MORE FROM ITALY ON LIBYAN WMD DEVELOPMENT, POST UN

S E C R E T ROME 004715 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA AND NP E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2013 TAGS: KNNP PARM MNUC ETTC IT LY SUBJECT: MORE FROM ITALY ON LIBYAN WMD DEVELOPMENT, POST UN SANCTIONS REF: A. SECSTATE 282619 ¶B. ROME 4580 ¶C. ROME 2977 CLASSIFIED BY: ECONOMIC MINISTER-COUNSELOR SCOTT KILNER FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (S) ECMIN DELIVERED REF A POINTS ON OCTOBER 10 TO MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION GIANDOMENICO MAGLIANO, WHO WAS ACCOMPANIED BY DIEGO UNGARO, DIRECTOR OF THE MFA'S OFFICE OF DEFENSE INDUSTRY AND SENSITIVE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS. NOTING THAT WE HAD ALREADY RAISED OUR CONCERNS WITH THE MFA'S LIBYA DESK (REF B),ECMIN STRESSED THAT THE U.S. WAS INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT LIBYA'S CONTINUED PURSUIT OF NUCLEAR, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS. VIGILANCE REGARDING EXPORTS THAT COULD CONTRIBUTE TO WMD DEVELOPMENT WAS ESPECIALLY NECESSARY IN THE WAKE OF THE LIFTING OF UN SANCTIONS. ECMIN NOTED THAT NUMEROUS PRIOR DISCUSSIONS WITH GOI OFFICIALS ON LIBYA HAD REVEALED DIVERGENT VIEWPOINTS WITH THE U.S. IN SOME AREAS. ¶2. (S) MAGLIANO RESPONDED THAT ITALY WOULD REMAIN VIGILANT, STRICTLY ADHERING TO THE TENETS OF ALL EXPORT CONTROL REGIMES TO INHIBIT ANY LIBYAN WMD DEVELOPMENT. HE ADDED THAT HE WOULD SPEAK WITH MFA NONPROLIFERATION COORDINATOR UGO DE MOHR TO REITERATE THIS POINT. HOWEVER, MAGLIANO STATED THAT ITALY SAW A CLEAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WMD-RELATED MATERIAL, WHICH MUST BE STRICTLY CONTROLLED, AND ITEMS THAT ARE INTENDED TO STRENGTHEN LIBYA'S ABILITY TO COUNTER ILLEGAL MIGRATION. ECMIN RESPONDED THAT THE U.S. REMAINED EXTREMELY SKEPTICAL ABOUT LIBYAN INTENTIONS, AND WOULD REMAIN UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BENEFIT LIBYAN MILITARY OR PARA-MILITARY CAPABILITIES. GIVEN OUR DIVERGENT VIEWS, UNGARO SUGGESTED THAT THE U.S. AND ITALY MIGHT BENEFIT FROM BILATERAL EXPORT CONTROL DISCUSSIONS ON LIBYA, PERHAPS AS A FOLLOW-UP TO OUR RECENT BILATERAL TALKS THAT FOCUSED ON ITALIAN SPACE COOPERATION WITH CHINA (REF C). SEMBLER NNNN 2003ROME04715 - Classification: SECRET