SUBJECT: NO RED CARPET FOR TAIWAN PRESIDENT AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 002901 SIPDIS EUR/WE (D.MENNUTI); EAP/CM; EAP/RSP/TC BEIJING ALSO FOR AMCONSUL CHENGDU E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2012 TAGS: CH IT PREL TW VT SUBJECT: SUBJECT: NO RED CARPET FOR TAIWAN PRESIDENT AT VATICAN. CLASSIFIED BY: CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR JIM NICHOLSON. REASONS 1.5(B,D ). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: PLANS ARE AFOOT FOR TAIWAN PRESIDENT CHEN TO TRANSIT ITALY THIS JULY ON TRAVEL FROM TAIPEI TO AFRICA, ACCORDING TO TAIWAN EMBOFF, YET THE VATICAN IS NOT PUTTING OUT THE RED CARPET. TAIWAN FM EUGENE Y.H. CHIEN MET MAY 30 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 02901 140953Z WITH VATICAN FM ARCHBISHOP JEAN-LOUIS TAURAN, YET REACHED NO AGREEMENT ON VATICAN MEETINGS FOR PRESIDENT CHEN. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, THE VATICAN PROTESTED TAIWAN DOMESTIC POLICIES THAT IT BELIEVES BLOCK CHURCH EXPANSION. END SUMMARY. ¶1. (C)TAIWAN EMBOFF PETER TING TOLD POLOFF JUNE 5 THAT TAIWAN FOREIGN MINISTER EUGENE Y.H. CHIEN'S MAY 30 MEETING WITH VATICAN FM JEAN-LOUIS TAURAN BROUGHT WHAT HE CALLED THORNY BILATERAL ISSUES TO THE FORE. FM TAURAN LODGED A COMPLAINT ABOUT TAIPEI'S DELISTING OF DECEMBER 25 AS A TAIWAN NATIONAL HOLIDAY (PREVIOUSLY JUSTIFIED TO COMMEMORATE THE PROMULGATION OF THE 1936 CONSTITUTION.) TAURAN FURTHER PROTESTED TAIPEI ZONING LAWS WHICH, THE VATICAN CLAIMS, IMPEDE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW SEMINARIES. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THERE WAS NO VATICAN AGREEMENT FOR MEETINGS WITH TAIWAN PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN SHOULD HE TRANSIT ITALY IN JULY. ¶2. (C) TAIWAN PRESIDENT CHEN IS TENTATIVELY PLANNING A VISIT TO AFRICA IN JULY THAT WOULD INCLUDE TRANSIT TRAVEL THROUGH INDIA AND ITALY, ACCORDING TO TAIWAN EMBOFF. TAIWAN, WHICH ENJOYS DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE VATICAN, WOULD NORMALLY SEEK A VISIT, YET THE VATICAN, TING SAID, HAS NOT BEEN ENCOURAGING. CONSEQUENTLY, TAIWAN WAS NOW THINKING IN TERMS OF AN OVERNIGHT AIRPORT STOP AT MILAN AND A PRIVATE DINNER, POSSIBLY WITH PROMINENT VATICAN OR GOI LEADERS, ACCORDING TO TING. ¶3. TAIWAN FM CHIEN ALSO SAW FORMER VATICAN DFM ARCHBISHOP CLAUDIO CELLI. CELLI, WHO AS DFM REACHED A BREAKTHROUGH AGREEMENT WITH VIETNAM ON RELIGIOUS PRACTICE, CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 02901 140953Z NOW HAS PRINCIPAL OVERSIGHT OF PRC-VATICAN DIALOG. TING SAID CHIEN AND CELLI DISCUSSED THE STATUS OF VATICAN-PRC DIALOG -- STALLED UNTIL THE PRC RESOLVES SUCCESSION OF PARTY LEADERSHIP -- AND LONG-TERM IMPLICATIONS FOR VATICAN-TAIWAN RELATIONS. SINCE 1999 VARIOUS VATICAN OFFICIALS HAVE VOCALLY REITERATED THE STATEMENT BY SECRETARY OF STATE (PRIME MINISTER-EQUIVALENT) CARDINAL SODANO THAT THE VATICAN IS READY TO DOWNGRADE TIES WITH TAIPEI OVERNIGHT IF BEIJING AGREES TO DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS ON ACCEPTABLE TERMS. TING ADMITTED TAIWAN INCREASINGLY VIEWED THIS VATICAN STANCE WAS INSULTING, A MARKED DEPARTURE FROM THE GENERALLY CAUTIOUS AND POSITIVE COMMENTARY THAT HIS MISSION RESERVES FOR THE VATICAN, THE SOLE GOVERNMENT IN EUROPE TO RECOGNIZE TAIWAN. ¶4. COMMENT: TAIWAN LATELY HAS BEEN TESTING THE LIMITS OF ITS VATICAN FRIENDSHIP AS WELL AS OF THE LATERAN ACCORDS, THE ITALIAN-VATICAN AGREEMENT THAT INTER ALIA REQUIRES ITALY GRANT TRANSIT VISAS FOR FOREIGN OFFICIALS ON VATICAN VISITS. TAIWAN VP ANNETTE LU SWUNG THROUGH THE VATICAN IN MARCH FOR WHAT THE VATICAN'S CHINA DESK OFFICER, MSGR. ROTA-GRAZIOSI, DISMISSED AS A MEANINGLESS CEREMONIAL MEETING WITH FM TAURAN. FM CHIEN'S MEETINGS ARE A PRELUDE TO AN ATTEMPTED PRESIDENTIAL VISIT THAT THE VATICAN IS UNLIKELY TO GRANT. THE VATICAN IS SUPPORTIVE OF ITS TAIWAN FRIENDS, YET WILL NOT BE PARTY TO GRATUITOUS PROVOCATIONS OF THE PRC, PARTICULARLY AMID THE RUN-UP TO THE PRC PARTY CONGRESS THIS FALL AND THE VATICAN'S EVIDENT HOPE TO KICK-START DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS SOON THEREAFTER. NICHOLSON CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 VATICA 02901 140953Z