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 NNNN 2003ROME05362 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL