GOI PUSHES STRONGLY FOR EU ASSUMPTION OF ALLIED

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001053 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2013 TAGS: EU MARR MK PREL NATO EUN SUBJECT: GOI PUSHES STRONGLY FOR EU ASSUMPTION OF ALLIED HARMONY REF: ROME 931 CLASSIFIED BY: DCM E. SKODON FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 01053 132008Z ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. IN A MEETING BETWEEN DIRECTOR GENERAL GIANCARLO ARAGONA AND THE DCM, ARAGONA QUESTIONED CONTINUED DELAYS IN THE EU'S ASSUMPTION OF OPERATION ALLIED HARMONY FROM NATO AND MINIMIZED THE WORK NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE BERLIN PLUS PROCESS. DCM MADE CLEAR THE U.S. HAS NO OBJECTION TO THE EU ROLE BUT REITERATED THE NEED TO FINISH BERLIN PLUS BEFORE THE HANDOVER OCCURS. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) ON MARCH 11, THE DCM, POLMIN, AND POLOFF (NOTETAKER) MET WITH DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR THE MFA'S BUREAU FOR MULTILATERAL POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, GIANCARLO ARAGONA, TO DISCUSS A VARIETY OF ISSUES. RETURNING TO THE SAME TOPIC HIS DEPUTY RAISED IN A MEETING MARCH 5 (REF A), ARAGONA ASKED THE DCM WHY THE US CONTINUED TO BLOCK THE TRANSFER OF OPERATION ALLIED HARMONY IN MACEDONIA FROM NATO TO THE EU. ACCORDING TO ARAGONA, ONLY INSIGNIFICANT TECHNICAL DETAILS, MINUTIAE REALLY, REMAINED TO BE WORKED OUT WITHIN THE BERLIN PLUS DISCUSSIONS. DCM INFORMED ARAGONA THE U.S HAD NO OBJECTIONS IN PRINCIPLE TO TURNING OVER THE OPERATION, AND IN FACT WANTED IT TO SUCCEED. HOWEVER, HE NOTED A CLEAR DIFFERENCE IN PERCEPTION ON THE ISSUE. THE REMAINING BERLIN PLUS DETAILS WERE NOT, IN THE EYES OF WASHINGTON, MINUTIAE, BUT RATHER CRITICAL TO TRANSPARENTLY SETTING OUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EU AND NATO. ¶3. (C) ARAGONA WARNED AGAINST "PLAYING" TOO MUCH WITH NATO, STATING THAT WITH THE EASTERN THREAT GONE THE ALLIANCE WAS FRAGILE AND COULD EASILY SUFFER. AS A STEADFAST ALLY, HE REQUESTED WE ASK WASHINGTON TO "COOL DOWN" AT NATO. IF IN FACT THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS CONCLUSION OF BERLIN PLUS, THEN THE USG SHOULD NOT HAVE CITED OTHER FACTORS AS OBSTACLES TO CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 01053 132008Z HANDING OVER THE MISSION. THE DG ADMITTED EU'S EMPHASIS ON TAKING OVER BOSNIA HAD PERHAPS BEEN TOO RASH, AND STATED IT COULD BE DECIDED LATER. ¶4. (C) ARAGONA AGREED TO OUR SUGGESTION THAT ALL PARTIES SHOULD PRESS FOR CLOSURE OF RESIDUAL ISSUES TO COMPLETE BERLIN PLUS. HE ALSO MENTIONED SOME UNHAPPINESS WITH NATO MILITARY STAFF DOCUMENTS STATING THE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA WERE UNINTERESTED IN AN EU PRESENCE, QUESTIONING THE STRENGTH OF THE EU, AND BELITTLING EUROPEAN MILITARY PROWESS. SUCH STATEMENTS CAUSE BOTH EUROPEAN AND ITALIAN UNEASE. HE FINISHED BY NOTING THAT PM BERLUSCONI WANTS TO SEE ESDP APPLIED ON THE GROUND. ¶5. (C) DCM STATED THAT KEEPING NATO STRONG WAS A SHARED INTEREST. THE NUB OF THE MACEDONIA PROBLEM WAS FINISHING THE BERLIN PLUS PROCESS SO THE EU/NATO WORKING RELATIONSHIP IS CLEAR, ACCEPTED, AND KNOWN TO THE PARTIES. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2003ROME01053 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL