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