ITALY CITES ANKARA'S PROGRESS ON EU MEMBERSHIP,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 004670 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE, EUR/ERA, EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/07/2013 TAGS: TU IT PREL EUN SUBJECT: ITALY CITES ANKARA'S PROGRESS ON EU MEMBERSHIP, REMAINING OBSTACLES REF: ANKARA 5566 CLASSIFIED BY: CLASSIFIED BY POL M/C TOM COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (U) ON OCTOBER 8, ITALIAN MFA DIRECTOR FOR AEGEAN ISSUES GIOVANNI RICCIULLI GAVE POLOFFS A READOUT OF FOREIGN MINISTER FRANCO FRATTINI'S OCTOBER 1 MEETING WITH TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLAH GUL IN ROME. RICCIULLI CONVEYED ITALY'S POSITIVE VIEW OF TURKEY'S PROGRESS TOWARD GAINING EU MEMBERSHIP, BUT HE NOTED THAT SEVERAL OBSTACLES REMAIN. ¶2. (C) ACCORDING TO RICCIULLI, GUL CONFIRMED TO FRATTINI THAT TURKEY WOULD CONTINUE TO SUPPORT IRAQ'S RECONSTRUCTION AND RETURN TO STABILITY. FRATTINI EXPRESSED TO GUL HIS SATISFACTION WITH ANKARA'S INTERNAL REFORMS AND BILATERAL COOPERATION IN COMBATTING ILLEGAL MIGRATION AND ITS RECENT CREATION OF A COMMITTEE TO MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION OF LAWS NECESSARY TO JOIN THE EU. FRATTINI SAID THAT HE WAS HAPPY TURKEY WAS PARTICIPATING IN THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE (IGC) AND THE DEBATE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE. GUL STRESSED TO FRATTINI THAT THE MONITORING COMMITTEE IS A SIGN OF ANKARA'S COMMITMENT TO JOIN THE EU AND THAT TURKEY HAS REACHED A "CRITICAL MASS" IN ITS REFORM EFFORTS. FRATTINI REMINDED GUL OF TWO ISSUES WHERE THE EU STILL HAS CONCERNS: THE IMPRISONMENT OF KURDISH ACTIVIST AND FORMER MP LEYLA ZANA; AND THE CLOSURE (SINCE 1971) OF A GREEK ORTHODOX SEMINARY IN HALKI. ¶3. (C) GUL INVITED THE EU TO PUT PRESSURE ON TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADER RAUF DENKTASH BUT ALSO URGED THAT PRESSURE BE BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS. GUL SUGGESTED TO FRATTINI THAT A FAVORABLE EU REPORT ON TURKEY WOULD REASSURE THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS AND MOVE THE PEACE PROCESS ALONG. HE CAUTIONED, HOWEVER, THAT LITTLE PROGRESS WOULD OCCUR IN CYPRUS UNTIL AFTER THE DECEMBER ELECTIONS. SEMBLER NNNN 2003ROME04670 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL