AN INSIDER'S VIEW OF RUGGIERO'S SACKING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000081

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/WE AND EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2022
TAGS: EU IT PGOV PREL ITALIAN POLITICS
SUBJECT: AN INSIDER'S VIEW OF RUGGIERO'S SACKING

REF: 2001 ROME 06753

CLASSIFIED BY: A/POL MINISTER COUNSELOR GARY ROBBINS.
REASON: 1.6 X.6

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GOOD RIDDANCE
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1. (C) ON 7 JANUARY, THE HEAD OF THE MFA'S BALKAN OFFICE,
MAURIZIO MASSARI (STRICTLY PROTECT) TOLD POLOFF THAT HE WAS
"NOT SORRY TO SEE FORMER FM RUGGIERO GO," AND THAT THIS VIEW
WAS SHARED BE MANY AT HIS LEVEL (ROUGHLY, THE EQUIVALENT OF
OFFICE DIRECTOR IN THE DOS). MASSARI SAID THAT THERE WAS
SOME "BITTERNESS" AMONG HIS COLLEAGUES OVER THE "LOST
OPPORTUNITY" CAUSED BY RUGGIERO'S PUBLIC BICKERING WITH HIS
BOSS AND REFUSAL TO CONSULT WITH HIS FELLOW MINISTERS OVER
MATTERS OF GOVERNMENT POLICY. RUGGIERO COULD HAVE USED HIS
REPUTATION AMONG OTHER EURO-MINISTERS AND HIS SKILLS AS AN
ACCOMPLISHED DIPLOMAT TO ADVANCE ITALY'S STANDING AS A WORLD
LEADER. THAT CHANCE WAS LOST WHEN RUGGIERO REFUSED TO PLAY
THE POLITICAL GAME. MASSARI ALSO CONFIRMED OUR VIEWS,
REPORTED SEPTEL, THAT RUGGIERO'S DEPARTURE WAS A REFLECTION
OF INTER-GOVERNMENTAL AND PERSONALITY CLASHES, AND DID NOT
REFLECT ANY MOVEMENT TOWARDS A MORE ISOLATIONIST, LESS
PRO-EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY BY THE GOI.


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HE'S NO DINI
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2. (C) MASSARI COMPARED RUGGIERO'S PERFORMANCE WITH THAT OF
FORMER FM DINI, WHO WAS, IN MASSARI'S VIEW, ALSO A SKILLED
INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT BUT, IN CONTRAST TO RUGGIERO, A TEAM
PLAYER. FROM A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, MASSARI HOPED THAT THE
NEXT FM WOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO ITALY'S ROLE IN BALKAN
STABILIZATION, AN AREA ALMOST TOTALLY IGNORED BY RUGGIERO.

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WHO'S NEXT
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3. (C) WHEN ASKED TO SPECULATE ON RUGGIERO'S SUCCESSOR,
MASSARI SAID THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO POINT TO ANY ONE
INDIVIDUAL. HOWEVER, HE HAD JUST RETURNED FROM A MEETING
CHAIRED BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS (A/S
EQUIVALENT) AND OFFICE DIRECTORS, WHERE CONSENSUS SPECULATION
WAS THAT WHATEVER THE CHOICE, IT WOULD BE MADE MORE ON THE
BASIS OF POLITICAL LOYALTY THAN FOREIGN POLICY ACUMEN.
MASSARI ALSO SAID HE WOULD "NOT BE SURPRISED" IF ITALY'S
AMBASSADOR TO THE EU (AND FORMER MFA SECRETARY GENERAL)
UMBERTO VATTANI, WHO "ENJOYS PM BERLUSCONI'S FULL CONFIDENCE"
WAS BROUGHT BACK FROM BRUSSELS TO RUN THE
TECHNICAL/SUBSTANTIVE OPERATIONS OF THE MINISTRY, POSSIBLY AS
AN UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE OR (AGAIN) AS SECRETARY GENERAL
OF THE MFA.



4. (C) COMMENT. WHILE MASSARI'S VIEW MAY NOT BE SHARED
ACROSS THE ENTIRE MFA, PARTICULARLY AMONG THOSE BROUGHT IN BY
RUGGIERO, WE HEARD SIMILAR RUMBLINGS FROM HIGH-LEVEL CONTACTS
IN THE MINISTRY PRIOR TO RUGGIERO'S RESIGNATION (REFTEL). WE
WILL CONTINUE TO PROBE OUR INTERLOCUTORS FOR THEIR THOUGHTS
ON RUGGIERO'S DEPARTURE, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, ANY CHANGES IN
THE DIRECTION OF ITALIAN FOREIGN POLICY HIS FIRING MAY
PORTEND.


5. (U) MINIMIZE CONSIDERED.
POPE

2002ROME00081 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL