BERLUSCONI-BLAIR ROME MEETING: SADDAM MUST DISARM,

UNCLAS ROME 000763 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL IT UK IZ IRAQI FREEDOM NATO SUBJECT: BERLUSCONI-BLAIR ROME MEETING: SADDAM MUST DISARM, HOPEFULLY PEACEFULLY ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: THE BERLUSCONI-BLAIR MEETING IN ROME FEB. 21 TOUCHED ON "THE EUROPE OF THE FUTURE," DEFENSE AND SECURITY, UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 00763 241801Z BUT FOCUSED ON THE CRISES IN THE MIDDLE EAST: MOSTLY IRAQ BUT ALSO THE ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT. BOTH PRIME MINISTERS AGREED ON THE NEED TO UPHOLD UNSC RESOLUTION 1441 AND DISARM SADDAM, HOPEFULLY PEACEFULLY. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) IN A BRIEF READ-OUT FROM PAOLO DIONISI, PM BERLUSCONI'S DEPUTY DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR, DIONISI CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY OF MEDIA REPORTS AND THE FACT THAT THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS FOCUSED MOSTLY ON IRAQ IN THEIR FEB. 21 MEETING IN ROME. IN A PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING HIS MEETING WITH BLAIR, BERLUSCONI SAID: -- "THE OBJECTIVE IS TO HAVE SADDAM HUSSEIN DISARM IN PEACE... (BUT) A POSSIBLE ATTACK WOULD NOT BE AGAINST A COUNTRY, A PEOPLE, IT WOULD BE AGAINST A DICTATOR, A REGIME THAT ...USES PRISONS, TERROR, AND DEATH FOR ITS OWN DEFENSE." -- "STRONG DIPLOMATIC-MILITARY PRESSURE ON IRAQ CAN LEAD TO PEACE. THE U.S. IS NOT SAYING 'WE ATTACK TOMORROW,' IT IS SAYING: 'IF YOU WANT PEACE, PREPARE FOR WAR, AND THIS IS WHAT BUSH SAID, AND THIS IS WHAT BLAIR AND I SAID TODAY, AND EVEN THE EU COUNCIL." -- "NO WESTERN DEMOCRACY THINKS DIFFERENTLY THAN WHAT IS WRITTEN IN RESOLUTION 1441 AND IN THE JOINT EU DOCUMENT. ALL WESTERN DEMOCRACIES BELIEVE IRAQ'S DISARMAMENT TO BE NECESSARY AND ALL HOPE THAT IT CAN OCCUR IN PEACE." ¶3. (U) AT THE SAME PRESS CONFERENCE, BLAIR SAID: -- "WE HOPE THAT THE IRAQI ISSUE CAN BE RESOLVED PEACEFULLY, BUT WE ARE DETERMINED TO OBTAIN COMPLIANCE OF RESOLUTION 1441 IN EVERY WAY." -- "SADDAM DISARMS ONLY IF HE GETS THE INTERNATIONAL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 00763 241801Z COMMUNITY'S MESSAGE, WHICH IS THIS: DISARM PEACEFULLY OR IT WILL BE US WHO WILL DISARM YOU." -- "WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR SADDAM TO DISARM, WE COULD HAVE ATTACKED LAST SUMMER, BUT U.S. PRESIDENT BUSH DECIDED TO WAIT. I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THOSE WHO DON'T WANT WAR. THAT'S WHY WE GAVE SADDAM EVERY POSSIBILITY TO DISARM." -- "IS THERE SOMEONE WHO REALLY BELIEVES SADDAM IS COOPERATING? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AN UPCOMING CONFLICT, US WHO DID EVERYTHING TO AVOID IT, OR HIM?" ¶4. (U) PALAZZO CHIGI, THE PM'S OFFICE, ISSUED THE FOLLOWING COMMUNIQU FOLLOWING THE MEETING. "BASED ON THE RECENT POSITIVE CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXTRAORDINARY EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON IRAQ, THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS REITERATED THEIR COMMON POSITION ON IRAQ. THEY DISCUSSED RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE UN AND NEXT STEPS, PARTICULARLY ON A SECOND RESOLUTION. ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE, THE PRIME MINISTERS AGREED ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PUBLICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE QUARTET ROADMAP; FOR STEPS TO END THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE; AND FOR A FREEZE ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENT BUILDING, TO PRESERVE THE PHYSICAL BASIS FOR A TWO-STATE SOLUTION." ¶5. (U) BLAIR ALSO MET FEB. 21 WITH TWO LEADERS OF THE ITALIAN OPPOSITION: FRANCESCO RUTELLI, CENTER-LEFT OLIVE TREE LEADER AND PRESIDENT OF THE DAISY MOVEMENT, AND MASSIMO D'ALEMA, PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATS OF THE LEFT. RUTELLI STRESSED THAT THE "TRIUMPH OF THE UN WOULD BE A POLITICAL VICTORY FOR THE AMERICANS AND THE BRITISH, WHO HAVE SHOWN THEY WANT TO USE THEIR ENERGIES TO PUSH FOR DISARMAMENT IN IRAQ." D'ALEMA REITERATED THE NEED TO EXHAUST "EVERY EFFORT FOR A PEACEFUL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ROME 00763 241801Z SOLUTION TO THIS CRISIS," AND PRAISED BLAIR'S COMMITMENT TO SEARCH FOR A SOLUTION TO THE "TRAGEDY IN THE MIDDLE EAST." SEMBLER UNCLASSIFIED > 2003ROME00763 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED