FM FRATTINI ON UNSC REFORM

UNCLAS ROME 002636 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: IT PINS PREL UNSC SUBJECT: FM FRATTINI ON UNSC REFORM ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: IN A MAY 3 ARTICLE IN THE CENTRIST DAILY CORRIERE DELLA SERA, ITALIAN FM FRATTINI LAID OUT IN DETAIL ITALY'S VIEW ON SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) FRATTINI ARGUED THAT ITALY WANTS UNSC REFORM, NOT REORGANIZATION. ITALY REALISTICALLY SUPPORTS, FOR NOW, LEAVING CURRENT PERMANENT MEMBERS AND THEIR VETO POWER UNTOUCHED, ACCEPTING THAT THE CURRENT PERMANENT MEMBERS ARE UNLIKELY TO GIVE UP THEIR RIGHTS. HOWEVER, THE SECURITY COUNCIL DOES NOT REFLECT DECOLONIALIZATION AND OTHER GLOBAL POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES. AN UPDATED MEMBERSHIP WOULD GIVE THE SECURITY COUNCIL ADDED RELEVANCE AND HELP KEEP ITS "CENTRAL ROLE" WITHIN THE SYSTEM OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. ¶3. (U) IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, FRATTINI LAID OUT A PLAN THE GOI HAS BEEN PUSHING FOR MANY YEARS. RATHER THAN ADDING A LIMITED NUMBER OF ROTATING, GEOGRAPHICALLY REPRESENTATIONAL MEMBERS, ITALY PROPOSES TO ADD A "WIDE RANGE" OF FREQUENTLY ROTATING MEMBERS CHOSEN ON THE BASIS OF THEIR ECONOMIC WEIGHT AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE UN; THIS COMMITMENT BEING MEASURED IN TERMS OF PEACEKEEPING AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE. PREVIOUSLY THE GOI SUPPORTED THE ADDITION OF TEN NEW NON-PERMANENT SEATS, DIVIDED GEOGRAPHICALLY, AMONG WHICH THIRTY COUNTRIES, CHOSEN BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY BASED ON "OBJECTIVE CRITERIA," WOULD ROTATE. ¶4. (U) ACCEPTING THAT THE CURRENT P-5 WILL NOT RELINQUISH THEIR SPECIAL RIGHTS, ITALY NONETHELESS BELIEVES THE "THREAT OR USE OF VETO" AGAINST A PREVAILING POSITION WITHIN THE SECURITY COUNCIL WOULD BECOME MORE DIFFICULT WERE THE SECURITY COUNCIL TO BECOME MORE DEMOCRATIC AND MORE REPRESENTATIONAL. ITALY, FRATTINI SAID, "LOOKS FAR" AND ENVISIONS ACHIEVING THIS BY IMPLEMENTING EU COORDINATION IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT IS MENTIONED IN THE EU TREATIES. ACCORDING TO FRATTINI, THE TWO EU COUNTRIES CURRENTLY IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL, THE U.K. AND FRANCE, SHOULD COORDINATE WITH THEIR EU PARTNERS AND REFLECT THEIR PARTNERS' INTERESTS WITHIN THE SECURITY COUNCIL. HE SAID ITALY WOULD WORK WITH THIS OBJECTIVE IN MIND DURING ITS UPCOMING EU PRESIDENCY AND POSSIBLY IN 2007-2008, WHEN IT HOPES TO BE REELECTED TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL AS A ROTATIONAL MEMBER. ¶5. (U) FRATTINI NOTED THAT THE EU CONVENTION IS ALSO WORKING TOWARD THIS END AND WROTE, WITHOUT OFFERING TIME LIMITS, THAT A SECOND STEP FORWARD WOULD BE TO EVENTUALLY ADD AN EU SEAT WITHIN THE SECURITY COUNCIL: "IN PARTICULAR IF WE CONSIDER THAT, IN A REFORMED COUNCIL, THE VOICE OF EUROPE WOULD EXPRESS THE INTERESTS AND OBJECTIVES OF A PROSPEROUS AND DEMOCRATIC REGION THAT EXTENDS FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE BOUNDARIES WITH RUSSIA AND INCLUDES TURKEY." LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD, HE SAID ITALY COULD EVENTUALLY ENVISION A SINGLE EU REPRESENTATION WITHIN THE SECURITY COUNCIL -- I.E. WHERE THE UK AND FRANCE WOULD GIVE UP THEIR INDIVIDUAL SEATS AND BE INCLUDED IN THE EU SEAT. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: SINCE THE IDEA OF SECURITY COUNCIL EXPANSION WAS FIRST RAISED MORE THAN TEN YEARS AGO, ITALY'S MAIN GOAL HAS BEEN TO KEEP GERMANY FROM BECOMING A PERMANENT MEMBER, THEREBY PERMANENTLY RELEGATING ITALY TO A "SECOND CLASS" EUROPEAN COUNTRY. SINCE SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM IS NOT A HOT TOPIC AT THE MOMENT, IT IS UNCLEAR WHY FRATTINI CHOSE THIS TIME TO RE-STATE LONG-STANDING GOI THOUGHTS ON THE SUBJECT. END COMMENT. SKODON NNNN 2003ROME02636 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED