FM FRATTINI ON THE MEPP, IRAQ, AND TRANSATLANTIC

UNCLAS ROME 002646 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL IT IS KPAL IZ EU SUBJECT: FM FRATTINI ON THE MEPP, IRAQ, AND TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS ¶1. SUMMARY: ON JUNE 11, FM FRATTINI GAVE A SPEECH ENTITLED "NEW SCENARIOS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, THE PERSIAN GULF, AND TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS" AT THE CENTER FOR DEFENSE STUDIES IN ROME. HE URGED THE ISRAELIS AND THE PALESTINIANS TO SEIZE THE MOMENTUM OF THE AQABA SUMMIT, STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF REVIVING THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY, AND SPOKE OF THE LONG-TERM POSSIBILITY OF ISRAEL JOINING THE EU. HE PRAISED THE WORK OF THE ITALIAN MOD AND MFA IN IRAQ DURING AND AFTER THE MILITARY INTERVENTION. HE ALSO INVITED THE EU TO RAISE DEFENSE SPENDING AND COOPERATE WELL WITH THE US TO SOLVE OUR COMMON PROBLEMS. END SUMMARY. -------------- THE MEPP -------------- ¶2. FRATTINI SAID THAT THE MEPP WILL BE ONE OF ITALY'S HIGHEST PRIORITIES DURING ITS EU PRESIDENCY (SECOND HALF OF 2003). PM BERLUSCONI'S DEEP PERSONAL INTEREST IN ADVANCING THE MEPP IS DERIVED NOT ONLY FROM THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAUSE BUT IS ALSO THE PRODUCT OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO HIS TWO-STATE VISION AND THE STRONG PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL TIES BETWEEN BERLUSCONI AND BUSH, SAID FRATTINI. THE SHARM EL SHEIKH AND AQABA SUMMITS CREATED A "WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY" THAT MUST BE SEIZED IMMEDIATELY, SAID FRATTINI. PM SHARON MUST CONTINUE DISMANTLING THE ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS, PM ABBAS MUST SPARE NO EFFORT TO END TERRORISM AND VIOLENCE. FRATTINI PRAISED THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO SEND THE FIRST GROUP OF AMERICAN OBSERVERS TO THE REGION, SAYING THAT THE ROADMAP CANNOT BE CARRIED OUT UNLESS THERE WAS A MONITORING MECHANISM ON THE GROUND. HE ADDED THAT ITALY, WITH A DEMONSTRATED EXPERTISE IN MONITORING WORK, STANDS READY TO ASSIST IF CALLED UPON BY THE US. FRATTINI ALSO INVITED THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT PALESTINIAN POLICE FORCES HAVE THE MEANS NECESSARY TO FIGHT TERRORIST GROUPS. ¶3. THE MARSHALL PLAN: NO DURABLE PEACE IN THE REGION CAN HAPPEN AS LONG AS THE CURRENT ECONOMIC GAP BETWEEN ISRAELIS (AVERAGE PER CAPITA INCOME OF $18,000 PER YEAR) AND THE PALESTINIANS (AVERAGE PER CAPITA INCOME OF $1,400 PER YEAR) PERSISTS, ARGUED FRATTINI. THAT IS WHY PM BERLUSCONI CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF A "MARSHALL PLAN" TO HELP REBUILD THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY. AT THE EVIAN SUMMIT, THE G8 DECIDED TO STUDY SPECIFIC TERMS FOR HELPING THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY. "TERRORISM CAN NEVER BE JUSTIFIED; BUT IT DOES HAVE REASONS, AND ECONOMIC DESPERATION IS ONE OF THEM," SAID FRATTINI. ¶4. ISRAEL AS FUTURE MEMBER OF THE EU: WHEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON BERLUSCONI'S STATEMENT IN JERUSALEM ON JUNE 9 THAT ISRAEL SHOULD JOIN THE EU, FRATTINI SAID THAT BERLUSCONI'S STATEMENT WAS MORE THAN A POLITICAL ONE. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WAS TRYING TO HELP PALESTINE UNDERGO THE INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS NEEDED TO BECOME A DEMOCRACY, SO WHY NOT OFFER THE ONLY REAL DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ISRAEL, WHICH SHARES MANY VALUES WITH THE WESTERN WORLD, THE POSSIBILITY OF JOINING THE EU, ASKED RHETORICALLY FRATTINI. HE THEN SAID THAT THIS WOULD BE A LONG-TERM PLAN. -------------- IRAQ -------------- ¶5. FRATTINI PRAISED THE GOI'S ROLE DURING AND AFTER THE IRAQ MILITARY INTERVENTION. "ITALY WAS NOT NEUTRAL IN THE CONFLICT, AND WAS AMONG THE FIRST TO SEND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND STABILIZATION FORCES TO IRAQ AFTER THE MILITARY INTERVENTION. ITALY WANTS TO CONTRIBUTE POLITICALLY AND MORALLY TO THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF IRAQ," SAID FRATTINI. HE PRAISED THE "EXEMPLARY COORDINATION" BETWEEN THE ITALIAN MOD AND MFA WHICH HAS ENABLED, FOR INSTANCE, THE DEPLOYMENT OF AN ITALIAN FIELD HOSPITAL IN BAGHDAD WHICH HAS TREATED 4,300 PATIENTS IN ITS FIRST MONTH ON THE GROUND. -------------- TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS -------------- ¶6. FRATTINI SAID THAT ITALY HAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE EXCELLENT RELATIONS WITH BOTH THE US AND THE EU. HAVING COMMON VALUES WITH THE US IS NOT ENOUGH THOUGH, SAID FRATTINI, WHO INVITED THE EUROPEANS TO TAKE COMMON ACTIONS WITH THE US IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM, THE SPREAD OF WMD, AND IN THE MEPP. HE ALSO CALLED ON THE EU TO INCREASE ITS DEFENSE SPENDING TO BECOME "PRODUCERS OF SECURITY" AND NOT JUST "CONSUMERS OF SECURITY" AND TO LOWER ITS DEPENDENCE ON THE US. "WE (AMERICANS AND EUROPEANS) WILL REACH OUR COMMON GOALS BETTER WHEN WE ARE BOTH STRONG AND COOPERATE WELL TOGETHER," SAID FRATTINI. SKODON NNNN 2003ROME02646 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED