UPDATE ON ITALY'S INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR IRAQ'S

UNCLAS ROME 002572 SIPDIS SENSITIVE EUR/NCE FOR SANDRA CLARK STATE PLEASE PASS TO USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EFIN PREL IZ IT IRAQI FREEDOM SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ITALY'S INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR IRAQ'S MINISTRIES REF: SECSTATE 130794 ¶1. (SBU) IN A JUNE 6 CONVERSATION WITH THE DEPUTY COORDINATOR OF THE MFA'S IRAQ TASK FORCE, LUIGI MACCOTTA, ECONOFF LEARNED THAT THE MFA IS PROPOSING THE CANDIDACY OF EIGHTY PEOPLE TO THE OFFICE OF THE COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY (OCPA). MACCOTTA SAID THAT THE RESUMES OF FORTY PRIORITY CANDIDATES AND FORTY SECONDARY CANDIDATES WERE IN BAGHDAD. COUNSELOR GIAN LUDOVICA DE MARTINO (FORMERLY OF ITALY'S INTEREST SECTION IN IRAQ),HAS BEEN WORKING IN BAGHDAD WITH OCPA ON APPROVAL OF PROSPECTIVE STAFF TO WORK WITH OCPA AND/OR IN NASCENT IRAQI MINISTRIES. ACCORDING TO MACCOTTA, DE MARTINO HAS THUS FAR RECEIVED OCPA'S APPROVAL OF EIGHT CANDIDATES: TWO IN THE CULTURAL FIELD, TWO IN HEALTH, TWO IN TRANSPORT, ONE IN EDUCATION, AND ONE IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS. MACCOTTA REPORTED THAT DE MARTINO HAS BEEN WORKING WITH TWO MID-LEVEL INTERLOCUTORS IN OCPA, BUT WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE THEIR NAMES. ¶2. (SBU) MACCOTTA CONFIRMED ON JUNE 9 THAT, FOLLOWING THE RECENT TRIP TO WASHINGTON OF AMBASSADOR ARMELLINI, ITALY'S SPECIAL ENVOY FOR IRAQ, ARMELLINI DECIDED TO SEND THE RESUMES TO DE MARTINO IN BAGHDAD TO PRESENT DIRECTLY TO OCPA. AS THE APPROVAL PROCESS IS NOW PROCEEDING WITH OCPA IN BAGHDAD, THE MFA TASK FORCE DOES NOT PLAN TO FORWARD THE RESUMES TO WASHINGTON. EMBASSY REQUESTS DEPARTMENT GUIDANCE AS TO WHETHER WE SHOULD REITERATE TO THE GOI THE REFTEL REQUEST TO DO SO. SKODON NNNN 2003ROME02572 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED