ITALIAN MFA AGREES TO SUPPORT OSCE PARTNER STATUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000856 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2013 TAGS: PHUM PREL IT OSCE SUBJECT: ITALIAN MFA AGREES TO SUPPORT OSCE PARTNER STATUS FOR AFGHANISTAN REF: STATE 53632 CLASSIFIED BY: A/POLMINCOUNS G. ROBBINS FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 00856 021824Z ¶1. (C) WE DELIVERED TO MFA OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR OSCE ISSUES FABIO CRISTIANI REFTEL DEMARCHE REQUESTING GOI SUPPORT FOR AFGHANISTAN TO BECOME AN OSCE PARTNER FOR COOPERATION. HE INDICATED THAT ITALY WOULD SUPPORT THE REQUEST, REFERRING TO AN UPCOMING MARCH 6 MEETING IN VIENNA. ¶2. (C) CRISTIANI INQUIRED ABOUT THE RUSSIAN POSITION AND REACTION. DRAWING ON REFTEL, WE SAID IT SEEMED THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE G-8, RUSSIA'S CONCERNS MAY HAVE BEEN ALLAYED. CRISTIANI ALSO QUESTIONED THE COST IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSAL, NOTING THE DIFFICULTY OF FUNDING ADDITIONAL PROJECTS MID-YEAR. HE ASKED IF THE PROPOSAL HAD BEEN COORDINATED WITH UN SECRETARY GENERAL'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, AND URGED STRONG COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UN AND OSCE IN AFGHANISTAN. DESPITE THESE QUESTIONS, HOWEVER, HE REPEATED THAT THE GOI WOULD SUPPORT THE REQUEST. ¶3. (U) THE MEETING ENDED WITH CRISTIANI REITERATING A PREVIOUS REQUEST FOR ADVANCE NOTICE ON U.S. IDEAS OR PLANS FOR THE OSCE AND WITH A PLEA FOR AN UPDATE ON U.S. POSITIONS WITHIN AND TOWARD THE ORGANIZATION. HE NOTED THAT IN ITS UPCOMING ROLE AS EU PRESIDENT, ITALY COULD AND WOULD LIKE TO COORDINATE EVEN MORE CLOSELY WITH THE U.S. IN THE OSCE. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2003ROME00856 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL