ITALIAN EU PRESIDENCY - RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 005179 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/RPM, EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2013 TAGS: PREL IT EUN ESDP NATO SUBJECT: ITALIAN EU PRESIDENCY - RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE FOR NOVEMBER 17-18 EU FM MEETING REF: A. A) STATE 313871 ¶B. B) ROME 5093 ¶C. C) STATE 315022 CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL-MILITARY COUNSELOR GARY ROBBINS FOR REASONS 1. 5(B),(D) ¶1. (C) ESDP: IN RESPONSE TO REFTEL A POINTS, MFA INTERLOCUTORS REITERATED ITALY'S VIEW EXPRESSED IN REFTEL B AND PREVIOUS; THAT THE CHANGES UNDER CONSIDERATION IN THE IGC DEALING WITH ESDP ARE DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN, NOT MARGINALIZE, THE TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP. MFA NATO OFFICE DIRECTOR GIOVANNI BRAUZZI TOOK ISSUE WITH THE WORDING OF SOME OF REFTEL A POINTS, PARTICULARLY THE MEANING OF A "SERIOUS" EU OPERATION. POLMILOFF SUGGESTED THAT "SERIOUS" COULD BE INTERPRETED AS "EXTENSIVE." BRAUZZI ALSO ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION ON WHETHER REFTEL A POINTS WERE MEANT TO INDICATE THAT ALL EU OPERATIONS, RATHER THAN JUST CRISIS MANAGEMENT/BERLIN PLUS TYPE, SHOULD BE CONDUCTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NATO. ¶2. (C) COMMENTING ON THE THIRD TALKING POINT, BRAUZZI EMPHASIZED THAT STRUCTURED COOPERATION IS A WAY TO BUILD CLOSER COOPERATION AMONG SOME COUNTRIES ON PREPAREDNESS FOR MORE ROBUST MISSIONS. HE SAID BERLIN-PLUS ADDRESSES HOW NON-EU ALLIES CAN JOIN IN EU OPERATIONS AND STRESSED THAT ITALY FAVORS MULTILATERALISM AND OPPOSES MULTIPOLARISM. (NOTE: THE US-EU TROIKA ON NOVEMBER 18 MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO CLARIFY THESE POINTS FOR THE PRESIDENCY, SHOULD TIME PERMIT. END NOTE.) ¶3. (C) MFA ESDP COORDINATOR AND EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT SANDRO DE BERNADIN SAID THAT THE US AND ITALY SHARE THE SAME CONCERNS OVER PRESERVING THE PRIMACY OF BERLIN-PLUS IN DEFINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ESDP AND NATO. HE URGED THE US TO TRUST ITALY AND LIKE-MINDED ALLIES TO DO THE RIGHT THING IN THE IGC AS IT RELATES TO TRANSATLANTIC SECURITY AND OUR CONCERNS OVER DUPLICATION AND CAPABILITIES. HE SAID THAT THE PRESIDENCY WILL WORK TO REFINE THE WORDING OF ARTICLES IN THE DRAFT (40.4 AND 40.5) DEALING WITH OPERATIONS/IMPLEMENTATION TO MAKE CLEAR THAT ANY DECISION TO USE FORCE IS TAKEN AT CONSENSUS (25). ¶4. (C) IRAQ/IRAN: ITALY TOO WAS PLEASED WITH THE AMOUNT CONTRIBUTED FOR IRAQI RECONSTRUCTION AT THE MADRID DONOR'S MEETING, ACCORDING TO LUIGI MACCOTTA, DIRECTOR OF THE MFA IRAN/IRAQ OFFICE. ITALY SUPPORTS A RAPID TRANSITION OF POWER TO A FUNCTIONING IRAQI GOVERNMENT, BUT ONLY WHEN SECURITY CONDITIONS AND GOVERNING CAPABILITIES EXIST FOR SUCH A TRANSITION TO SUCCEED, MACCOTTA TOLD POL-MIL OFFICER ON NOV. ¶14. THE REGIONAL DIMENSION IS KEY, HE EMPHASIZED. REGIONAL PLAYERS MUST BE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN STABILIZING THE AREA. MACCOTTA, WHO HAD REVIEWED THE USG ANALYSIS OF THE NOV. 10 IAEA DG REPORT ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM (REFTEL C),NOTED THAT EU MEMBERS WILL BE DISCUSSING THE REPORT IN PREPARATION FOR THE NOV. 20 BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING AT THE NOV. 17-18 GAERC IN BRUSSELS. MAXIMUM TRANSPARENCY MUST BE INTRODUCED INTO IRAN'S NUCLEAR AFFAIRS, HE STRESSED, ADDING THAT ITALY'S PREFERRED APPROACH IS TO ENGAGE IRAN AS THE EU3 RECENTLY SUCCEEDED IN DOING. SKODON NNNN 2003ROME05179 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL