ITALY'S RESPONSE TO RUSSIAN EFFORT TO RESOLVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 005362

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2013
TAGS: PREL PBTS MD RS IT EUN
SUBJECT: ITALY'S RESPONSE TO RUSSIAN EFFORT TO RESOLVE
TRANSNISTRIAN CONFLICT

REF: A) STATE 323562 B) STATE 325555

CLASSIFIED BY: DCM EMIL SKODON. REASON:1.5 (B)(D)


1. (C) MFA OSCE OFFICE DIRECTOR FABIO CRISTIANI TOLD POLOFF
ON NOVEMBER 21 THAT ITALY CONCURRED WITH THE US VIEW (REF A)
THAT RECENT EFFORTS BY THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TO UNILATERALLY
NEGOTIATE A SETTLEMENT OF THE TRANSNISTRIAN CONFLICT WERE
CARRIED OUT IN A NON-TRANSPARENT MANNER AND OUTSIDE OF THE
STANDARD OSCE-LED MEDIATING PROCESS. ITALY WOULD REFRAIN
FROM ENDORSING THE DOCUMENT IN THE OSCE CONTEXT. HE SAID
THAT THE PROCESS SHOULD BE BROUGHT BACK UNDER OSCE
COORDINATION. FURTHER, HE SAID, ANY AGREEMENT MUST CONTAIN
THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF A MULTINATIONAL, RATHER THAN
RUSSIAN, MILITARY AND CIVILIAN STABILIZATION AND MONITORING
PRESENCE.


2. (C) DRAWING ON POINTS IN REFTELS, DCM FOLLOWED UP ON
NOVEMBER 24 AND 25 WITH MFA POLDIR GIANCARLO ARAGONA, WHO
SHARED OUR CONCERN ABOUT RUSSIAN ATTEMPTS TO INCLUDE IN THE
AGREEMENT THE RIGHT TO KEEP UP TO 2000 TROOPS IN MOLDOVA
UNTIL THE YEAR 2020. ON THE 25TH, ARAGONA CONFIRMED HE HAD
BRIEFED FM FRATTINI AND RELAYED HIS GOVERNMENT'S VIEWS TO THE
DUTCH OSCE CIO AND THE ITALIAN MISSION TO THE EU IN ADVANCE
OF THE NOVEMBER 25 POLITICAL AND SECURITY COMMITTEE (PSC).
HE WOULD ALSO TAKE UP THE ISSUE WITH A VISITING RUSSIAN
DELEGATION LED BY DFM CHIZHOV LATER THAT DAY.


3. (C) ARAGONA WAS UNCERTAIN THAT ATTEMPTS TO ALTER THE
MEMORANDUM, INCLUDING A POSSIBLE SOLANA-VORONIN CALL PROPOSED
BY THE CIO, WOULD BE EFFECTIVE. HE POINTED OUT THE
DIFFICULTY IN COUNTERING VORONIN'S ARGUMENT THAT, AS LEADER
OF A SOVEREIGN STATE, HE HAD THE RIGHT TO SIGN A
RUSSIAN-BROKERED AGREEMENT THAT LESSENED THE LIKELIHOOD OF
CONFLICT WITH TRANSNISTRIAN SECESSIONISTS, EVEN IF THAT RAN
COUNTER TO RUSSIA'S ISTANBUL COMMITMENTS.
SEMBLER

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2003ROME05362 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL