ITALIANS EXAMINING ISAF HELO AND OTHER REQUESTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 005322

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2013
TAGS: MARR AF IT NATO UN AFGHANISTAN IRAQI FREEDOM
SUBJECT: ITALIANS EXAMINING ISAF HELO AND OTHER REQUESTS
FOR MIL ASSISTANCE

REF: A. STATE 317086

B. ROME 5217

C. BRUSSELS 5294

CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASO
NS 1.5(B)(D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. ITALY IS STUDYING REFTEL A REQUEST TO
CONTRIBUTE HELICOPTERS FOR ISAF, IS LIKELY TO DEPLOY A PRT TO
GHAZNI, IS UNLIKELY TO RETURN TROOPS TO KHOST AND IS ALMOST
CERTAIN TO EXTEND ITS MILITARY PARTICIPATION IN IRAQ,
ACCORDING TO FRANCESCO TRUPIANO, DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR TO DEFMIN
MARTINO. A PARLIAMENTARY VOTE ON EXTENDING THE IRAQ MISSION
WILL PROBABLY OCCUR IN MID-JANUARY, TRUPIANO TOLD
POLMINCOUNS, TO ALLOW FOR CONTINUED CONSULTATIONS WITH
COALITION AND OPPOSITION MEMBERS. THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO
APPROACH PARLIAMENT ON THE IRAQ EXTENSION AT THE SAME TIME AS
IT PRESENTS ITS PROPOSAL FOR A STREAMLINED CONSULTATION
PROCESS FOR NATO RESPONSE FORCE (NRF) OPERATIONS, HE
EXPLAINED. TRUPIANO ALSO GAVE A BRIEF READ-OUT ON SECURITY
RELATED ASPECTS OF THE NOVEMBER 17 GAERC MEETING. END
SUMMARY.

HELOS
--------------

2. (C) ITALY IS CONSIDERING REFTEL A REQUEST FOR HELICOPTERS
FOR ISAF, ACCORDING TO DEFMIN MARTINO'S DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR,
FRANCESCO TRUPIANO. ITALY'S HELO ASSETS ARE IN BIG DEMAND,
TRUPIANO TOLD POLMINCOUNS ON NOVEMBER 21; THE GOI IS TRYING
TO BALANCE REQUESTS TO HELP IN THE SUDAN AND AFGHANISTAN
WITHOUT WEAKENING SUPPORT FOR OPERATIONS IN PLACES LIKE
LEBANON (UNIFIL). REFTEL A POINTS WERE ALSO CONVEYED TO
VCHOD GENERAL VINCENZO CAMPORINI ON NOVEMBER 17, AND TO MFA
NATO AFFAIRS OFFICE DIRECTOR GIOVANNI BRAUZZI AND MFA
AFGHANISTAN AFFAIRS OFFICE DIRECTOR DEMAIO ON NOVEMBER 18.
POST WILL FOLLOW-UP WITH CAMPORINI AND TRUPIANO FOR AN
OFFICIAL RESPONSE.

PRT/TROOP REQUESTS
--------------

3. (C) ITALY WILL LIKELY AGREE TO DEPLOY A PROVINCIAL
RECONSTRUCTION TEAM (PRT) IN AFGHANISTAN, TRUPIANO PREDICTED,
BUT PROBABLY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEND ANOTHER BATTALION AS
REQUESTED (SEE ALSO REFTEL B). THE ITALIAN DEFENSE GENERAL
STAFF (IDGS) IS STILL PREPARING A FORMAL RESPONSE FOR
MARTINO'S CONSIDERATION, BUT INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT WILL BE
POLITICALLY AND LOGISTICALLY DIFFICULT TO RETURN TROOPS TO
KHOST. IN ADDITION TO RE-ESTABLISHING THE LOGISTICS CHAIN
THAT WAS DISMANTLED WHEN THE FOLGORE LEFT IN SEPTEMBER,
DEPLOYING 1,000 TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN WOULD PUT ITALIAN
RESOURCES UNDER SEVERE STRAIN AGAIN, TRUPIANO EXPLAINED. HE
DOUBTED ITALY COULD SUSTAIN SUCH A SITUATION A SECOND TIME.


4. (C) REDUCTIONS UNDER DISCUSSION IN THE BALKANS, PLUS THE
UNIT THAT RETURNED FROM KHOST, MAY RELIEVE SOME OF THE
PRESSURE ON ITALIAN TROOP COMMITMENTS, TRUPIANO SAID, MAKING
IT EASIER TO DEPLOY A PRT. WHILE TROOPS IN ALBANIA, ETC.
AREN'T FUNGIBLE WITH THOSE NEEDED IN AFGHANISTAN, THEY MAY BE
ABLE TO FREE-UP UNITS THAT ARE. TIMING OF THE DEPLOYMENT
WILL BE IMPORTANT TO JUGGLING AVAILABLE TROOPS. WHEN THE
JOINT MFA/MOD TEAM RETURNS FROM GHAZNI WITH A REPORT ON
PROJECTED REQUIREMENTS FOR A PRT (I.E., THE NUMBER/TYPE OF
TROOPS NEEDED, REQUIREMENTS FOR CIVILIAN ASSISTANCE,
LOGISTICS OF GHAZNI AREA, ETC.),THE MOD WILL HAVE A BETTER
IDEA OF WHAT TYPE OF MILITARY SUPPORT THEY'LL NEED TO DEPLOY,
AND WHEN, IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE CIVILIAN SIDE OF THE PRT.

FLAGS TO POST
--------------

5. (C) TRUPIANO RAISED ITALY'S CONTINUED DISSATISFACTION WITH
GEN. KUJAT'S FLAGS TO POST PROPOSAL AT NATO, AND REPEATED
THAT ITALY FOUND IT NOT ONLY UNACCEPTABLE BUT OFFENSIVE, AS
DEFMIN MARTINO HAD TOLD SECDEF DURING THEIR OCTOBER 8 MEETING
IN COLORADO. THERE SHOULD BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THE GRAVITY OF
THE ISSUE FOR ITALY, TRUPIANO NOTED; MARTINO HAD RAISED IT
WITH SECDEF, FM FRATTINI ADDRESSED IT WITH SECRETARY POWELL,
AMB MORENO DISCUSSED IT WITH AMB. BURNS, ALONG WITH
NEGOTIATIONS IN OTHER FORA. ITALY WILL CONTINUE TO BREAK
SILENCE ON THE PROPOSAL, EVEN AT THE MINISTERIAL LEVEL,
TRUPIANO SAID. NEGOTIATIONS ARE UNDERWAY WITH THE UK AND
WITH OTHER KEY ALLIES, HE ADDED. POLMINCOUNS ASSURED
TRUPIANO THAT THE USG WILL SUPPORT WHATEVER SOLUTION ITALY
AND ITS EUROPEAN ALLIES REACH ON THE ISSUE.

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HE NOVEMBER 17 GAERC MEETING WERE ENCOURAGING, TRUPIANO
REPORTED (SEE REFTEL C). ALL EU MEMBERS (VICE FOUR) WILL BE
INVOLVED IN DECIDING AMONGST THE VARIOUS PROPOSALS FOR
BUILDING AN EU MILITARY PLANNING CAPACITY. MINISTERS HAD
SPECIFICALLY ENDORSED THE NEED TO AVOID DUPLICATION AND
ENSURE COMPATIBILITY WITH NATO. TRUPIANO NOTED THAT A
PRECEDENT HAS BEEN FIRMLY SET TO HAVE THE NATO SECGEN (OR
DEPSECGEN) PARTICIPATE IN ALL EU DEFENSE-RELATED
MINISTERIALS, WITH RECIPROCAL ATTENDANCE BY SOLANA OR HIS
DEPUTY AT APPROPRIATE NATO MEETINGS. INCOMING EU PRESIDENCY
IRELAND PLANNED TO CONTINUE THE PRACTICE, ACCORDING TO
TRUPIANO.


7. (C) ITALY WAS PLEASED THAT EU MEMBERS APPROVED THE
APPROACH IT PROPOSED, AS EU PRESIDENT, FOR BUILDING CAPABLE,
INTEROPERABLE MILITARY FORCES BY 2010, TRUPIANO SAID. WHILE
THE ITALIAN PAPER ON THE SUBJECT WASN'T FORMALLY APPROVED AT
THE EU MINISTERS' MEETING ON NOVEMBER 17 BECAUSE FRANCE AND
THE UK HAD ALSO SUBMITTED PROPOSALS, THE MORE GENERAL ITALIAN
APPROACH WAS. TRUPIANO EMPHASIZED THAT THE TIMELINE SET
FORTH IN THE ITALIAN PAPER DELIBERATELY MATCHES NATO'S
SCHEDULE FOR ACHIEVING AN INTEROPERABLE FORCE.


8. (C) MARTINO WAS ALSO ENCOURAGED THAT EU MINISTERS
SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF PLACING THE NEW EUROPEAN DEFENSE AGENCY
UNDER EU DEFENSE MINISTERS' DIRECTION, ACCORDING TO TRUPIANO.
THIS WILL ENSURE THAT THE AGENCY RETAINS A PRIMARY FOCUS ON
DEFENSE POLICY RATHER THAN INDUSTRIAL POLICY, AS MARTINO HAS
OFTEN URGED. THE AGENCY ESTABLISHMENT TEAM, CREATED BY THE
EU MINISTERS TO EXAMINE THE LINKS BETWEEN THE AGENCY AND
EXISTING ENTITIES LIKE OCAAR, COREPAR, AND NATIONAL DEFMINS,
WILL PRESENT ITS RECOMMENDATIONS BY JUNE 2004, HE NOTED, AND
THE AGENCY SHOULD BE UP AND RUNNING BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR.

SEMBLER

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2003ROME05322 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED