TFIZ01: ITALY'S IRAQ TASK FORCE OUTLINES PROPOSED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 001577 SIPDIS STATE FOR PMAT. PLEASE PASS TO NSC:KVOLKER, JOINT STAFF:SYIKE, OSD/POLICY, USEUCOM, USSTRATCOM, USPACOM, USTRANSCOM, USCENTCOM, USCOCOM, USSOUTHCOM, USAID CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 01577 01 OF 02 141056Z E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2013 TAGS: MARR EAID MOPS PREL PHUM IT EAID MOPS PREL PHUM IT IZ IZMARR IRAQI FREEDOM SUBJECT: TFIZ01: ITALY'S IRAQ TASK FORCE OUTLINES PROPOSED CONTRIBUTIONS REF: A. ROME 1569 ¶B. STATE 93769 CLASSIFIED BY: SCOTT KILNER FOR REASONS 1.5(B)(D) ¶1. (U) THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS ACTION REQUESTS. SEE PARA 8. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: ECMIN AND ECONOFF MET ON APRIL 11 WITH ANTONIO BADINI, MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND COORDINATOR OF ITALY'S IRAQ TASK FORCE. BADINI WAS JOINED BY IRAQ OFFICE DIRECTOR LUIGI MACCOTTA. AT THE TIME OF THE MEETING, A TASK FORCE PROPOSAL, ENDORSED BY FM FRATTINI, WAS PENDING APPROVAL BY PM BERLUSCONI AND THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS. SHORTLY AFTER OUR DISCUSSION, MACCOTTA INFORMED US THAT THE COUNCIL HAD APPROVED THE PROPOSAL AFFIRMING THE COORDINATING ROLE OF THE MFA ON IRAQ ASSISTANCE AS WELL AS ITS THREE-PART PLAN. THE ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN, AS DESCRIBED BY BADINI ARE: 1) TO FIELD A 1,000 PERSON SELF-PROTECTED HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE TEAM COMPOSED OF ROUGHLY 500 MILITARY PERSONNEL (CARABINIERI AND ARMY) AND 500 CIVILIAN MEDICAL, WATER, SANITATION, CIVIL ENGINEERING, AND WMD SPECIALISTS; 2) TO IDENTIFY A NUMBER OF ITALIAN EXPERTS THAT WOULD CONTRIBUTE THEIR EXPERTISE IN THE REBUILDING OF IRAQI ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED IN THE PROVISION OF HEALTH, WATER, SANITATION, ELECTRICITY, AND PERHAPS OTHER AREAS (THE MFA ENVISIONS EMBEDDING THESE EXPERTS WITHIN CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 01577 01 OF 02 141056Z NASCENT IRAQI MINISTRIES); 3) TO PROPOSE SECONDING A HIGH-RANKING DIPLOMAT, WITH A GENERAL SERVING AS HIS MILITARY AND SECURITY ADVISOR, TO WORK WITH ORHA AND COORDINATE OVERALL GOI INVOLVEMENT ON THE GROUND. ¶3. (C) SUMMARY, COMMENT CONT'D. THE INTER-MINISTERIAL TASK FORCE HAS BEEN WORKING ON ITS PROPOSAL FOR SOME TIME, AND HAD NOT RECEIVED REFTEL B'S SPECIFIC REQUEST FOR A FIELD HOSPITAL FOR CIVILIANS BEFORE THE PROPOSAL WAS SUBMITTED TO THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS. WE HAVE EXPLAINED THE COALITION'S URGENT NEED FOR A FIELD HOSPITAL (REFTEL A) AND ARE WORKING WITH THE GOI TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE FIRST PART OF ITALY'S OFFER CAN BE TAILORED TO SERVE AS A RAPIDLY DEPLOYABLE, SELF-PROTECTING FIELD HOSPITAL. END SUMMARY. ¶4. (C) DURING AN APRIL 11 MEETING WITH ECMIN, MINISTER BADINI DESCRIBED THE INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE'S THREE-PART PACKAGE, WHICH HAD BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE PM AND THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS FOR APPROVAL. BADINI WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS TO EXPLAIN THAT THE FIRST COMPONENT OF THE TASK FORCE'S PACKAGE -- A 1,000 PERSON TEAM OF CIVILIAN SPECIALISTS WITH MILITARY SUPPORT -- INCLUDES MILITARY PERSONNEL TO SECURE AND STABILIZE THE SITUATION SO THAT THE CIVILIAN TEAM CAN CONDUCT ITS WORK EFFECTIVELY. FOR DOMESTIC POLITICAL REASONS, IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE MILITARY'S ROLE BE CHARACTERIZED NEITHER AS "PEACEMAKING NOR PEACEKEEPING." BADINI SAID THAT FORMIN FRATTINI HAD ACCEPTED THIS DISTINCTION, AND WAS MAKING THE CASE TO PM BERLUSCONI. BADINI ADDED THAT, IN HIS VIEW, IT WOULD BE UNWISE TO WAIT FOR EITHER AN EU, UN, OR NATO MANDATE TO ACT GIVEN THE FOOT-DRAGGING OF OTHER MEMBERS. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 01577 01 OF 02 141056Z ¶5. (C) IN THIS CONTEXT, BADINI WARMLY WELCOMED THE USG REQUEST FOR A FIELD HOSPITAL (REF A). HE NOTED THAT HEALTH AND SANITATION WERE AMONG THE CORE COMPETENCIES THAT THE TASK FORCE HAD IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITY CONTRIBUTIONS TO IRAQ. MOREOVER, THE APPROPRIATE ELEMENTS NEEDED TO RESPOND TO THE REQUEST COULD, HE SAID, BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED FROM WITHIN THE 1,000 PERSON TEAM PROPOSED IN THE TASK FORCE PACKAGE. BADINI NOTED THAT ITALY'S EXPERIENCE REHABILITATING A GENERAL HOSPITAL AND A PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL IN BAGHDAD AFTER THE 1991 GULF WAR PROVIDED A GOOD BASE TO PLAN FROM. BADINI ASSURED US THAT THE TASK FORCE WOULD FOCUS IMMEDIATELY UPON THE REQUEST. ¶6. (C) REGARDING THE PROPOSAL TO SECOND A SENIOR ITALIAN DIPLOMAT TO ORHA, BADINI NOTED THAT ITALY'S AMBASSADOR PARTI IN KUWAIT, WHO HAS SERVED AS LIAISON WITH ORHA, WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO DO SO ONCE ORHA RELOCATES TO BAGHDAD. WHILE THE DIPLOMAT AND THE GENERAL WOULD BOTH BE VERY SENIOR, BADINI SAID IT WAS ESSENTIAL THAT THE GENERAL REPORT TO AND ADVISE THE CIVILIAN DIPLOMATIC OFFICIAL. BADINI ASKED WHETHER IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE ITALIANS ON AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM INVOLVED IN THE PROVISIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF POST-WAR IRAQ, BOTH TO INTERFACE WITH GENERAL GARNER AND, CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ4197 PAGE 01 ROME 01577 02 OF 02 141056Z ACTION SS-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 VCE-00 NEA-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 PA-00 PM-00 IRM-00 SSO-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-01 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /002W -------------- 555368 141057Z /38 O 141056Z APR 03 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9242 INFO AMEMBASSY KUWAIT IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY PRAGUE IMMEDIATE HQ EUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3-CI/ECJ23-H// IMMEDIATE JOINT STAFF WASHDC IMMEDIATE NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE USTRANSCOM SCOTT AFB IL IMMEDIATE USSTRATCOM OFFUTT AFB NE IMMEDIATE C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 001577 SIPDIS STATE FOR PMAT. PLEASE PASS TO NSC:KVOLKER, JOINT STAFF:SYIKE, OSD/POLICY, USEUCOM, USSTRATCOM, USPACOM, USTRANSCOM, USCENTCOM, USCOCOM, USSOUTHCOM, USAID E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2013 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 01577 02 OF 02 141056Z TAGS: MARR EAID MOPS PREL PHUM IT EAID MOPS PREL PHUM IT IZ IZMARR IRAQI FREEDOM SUBJECT: TFIZ01: ITALY'S IRAQ TASK FORCE OUTLINES PROPOSED CONTRIBUTIONS AT THE LEVEL OF SPECIALISTS, TO HELP REFORM AN OPERATIONAL CIVILIAN ADMINISTRATION IN IRAQ. ¶7. (C) BADINI ALSO EXPLAINED THAT PARLIAMENT WILL NEED TO APPROVE A BILL THE TASK FORCE IS DRAFTING WHICH LAYS OUT BOTH THE RATIONALE FOR ITALY'S SENDING AN INTEGRATED MILITARY AND CIVILIAN EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TEAM TO IRAQ AND THE FUNDING REQUEST TO DO SO. WHILE HE BELIEVES THAT FOR POLITICAL REASONS PM BERLUSCONI WILL WANT TO GO THE PARLIAMENT FOR APPROVAL OF SUCH A BILL, BADINI CLARIFIED THAT IT IS ALSO CONCEIVABLE THE PM WOULD CHOOSE TO SIMPLY INFORM/CONSULT THE PARLIAMENT AND INSTEAD FIND THE FUNDING THROUGH A REALLOCATION OF THE BUDGET. ¶8. (C) ACTION REQUESTS: POST REQUESTS GUIDANCE ON WHETHER THE FIRST COMPONENT OF THE GOI TASK FORCE'S PACKAGE MEETS COALITION NEEDS FOR A FIELD HOSPITAL. IN THE EVENT THE GOI DOES NOT HAVE A MORE CONVENTIONAL "MILITARY FIELD HOSPITAL" AVAILABLE TO DEPLOY IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE ADVISE AS TO WHETHER THE GOI SHOULD CONTINUE WITH PLANS TO DEPLOY THE 1,000-PERSON INTEGRATED TEAM DESCRIBED IN THE PROPOSAL AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON THE ITALIAN PACKAGE AS WE GET FURTHER CLARIFICATION AND WILL CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THE GOI TO USE ITS LNO IN TAMPA AS A CHANNEL. IN THE MEANTIME, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE GOI TO ENSURE THAT WHAT ITALY OFFERS WILL BE OF USE TO THE COALITION. IN THAT RESPECT, PLEASE PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON HOW CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 01577 02 OF 02 141056Z WE SHOULD RESPOND TO THE OTHER TWO COMPONENTS OF THE TASK FORCE'S PROPOSAL: ATTACHING A SENIOR DIPLOMAT AND MILITARY OFFICER TO ORHA AND DISPATCHING TECHNICAL EXPERTS TO WORK WITH NASCENT IRAQI MINISTRIES. END ACTION REQUESTS. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2003ROME01577 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL