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

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2003ROME01887 - Classification: SECRET