UNWRA RESOLUTION: ITALIANS PESSIMISTIC ABOUT EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 004921 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2013 TAGS: PREL KPAL IS IT UNSC SUBJECT: UNWRA RESOLUTION: ITALIANS PESSIMISTIC ABOUT EU SUPPORT REF: SECSTATE 303844 CLASSIFIED BY: POL M/C T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: POL M/C DISCUSSED REFTEL POINTS WITH MFA MIDDLE EAST OFFICE DIRECTOR, LUCA FERRARI. ALTHOUGH FERRARI STRONGLY AGREED WITH THE US GOAL OF REPLACING THE CURRENT UNWRA RESOLUTIONS WITH ONE COMBIED AND MORE POSITIVE RESOLUTION, HE WAS PESSIMISTIC THAT THE EU WOULD SUPPORT THE US RESOLUTION DUE TO PALESTINIAN OPPOSITION AND INTERNAL EU DISAGREEMENT ON THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) FERRARI STATED THAT EU MEMBERS ARE IN DISAGREEMENT IN NEW YORK OVER THIS ISSUE AND THERE IS ACRIMONY OVER WHAT MANY MEMBERS SEE AS A RELUCTANCE BY THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY TO ISSUE STRONGER AND MORE FREQUENT CONDEMNATIONS OF ISRAELI BEHAVIOR. FERRARI STATED THAT ALTHOUGH THE EU HAD HYPOTHETICALLY AGREED WITH THE US STREAMLINING PROPOSAL, ONCE ACTUAL PALESTINIAN OPPOSITION IS VOICED, THE EU WILL REVERT TO THE SAME POSITION AS LAST YEAR. ¶3. (C) FERRARI BELIEVES THAT THE ONLY POSSIBLE WAY TO INFLUENCE THE EU POSITION IS FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM TO BECOME MORE OUTSPOKEN IN SUPPORT OF RATIONALIZATION OF UNWRA AMENDMENTS AND THUS BEGIN CHANGING THE TRADITIONAL EU KNEE-JERK ACCEPTANCE OF THE PALESTINIAN DELEGATION'S POSITION - A ROLE WHICH ITALY, AS EU PRESIDENT, IS CONSTRAINED FROM FILLING. FERRARI ALSOSUGGESTED THAT IF THE US MADE SOME COMPROMISE WITH RUSSIA ON THE ROAD MAP RESOLUTION IN THE UNSC IT MAY GAIN VALUABLE RUSSIAN SUPPORT ON THE UNWRA RESOLUTION. ¶4. (C) EMBASSY COMMENT/ACTION REQUEST: INSTRUCTION CABLES OF THIS SORT WOULD BE MORE VALUABLE IF COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS ON THE STATE OF PLAY IN NEW YORK WAS INCLUDED. EVERY PIECE OF INFORMATION WE GOT CAME FROM THE ITALIAN MFA, NOT OUR OWN SOURCES. IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO KNOW THE POSITIONS OF THE PALESTINIAN AND OTHER DELEGATIONS ON THIS RESOLUTION AND IT WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL TO KNOW IF THE US WILL PROCEED WITH ITS TEXT EVEN IF THE PALESTINIANS INSIST ON THE EXISTING SEVEN RESOLUTIONS. END COMMENT/REQUEST. SEMBLER NNNN 2003ROME04921 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL