR SPEECHES IF EMPLOYED JUDICIOUSLY (I.E., NOT
WEEKLY). APPEARANCES AND PRESENTATIONS BY A/S OR HIGHER
OFFICIALS, EITHER IN PERSON OR VIA DVC, WOULD ALSO BE
WELL-RECEIVED.

SEMBLER

CONFIDENTIAL

>
2002ROME06134 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL