GOI WILL MODIFY EU PRESIDENCY PRIORITIES TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 001509

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR PDAS RIES, EUR/WE, EUR/ERA, INR FOR HASLUP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV IT PGOV IT EU EUPREL
SUBJECT: GOI WILL MODIFY EU PRESIDENCY PRIORITIES TO
ACCOMMODATE (POST) WAR REALITIES

REF: 2002 ROME 6037

CLASSIFIED BY: A/POL MC GARY ROBBINS. REASON: 1.5 (B)(D).
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1. (C) SUMMARY. MFA DIRECTOR FOR EU EXTERNAL RELATIONS
MASSIMO GAIANI TOLD EMBOFFS ON APRIL 2 THAT IRAQ AND
RESTORING INTRA-EU AND TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS WILL LIKELY BE
THE POLITICAL PRIORITIES WHEN ITALY TAKES OVER THE EU
PRESIDENCY JULY 1. (SEPTEL WILL REPORT ECONOMIC (FIRST
PILLAR) PRIORITIES.) HE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE WAS A
GOOD CHANCE THAT THE CONVENTION/INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE
(IGC) PROCESS WOULD NOT BE COMPLETED IN TIME TO SIGN A SECOND
TREATY OF ROME. THE BALKANS, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CONTROL,
EU-RUSSIA, AND ENLARGEMENT ALL REMAIN IMPORTANT TO THE GOI,
AND WILL BE GIVEN APPROPRIATE ATTENTION DURING ITS EU
PRESIDENCY. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) IN A NOD TO THE NEW PARAMETERS DEFINING EU INTERNAL
AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS, GAIANI SAID THAT "IRAQ IS THE
PRIORITY" FOR THE EU NOW, AND THE SITUATION IS LIKELY TO BE
THE SAME WHEN ITALY TAKES OVER THE PRESIDENCY FROM GREECE ON
JULY 1. PIECING BACK TOGETHER THE TATTERED RELATIONS AMONG
EU MEMBERS AND BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE U.S. WILL CONSUME MOST
POLITICAL ENERGY FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.


3. (C) ACCORDING TO GAIANI, THE GOI HAD ALL BUT WRITTEN OFF
HOPES FOR A SECOND "TREATY OF ROME," AS REPORTED REFTEL. HE
SAID THAT THE CONVENTION PROCESS WAS NOT FOCUSED SUFFICIENTLY
ON THE "CONSTITUTION" GIVEN CURRENT EVENTS; THERE WAS A GOOD
CHANCE THAT CONVENTION PRESIDENT GISCARD D'ESTAING WOULD NOT
BE ABLE TO KEEP TO HIS SCHEDULE OF A JUNE CLOSE FOR THE
CONVENTION AND PRODUCTION OF THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE DOCUMENT.
IF THIS SLIPPED TO JULY OR LATER, A TREATY SIGNING CEREMONY
DURING THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY WAS HIGHLY UNLIKELY. COUPLE
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THIS WITH THE PROPOSALS OF CERTAIN MEMBERS, SUCH AS THE UK,
FOR A COOLING OFF PERIOD OF A NUMBER OF MONTHS BETWEEN THE
CLOSE OF THE CONVENTION AND THE START OF THE IGC, AND "WE
WILL BE LUCKY TO EVEN START, LET ALONE FINISH," THE IGC
DURING THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY, LAMENTED GAIANI. HE HOPED THE
WAY AHEAD WOULD BE CLEARER AFTER THE EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT IN
ATHENS ON APRIL 16/17, TO COINCIDE WITH THE ENLARGEMENT
TREATY SIGNING CEREMONY.


4. (C) THE PRIORITIES REPORTED REFTEL ARE STILL THERE,
GAIANI SAID, THEY WILL JUST HAVE TO TAKE THEIR PLACE IN THE
NEW PECKING ORDER. THE BALKANS, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CONTROL,
EU-RUSSIA, ENLARGEMENT, ARE ALL IMPORTANT TO THE GOI, AND
WILL BE GIVEN APPROPRIATE ATTENTION. ITALY WAS PARTICULARLY
CONCERNED THAT THE GRECO-ITALIAN PLAN TO RE-FOCUS EU
ATTENTION ON BALKANS DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION REMAIN ON
TRACK. THE GOI WOULD DO WHAT IT COULD TO MAKE SURE IT DID.
THE EU WILL PROMOTE THE STABILIZATION AND ASSOCIATION PROCESS
(SAP) AS A "PRE-ACCESSION" MODEL TO HELP INTEGRATE SOUTHEAST
EUROPE INTO THE EU.


5. (C) OTHER POLITICAL ISSUES ON WHICH THE GOI WOULD FOCUS
INCLUDE:

- THE NEXT ROUND OF ENLARGEMENT: ITALY WOULD MAKE CERTAIN
THAT BULGARIA AND ROMANIA'S SUPPORT FOR THE US ON IRAQ WOULD
NOT BE USED BY CERTAIN EU MEMBERS TO DERAIL THEIR ACCESSION.
ITALY WILL ALSO ENSURE THAT TURKISH ACCESSION REMAINS ON THE
AGENDA.

- EU/RUSSIA: ITALY WOULD USE THE STILL STRONG FRIENDSHIP
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BETWEEN PUTIN AND BERLUSCONI TO MEND ANY DIFFERENCES FROM THE
WAR, AND TO BEGIN A MORE "STRUCTURED, FORMAL" RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MOSCOW AND BRUSSELS. THIS WOULD INCLUDE, FOR
EXAMPLE, FREQUENT MEETINGS BETWEEN THE COREPER AND RUSSIAN
OFFICIALS.

- EU AND "NEIGHBORING STATES": ITALY WILL USE ITS
PRESIDENCY TO PROMOTE THE INTEGRATION, BUT NOT THE ACCESSION,
OF STATES SUCH AS UKRAINE AND MOLDOVA.

- THE "MED" WOULD ALSO REMAIN A HIGH PRIORITY. ITALY HAD
HOPES THAT THE EURO-MED MINISTERIAL IN NAPLES IN NOVEMBER
WOULD ACT AS A CATALYST FOR PROCESSES RANGING FROM THE MEPP
TO MED IMMIGRATION CONTROL TO AN EU-MERCORSUR TREATY
AGREEMENT BY EARLY 2004.


6. (C) PM DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR BRUNO ARCHI CONFIRMED TO
POLOFF AN APRIL 4 THAT THE GOI HAD ACCEPTED THAT COMPLETING
THE CONSTITUTIONAL DRAFTING PROCESS AND IGC BEFORE THE END OF
THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY WAS INCREASINGLY UNLIKELY. HE DID
NOT, HOWEVER, DISCOUNT THE POSSIBILITY OF THE EU HEADS OF

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ACTION EUR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DS-00
EAP-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 DSCC-00
PRM-00 DRL-01 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /001W
-------------- 52CA8C 090837Z /38
P 090833Z APR 03
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9171
INFO EU CANDIDATE STATES COLLECTIVE
EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
AMCONSUL FLORENCE
AMCONSUL MILAN
AMCONSUL NAPLES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 001509

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR PDAS RIES, EUR/WE, EUR/ERA, INR FOR HASLUP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV IT PGOV IT EU EUPREL
SUBJECT: GOI WILL MODIFY EU PRESIDENCY PRIORITIES TO
ACCOMMODATE (POST) WAR REALITIES

GOVERNMENT RETURNING TO SIGN A SECOND TREATY OF ROME, EVEN IF
THE PROCESS IS COMPLETED DURING THE NEXT (IRISH) PRESIDENCY
OR BEYOND. WHEN POLOFF POINTED OUT THAT THE IRISH GOVERNMENT
MAY WISH TO HAVE BOTH THE HONOR OF CONDUCTING THE CEREMONY
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AND NAMING THE TREATY, ARCHI SAID THAT THE MEMBERS WOULD
AGREE TO RETURN TO ROME TO SIGN THE TREATY IN A SPIRIT OF
"TRADITION AND CONTINUITY." WE LEAVE IT TO DUBLIN AND USEU
TO COMMENT ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH ALTRUISTIC GESTURES IN
THE EU.


7. (C) COMMENT: THAT THE WAR HAS BLOCKED PROGRESS ON
CONVENTION DISCUSSIONS, THEREBY JEOPARDIZING GOI PLANS FOR
SIGNING THE "CONSTITUTION" DURING ITS PRESIDENCY AND FORCING
IT TO ADJUST PRIORITIES, MUST BE A BLOW TO BERLUSCONI, GIVEN
THAT HE HAS MENTIONED NUMEROUS TIMES IN PUBLIC AND OFFICIAL
SETTINGS THAT IT WOULD BE THE CROWNING JEWEL OF THE ITALIAN
PRESIDENCY. HOWEVER, IT ALSO SIGNALS THAT ITALY IS READY TO
TAKE A PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO ITS PRESIDENCY. AS WE HAVE
REPORTED, AND AS EXEMPLIFIED IN HIS SELF-PERCEIVED ROLE AS
BROKER BETWEEN PUTIN AND THE WEST, BERLUSCONI LIKES NOTHING
MORE THAN TO ACT AS A GO-BETWEEN AND DEAL MAKER. IF HE CAN
INDEED PULL OFF A POLITICAL REUNITING OF THE EU AND A
RAPPROCHEMENT (PARDON THE FRENCH) BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE US,
THE SATISFACTION MAY BE SOME COMPENSATION FOR LOSING THE
CHANCE OF A SECOND "TREATY OF ROME."
SEMBLER

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2003ROME01509 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL