GOI VIEWS ON IRAQ AND THE TRANSATLANTIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001054 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/11/2013 TAGS: PREL IZ UNSC SUBJECT: GOI VIEWS ON IRAQ AND THE TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP REF: STATE 63629 CLASSIFIED BY: DCM E. SKODON FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR MULTILATERAL AFFAIRS GIANCARLO ARAGONA TOLD DCM ON MARCH 11 THAT THE GOI HAD NOT CONSIDERED AN INTERVENTION AND WOULD NOT DEPART FROM THE COMMON EU POSITION ON IRAQ AT THE UNSC. HE THEN RAISED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 01054 132009Z THE NECESSITY OF REPAIRING DAMAGE TO THE TRANS-ATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP STEMMING FROM DISAGREEMENTS OVER IRAQ. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) DURING MARCH 11 CALL RUNNING A RANGE OF ISSUES (SEE SEPTEL),THE DCM ASKED ARAGONA IF ITALY WOULD MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL STATEMENT ON THE US/UK/SPANISH IRAQ RESOLUTION AT THE UNSC. ARAGONA INDICATED THE GOI HAD NOT CONSIDERED AN INTERVENTION SINCE THE EU, DESPITE ITS DIVISIONS, COULD AT LEAST ENUNCIATE THE COMMON PLATFORM ON IRAQ IT HAD AGREED FEBRUARY 17. (NOTE: ARAGONA WAS ONE OF THE KEY DRAFTERS OF THAT COMPROMISE DOCUMENT). HE ASSURED US THAT THE EU PRESIDENCY STATEMENT WOULD NOT STRAY FROM THAT DOCUMENT. ¶3. (C) ARAGONA SAID THAT THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE AMONG EU GOVERNMENTS ON HOW BEST TO DEAL WITH THE THREAT OF SADDAM HUSSEIN'S WMD WAS THE LENGTH OF TIME INSPECTORS SHOULD HAVE TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK. THE GOI REALIZES INSPECTIONS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO DRAG ON INDEFINITELY WITHOUT PUTTING THE CREDIBILITY OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AT RISK. RESPONDING TO AN INQUIRY FROM THE DCM QUESTIONING FRANCE'S OVERALL MOTIVATION, ARAGONA REPLIED THE GOF APPEARS TO HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE MANNER IN WHICH INTERNATIONAL CRISES ARE MANAGED, AND ACKNOWLEDGED HE WAS UNSURE OF THEIR OVERALL THINKING. THERE IS A CLEAR DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE U.S. AND EUROPE OVER THE IMMEDIACY OF THE THREAT FROM IRAQ, STEMMING PRIMARILY, IN HIS MIND, FROM THE REALITY OF SEPTEMBER 11TH TO AMERICANS, THAT POSES A THREAT TO THE TRANS-ATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP. ¶4. (C) REFERRING BACK TO HIS RECENT MEETING WITH U/S GROSSMAN IN PARIS, ARAGONA SUGGESTED SOME KIND OF JOINT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 01054 132009Z INITIATIVE GOING FORWARD, A POST IRAQ-CONFLICT UNDERTAKING DEMONSTRATING THE WESTERN ALLIANCE HAS TURNED THE PAGE ON ITS RECENT DISAGREEMENTS. WHATEVER THE INITIATIVE, IT SHOULD BE GRAND--NOT MERELY SEMINARS OR WORKSHOPS--AND CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. ACCORDING TO ARAGONA, THE GOI CONSIDERS CONCRETE MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN THE TRANS-ATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE UPCOMING ITALIAN EU PRESIDENCY. ITALY AND THE US NEED TO IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC SUBJECT AREA IN WHICH TO MAKE SUCH A BREAKTHROUGH, PRIOR TO ITALY'S ASSUMPTION OF THE PRESIDENCY. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2003ROME01054 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL