BIWEEKLY ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR APRIL 16-30, 2002

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 002238 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR (BRADTKE),EUR/WE (MENNUTI) E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2012 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KWMN EAID PGOV PHUM KWMN EAID VT EAGER VTPREL EAGER SUBJECT: BIWEEKLY ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR APRIL 16-30, 2002 CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR NICHOLSON, REASON E.O. 12958 1.5 (B),(D). ¶1. (C) THIS CABLE REPORTS ON EMBASSY VATICAN'S ACTIVITIES FOR THE PERIOD APRIL 16-30, 2002. IT IS INTENDED TO SUMMARIZE, BUT NOT EXHAUSTIVELY REPORT, OUR ACTIVITIES DURING THE PERIOD. COVERED IN THIS CABLE ARE: -- AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH PRESIDENTIAL PRE-ADVANCE -- AMBASSADOR/FM TAURAN ON VENEZUELA -- ANTI-TRAFFICKING CONFERENCE PROGRESS -- A/S JONES VISITS EMBASSY CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 02238 01 OF 02 081435Z -- AMBASSADOR CALLS ON MILAN CARDINAL MARTINI -- AMBASSADOR'S PUBLIC DIPLOMACY -- DCM ACTIVITIES -- POLITICAL SECTION -- REPORTING: MIDDLE EAST, VENEZUELA, UNGASS. ¶2. (SBU) AMBASSADOR HOSTED WHITE HOUSE PRE-ADVANCE FOR DISCUSSION OF PRESIDENT'S LATE MAY NATO SUMMIT VISIT TO A BASE SEVERAL MILES OUTSIDE OF ROME. IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE WAS NO PLAN FOR A BILAT IN VATICAN CITY WITH THE POPE. (NOTE: IF THE PRESIDENT VISITS ROME -- I.E. THE CITY CENTER -- AND DOES NOT SCHEDULE TIME WITH THE POPE, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THAT HAS HAPPENED.) ¶3. (C) EVENING OF APRIL 19, AMBASSADOR AND POLOFF CALLED ON FM TAURAN, ON INSTRUCTION, TO REQUEST APPROPRIATE VATICAN AND CHURCH ENGAGEMENT IN VENEZUELAN "NATIONAL DIALOGUE" IN SUPPORT FOR RECONCILIATION. (SEPTEL). AMBASSADOR AND TAURAN ALSO DISCUSSED THE SITUATION IN BETHLEHEM AT THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY AND VATICAN FEARS THAT IT WAS BECOMING UNSTABLE. ¶4. (U) AMBASSADOR HOSTED LUNCH APRIL 16 WITH MAIN VATICAN INTERLOCUTORS TO DISCUSS PREPARATIONS FOR UPCOMING ANTI-TRAFFICKING CONFERENCE. THE VATICAN OFFICIALS FROM THE FOREIGN MINISTRY AND PONTIFICAL COUNCILS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE AND FOR MIGRANTS AND ITINERANTS WERE PLEASED AT THE BROAD INTERNATIONAL INTEREST IN ATTENDING AND SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE AND AGREED TO TAKE EMBASSY'S SUGGESTIONS AS TO VATICAN SPEAKING/MODERATING ROLES AT THE CONFERENCE. ¶5. (U) A/S BETH JONES PAID A COURTESY CALL ON AMBASSADOR CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 02238 01 OF 02 081435Z APRIL 23. DISCUSSION FOCUSED ON MIDDLE EAST; GROWING ANTI-SEMITISM IN EUROPE AND VATICAN REACTIONS; BENEFITS OF HAVING THE POPE UP TO SPEED ON U.S. THINKING AND INTENTIONS. AT HER TOWN HALL MEETING AT EMBASSY ROME, RESPONDING TO A QUERY FROM POL/ADMINOFF, A/S JONES ENCOURAGED POST TO ELICIT GREATER ENGAGEMENT FROM THE VATICAN ON ROMA/SINTI ISSUES IN EUROPE. ¶6. (U) AMBASSADOR CALLED ON MILAN CARDINAL MARTINI APRIL 26. MARTINI, UNTIL RECENTLY SEEN AS A STRONG CONTENDER IN THE PAPAL SUCCESSION STAKES, IS RETIRING IN SEPTEMBER. HE WILL RETURN TO THE MIDDLE EAST TO STUDY AND, "IF ASKED," TO DO WHAT HE CAN TO PROMOTE RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES THERE. ¶7. (U) AMBASSADOR'S PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD AMBASSADOR CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS OR BACKGROUNDERS ON U.S./VATICAN RELATIONS AND THE UPCOMING ANTI-TRAFFICKING CONFERENCE WITH: PEGGY POLK OF THE RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE AND SARAH DELANEY OF THE WASHINGTON POST APRIL 17; JEFF ISRAELI OF TIME MAGAZINE APRIL 18; VATICAN RADIO AND ALESSIO VINCI OF CNN APRIL 19; MELINDA HENEBERGER OF THE NEW YORK TIMES AND JOHN HENDERSON OF THE DENVER POST APRIL 23. ¶8. (C) DCM ACTIVITIES: -- DCM MET APRIL 16 WITH MICROSOFT GOVERNMENT RELATIONS DIRECTOR FABIO FALEZA TO DISCUSS MICROSOFT'S PROPOSAL TO DIGITIZE VATICAN ARCHIVES. ESTIMATED COST IS $300 MILLION; MICROSOFT SEES WORK UNDERTAKEN BY A CONSORTIUM OF COMPANIES. DCM CHAIRED FOLLOW-UP MEETING APRIL 30, INCLUDING EMBASSY CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 VATICA 02238 01 OF 02 081435Z ROME PAO. EMBASSY ROME FCS WILL WORK WITH MICROSOFT TO FOLLOW-UP. -- DCM MET APRIL 28 WITH ISRAELI COUNTERPART TO DISCUSS BETHLEHEM AND CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY STANDOFF. ¶9. (C) POLITICAL SECTION: -- POLOFF TOOK ADVANTAGE OF 4/16 LUNCH (PARA 4 ABOVE) TO PRESENT DEMARCHE POINTS TO VATICAN DFM AND JUSTICE AND PEACE UNDERSECRETARY ON UN SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN. POINTS REQUESTED VATICAN HELP IN ENGAGING LATIN AMERICAN CAPITALS TO SUPPORT APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE ON CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE RIGHTS IN THE UNGASS. (SEPTEL). -- IN ADDITION TO SPENDING AN AVERAGE OF 2-3 HOURS PER DAY ORGANIZING SPEAKERS AND ATTENDEES FOR THE ANTI-TRAFFICKING CONFERENCE, POLOFF MET WITH U/S MICHAEL BLUME, APRIL 17, TO COORDINATE HOLY SEE SPEAKERS AND THEIR TEXTS. BLUME WAS HAPPY TO TAKE A SPEAKING ROLE OUTLINING THE BROAD HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION OF THE PROBLEM. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ9670 PAGE 01 VATICA 02238 02 OF 02 081435Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 PERC-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 SSO-00 SS-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /004W -------------- ABB20D 081437Z /38 O 081418Z MAY 02 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 002238 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR (BRADTKE),EUR/WE (MENNUTI) E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2012 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KWMN EAID PGOV PHUM KWMN EAID VT EAGER VTPREL EAGER SUBJECT: BIWEEKLY ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR APRIL 16-30, 2002 -- POL/ADMINOFF STAFFED AMBASSADOR J.D. BINDENAGLE'S APRIL 26 CALLS ON DFM MIGLIORE AND PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR RELATIONS WITH THE JUDAISM CARDINAL KASPER. (SEPTEL WILL FOLLOW). ¶10. (C) REPORTING: VATICAN 1920: DEMARCHE ON UNGASS; VATICAN 1975: ENGAGING CATHOLIC CHURCH IN VENEZUELA. NICHOLSON CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 02238 02 OF 02 081435Z CONFIDENTIAL > 2002VATICA02238 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL