PRESIDENT'S UNGA SPEECH: HOLY SEE WELCOMES

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 004483

SIPDIS

FOR ERU/WE (MENNUTI)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2007
TAGS: PREL PHUM VT UNGA
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT'S UNGA SPEECH: HOLY SEE WELCOMES
EMPHASIS ON UN ROLE, BUT STILL WARY OF MILITARY ACTION

REF: A) STATE 175469 B) VATICAN 4444 C) VATICAN 4398

D) VATICAN 4388

CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, A.I. D. BRENT HARDT, REASON E.O. 1295
8 1.5 (B),(D).


1. (C) WITH FM TAURAN OUT OF TOWN, CHARGE DELIVERED REF A
POINTS ON THE PRESIDENT'S UNGA ADDRESS TO VATICAN DFM
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CELESTINO MILGIORE, EMPHASIZING THE PRESIDENT'S FOCUS ON THE
UN'S ROLE IN ADVANCING HUMAN DIGNITY, AND THE CHALLENGE TO
THAT DIGNITY AND TO THE UN POSED BY SADDAM'S DECADE OF
DEFIANCE OF UN RESOLUTIONS. MIGLIORE WELCOMED THE
PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO WORK WITH THE UN AS WE GO FORWARD.
HE EXPRESSED SOME DISCOMFORT WITH THE SPEECH'S IMPLICATION
THAT THE U.S. WOULD ACT WITH OR WITHOUT THE UN. NOTING THAT
FOREIGN MINISTER TAURAN HAD JUST OUTLINED THE HOLY SEE'S
POSITION ON CONFLICT IN IRAQ IN A SEPTEMBER 11 INTERVIEW (REF
B),AND THAT TAURAN WOULD BE CALLING IN THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS
SEPTEMBER 16 TO OUTLINE FURTHER THE HOLY SEE'S VIEWS,
MIGLIORE DID NOT PROVIDE A MORE DETAILED REACTION.


2. (C) MIGLIORE DID SAY THAT A RECENT ARTICLE BY UK CARDINAL
CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR (WHICH CAN BE READ AT:
HTTP://WWW.CATHOLIC-EW.ORG.UK) WAS BEING WIDELY READ WITHIN
THE VATICAN, AND CONSIDERED AS A "BALANCED AND WISE"
PERSPECTIVE. MIGLIORE SAID THE HOLY SEE SHARES
MURPHY-O'CONNOR'S VIEW THAT MILITARY ACTION WOULD BE
DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY IN THE ABSENCE OF MORE CONVINCING
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS INCLUDING:

-- WHETHER THE PURPOSE OF MILITARY ACTION IS TO NEUTRALIZE A
THREAT OR EFFECT A CHANGE IN REGIME;

-- WHETHER MILITARY ACTION WILL STABILIZE OR DESTABILIZE THE
REGION;

-- WHETHER IT WILL DELAY OR ADVANCE THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE
PROCESS;

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-- WHETHER THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL AND EU WILL ENDORSE IT;
AND

-- THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BROADER STRUCTURE OF
INTERNATIONAL LAW.

IN ADDITION, MIGLIORE ASSERTED THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE MORE
THINKING ABOUT A POST-SADDAM "END-STATE." (POST HAS
PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED MIGLIORE WITH BACKGROUND ON OUR EFFORTS
WITH IRAQI OPPOSITION GROUPS.) HE QUERIED WHAT THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY COULD DO TO ENSURE THAT A CONFLICT
WOULD NOT RESULT IN EVER-GREATER SUFFERING.


3. (C) CHARGE PROVIDED MIGLIORE WITH A COPY OF THE
BACKGROUND PAPER, "A DECADE OF DECEPTION AND DEFIANCE,"
STRESSING THAT IT LAYS OUT A DETAILED, IMPARTIAL, AND FACTUAL
CASE ON THE NATURE OF IRAQI DEFIANCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS
AND ITS THREATS TO ITS PEOPLE, THE REGION AND THE WORLD. HE
URGED THE HOLY SEE TO REVIEW THIS IN DETAIL AS IT FURTHER
EVALUATES THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH AND THE WAY FORWARD ON IRAQ.


4. (C) RESPONDING TO CHARGE'S COMMENT THAT THERE HAS BEEN
MUCH PUBLIC DISCUSSION RECENTLY IN VATICAN CIRCLES OF THE
TENETS OF JUST WAR, MIGLIORE SAID THE HOLY SEE IS MOVING AWAY
FROM REFERRING TO "JUST WAR" IN FAVOR OF DISCUSSING "CRITERIA
FOR THE ETHICAL PROSECUTION OF CONFLICTS AMONG STATES."


5. COMMENT: MIGLIORE REITERATED HIS VIEW (REF C) THAT THE
HOLY SEE RECOGNIZES THE PROBLEMS POSED BY SADDAM, AND HE WAS
CLEARLY GRATIFIED THAT THE U.S. HAD DECIDED TO ENGAGE THROUGH
THE UNITED NATIONS. THE DEBATE WITHIN THE HOLY SEE NOW IS
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WHETHER THE WAY FORWARD OUTLINED BY THE PRESIDENT -- WITH ITS
CLEAR IMPLICATION OF EVENTUAL MILITARY ACTION -- IS THE ONLY
WAY FORWARD, OR WHETHER IT CARRIES MORE RISKS THAN THE
POTENTIAL BENEFITS IT WOULD BRING. FM TAURAN'S SEPTEMBER 16
BRIEFING WILL PROVIDE THE HOLY SEE'S INITIAL ANSWER.
HARDT
SKODON

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