ITALY WILL APPROVE CONSENSUAL SRO FOR ALGERIA AND

S E C R E T ROME 001887 SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/ISO, PM/PMAT, NEA/ENA, AF/RSA E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2013 TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR PBTS IT AG ML TS FORCES IN ITALY NATO SUBJECT: ITALY WILL APPROVE CONSENSUAL SRO FOR ALGERIA AND MALI REF: A. SECSTATE 105585 ¶B. BAMAKO 0565 ¶C. ALGIERS 992 ¶D. TUNIS 1064 CLASSIFIED BY: A/POLITICAL-MINISTER COUNSELOR GARY ROBBINS FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (S) ON APRIL 29, REF A POINTS WERE CONVEYED BY ROME ODC CHIEF TO VCHOD GENERAL CAMPORINI AND, SEPARATELY, BY POLOFF TO MFA ACTING NATO OFFICE DIRECTOR CARLO LO CASCIO. CAMPORINI SAID THAT ITALY WOULD SUPPORT THE FLIGHTS, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER U.S. NON-CLANDESTINE USE OF SIGONELLA, AS LONG AS THE GOVERNMENTS CITED IN REFTEL APPROVED. CAMPORINI WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE CONSIDERED THIS TO BE "NORMAL OPERATIONS" AND DID NOT SEE ANY NEED FOR FURTHER PAPERWORK. THE DETAILS COULD BE WORKED IN MIL-TO-MIL CHANNELS. LO CASCIO TOLD POLOFF THAT HE WOULD IMMEDIATELY RAISE THE SRO ISSUE WITH THE DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR AND THAT THE MFA WOULD COORDINATE WITH THE MOD. HE ASKED THAT WE LET THE MFA KNOW THE RESPONSE OF MALI, ALGERIA, AND TUNISIA TO OUR REQUEST. ¶3. (S) DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR TO THE MINDEF FRANCESCO TRUPIANO, WITH WHOM WE WERE ABLE TO RAISE THE POINTS ON MAY 2, TOLD US THAT HE WOULD ENSURE THAT MINISTER MARTINO WAS AWARE OF OUR REQUEST, BUT THAT CAMPORINI WAS THE RIGHT CHANNEL FOR WORKING THE ISSUE. TRUPIANO ALSO SAID THAT HE WOULD APPRECIATE KNOWING THE RESPONSE OF THE THREE AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS. ¶2. (S) ACTION REQUEST: ITALY WILL ALLOW SRO FLIGHTS FROM SIGONELLA PROVIDED THEY ARE CONSENSUAL. EMBASSY UNDERSTANDS PER REFS B AND C THAT MALI AND ALGERIA HAVE APPROVED THE FLIGHTS, AND PER REF D, THAT TUNISIA IS CONSIDERING OUR REQUEST FOR USE OF ITS AIRSPACE ON AN URGENT BASIS. WE WOULD APPRECIATE WASHINGTON'S CONCURRENCE TO SHARE THE ANSWERS TO REF A DEMARCHE WITH THE GOI. END ACTION REQUEST. SEMBLER NNNN 2003ROME01887 - Classification: SECRET