Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03VATICAN5644
2003-12-18 12:44:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vatican
Cable title:  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BURNS MEETING WITH VATICAN FM

Tags:  IR IS IZ PREL SY 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 005644 

SIPDIS


DEPT. FOR NEA-WBURNS, EUR/WE-JLEVIN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2013
TAGS: IR IS IZ PREL SY
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY BURNS MEETING WITH VATICAN FM


Classified By: Ambassador Jim Nicholson. Reasons: 1.5 (b) and (d).

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 005644

SIPDIS


DEPT. FOR NEA-WBURNS, EUR/WE-JLEVIN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2013
TAGS: IR IS IZ PREL SY
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY BURNS MEETING WITH VATICAN FM


Classified By: Ambassador Jim Nicholson. Reasons: 1.5 (b) and (d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) In a December 12 meeting, A/S Burns told the Holy
See's new Foreign Minister Giovanni Lajolo that the U.S. saw
an opportunity to move the Middle East peace process forward
in the face of anger and frustration on both sides. Lajolo
expressed the Holy See's support for the Road Map, noting
that both sides need to recognize that the Road Map is a
process, not a final resolution. Burns outlined U.S.
concerns about the route of Israel's security fence, and
Lajolo, in turn, said he has told the Israeli Ambassador that
the security fence was having a negative effect on world
opinion. On Iraq, Burns emphasized the considerable economic
and social progress achieved by the Coalition, and reviewed
the process ahead for a political transition. Lajolo also
inquired about Syria and Iran, with Burns noting problems
posed by both governments and our efforts to encourage
greater cooperation to deal with terrorism and remove the
nuclear threat from Iran. End Summary.

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Opportunity to Move Peace Process
--------------


2. (C) Assistant Secretary Bill Burns, in Rome to attend the
meeting of major donors to the Palestinians, met with new
Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Giovanni Lajolo
to outline U.S. priorities for the Middle East -- which
Lajolo considers the Holy See's top international priority
(reftel). Burns told Lajolo that despite the anger and
frustration on both sides, there is an opportunity to press
both Israel and the Palestinians to take steps needed to
reinvigorate the Road Map. President Bush, Burns emphasized,
is committed to the Road Map, which calls for obligations on
both sides: for the Palestinians to stop terror and violence
and for Israel to halt settlement activity and improve
conditions for Palestinians. Regarding Israel's security
fence, Burns observed that the issue for the U.S. was not the
fact of the barrier, but its course and whether it prejudges
a final settlement. Moreover, he pointed out that it has the
practical effect of making living conditions for many
Palestinians even more difficult. Burns noted that the U.S.

has had "intense private discussions " with Israel on the
issue.


3. (C) Archbishop Lajolo emphasized the Holy See's continued
support for the Road Map, observing "we want it to be a
success." At the same time, he said the parties needed to
recognize that it was "just a road, not a final answer." On
the security fence, Lajolo observed that he had recently told
Israel's Ambassador to the Holy See that the barrier was
having a negative impact on international public opinion
toward Israel. While Lajolo acknowledged that the barrier
had a different objective from the Berlin Wall -- keeping
threats out rather than people in -- he said that the public
perception was the same. The Israeli Ambassador, according
to Lajolo, had responded that Israel was more concerned by
the security of its people than its image, to which Lajolo
countered that the two were related. For the Holy See,
Lajolo observed, the wall itself was an issue, not just its
location.


4. (C) Lajolo believed that the most pressing need was to
"silence the weapons" for a while so that people can recall
how different life could be without conflict. People on both
sides, he added, needed to see political hope combined with
movement toward a long-term resolution. In this regard,
Lajolo asked Burns whether the U.S. believed Arafat was
capable of stopping the terror. Burns responded that there
is no doubt Arafat could do more. The U.S. recognizes that
neither Arafat nor any one individual can ensure a 100
percent end to terror. Still, more effective Palestinian
actions would give the U.S. the ability to go to Israel and
say we believe the Palestinians are working in good faith to
halt terror. This has not been the case over the past few
years, Burns noted. Lajolo then asked about Arafat's
assertions that he was against terror. Burns pointed out
that Arafat has "knowingly turned a blind eye." Abu Alla
appears to understand the obligation to stop terror, Burn
observed, and not only as a favor to the U.S. but as
something in the Palestinians' own interest. He also noted
that Egypt has been actively engaging to help achieve a
cease-fire, engagement President Bush has encouraged.

--------------
Iraq: Progress Amidst Uncertainty
--------------


5. (C) Turning to Iraq, Lojolo asked for Burns' assessment of
the situation on the ground. Burns responded that although
the security situation remained difficult, the economic and
social situation was improving. Electricity, health care,
water, and education were all at pre-war levels or better.
The challenge now for the coalition was to move beyond repair
of existing infrastructure and repair the neglect and damage
of the past 30 years. So much of the economic and political
system was broken under Saddam, Burns noted, that it will
take time to fix.


6. (C) The U.S. hoped to see a sovereign transition
government by the summer of 2004, Burns said, which would be
one step in a multiyear process. To assure progress in this
difficult transition, he added, Iraq would need the support
of the UN and international community. Lajolo said that from
the Holy See's perspective, they did not want to see the U.S.
out of Iraq until a stable government had been established
with generally democratic principles. "All the world is
watching what the U.S. is doing," Lajolo observed, aadding
that the Holy See was hoping and praying for U.S. success.
In this regard, he stressed the importance of convincing the
Iraqi people that the U.S. was in Iraq for the good of the
people of Iraq. Burns agreed, noting that the U.S. intended
to move as quickly as possible to restore authority to
Iraqis, so that people would see that the U.S. did not intend
to stay, but would also see the enduring U.S. commitment to a
democratic and effective government.

--------------
Syria
--------------


7. (C) Recognizing U.S. concerns about Syria, Lajolo asked
Burns for his assesment of developments there and of Syria's
relations with the U.S. Burns told Lajolo that relations
remained difficult. Noting a series of recent high-level
meetings with Assad, Burns said the U.S. had been candid in
explaining our concerns, but that we have also made clear our
interest in better relations with Syria if it takes the steps
needed to make that possible, including greater cooperation
against terrorists. Burns observed that Syria had stepped up
cooperation over the past three months to control its border
with Iraq, but that there was still much to do on terror.
Burns also noted Assad's recent opening to Israel in a New
York Times interview. While the time may not be ripe to
resolve the Israeli-Syrian issues now, he added, the U.S.
would nevertheless encourage both sides to pursue this
opening. But the Syrians also need to match their more
encouraging rhetoric on this issue with real changes in
behavior, particularly stopping the actions of terrorist
groups headquartered in Damascus. Words alone are not enough.

--------------
Iran
--------------


8. (C) Turning to Iran, Burns emphasized that the nuclear
program was our first concern. While the U.S. welcomed the
recent Iranian commitments to the IAEA and would work with
others to try to lock them in, we remained very skeptical of
Iran's seriousness. Burns observed that there may be some
areas of common interest with Iran, including Afghanistan and
perhaps even Iraq. For example, even though Iran had sent
some intelligence service members into southern Iraq, the
U.S. did not believe Iran wanted to see Iraq destabilized.
It was therefore possible to find accommodations, as in
Afghanistan.

--------------
Comment
--------------


9. (C) Lajolo has indicated that the Middle East would be his
top priority as the Vatican's new Foreign Minister
equivalent, and A/S Burns visit afforded an excellent
opportunity to convey U.S. priorities and concerns in the
region at the outset of his tenure. Lajolo, who was
preparing to meet the Israeli FM the following day, was
clearly focused, attentive, and open to U.S. views. His
acknowledgment that the Holy See wants the U.S. to stay in
Iraq reflects both the Vatican's concern for Chaldean
Catholics in Iraq and its recognition that what happens there
will have lasting implications for the region and its
relations with the Western world.

Nicholson


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2003VATICA05644 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL