FMCT/CD: ITALY WELCOMES USG SUPPORT FOR

S E C R E T ROME 002192 SIPDIS STATE FOR AC/ISN AND GENEVA CD DEL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2014 TAGS: AORC KNNP PARM PREL TSPA CDG SUBJECT: FMCT/CD: ITALY WELCOMES USG SUPPORT FOR NEGOTIATIONS REF: SECSTATE 125075 CLASSIFIED BY: POLMILCOUNS GARY ROBBINS FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (S) POLMILCOUNS ON JUNE 7 MET WITH MFA ARMS CONTROL OFFICE DIRECTOR FILIPPO FORMICA TO CONVEY REFTEL POINTS. COUNSELOR PIERO SARDI AND POLMILOFF WERE IN ATTENDANCE. FORMICA'S RANK ON THE MFA'S LINE CHART IS TECHNICALLY LOWER THAN THAT OF A DAS, BUT HIS RESPONSIBILITIES AND LEVEL OF EXPERTISE ARE EQUIVALENT. FORMICA WELCOMED AS "VERY GOOD NEWS" USG WILLINGNESS TO NEGOTIATE A FISSILE MATERIAL CUTOFF TREATY AT THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT. STARTING NEGOTIATIONS IS A "TOP PRIORITY" FOR ITALY. FORMICA NOTED THAT THE EU NONPROLIFERATION STRATEGY AGREED DURING THE ITALIAN EU PRESIDENCY ALSO INCLUDED FMCT NEGOTIATIONS AS A PRIORITY. HE SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT TO WIPE AWAY THE CONTRADICTION ARISING FROM G8 FUNDS BEING SPENT TO DISMANTLE NUCLEAR WEAPONS PRODUCED BY THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND THE LACK OF A BAN ON FISSILE MATERIAL PRODUCTION. USG REAFFIRMATION OF ITS UNILATERAL MORATORIUM ON SUCH PRODUCTION WAS APPRECIATED. ¶2. (S) FORMICA SAID HE WOULD NEED TO REVIEW THE TEXT OF THE SHANNON MANDATE BEFORE COMMENTING ON ITALY'S POSITION WITH RESPECT TO TREATY VERIFICATION. AS A GENERAL RULE, ITALY FAVORS VERIFICATION AS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE DISARMAMENT TOOLBOX, FORMICA SAID. IN THIS VEIN, HE MENTIONED ITALY'S SUPPORT FOR VERIFICATION MECHANISMS IN THE CWC AND THE BWC PROTOCOL. FORMICA NEVERTHELESS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT NATIONAL SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS CAN IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES SUPPORT A MORE NUANCED VIEW OF VERIFICATION. ¶3. (S) FORMICA EMPHASIZED THAT ITALY IS IN FAVOR OF DE-LINKING FMCT NEGOTIATIONS FROM OTHER POTENTIAL CD WORK AREAS SUCH AS PAROS AND ACCEPTS THE NOTION OF A "CLEAN NEGOTIATING MANDATE." HE SAW NO REASON WHY ITALY WOULD WANT TO LINK PROGRESS ON A U.S.-PROPOSED BAN ON PERSISTENT LANDMINES TO MOVING FORWARD ON A FMCT. FORMICA SAID AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT TO END THE PRODUCTION OF FISSILE MATERIAL FOR NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS WAS AN ESSENTIAL COMPLEMENT TO PRESIDENT BUSH'S PROPOSAL TO BAN THE SALE OF URANIUM ENRICHMENT AND REPROCESSING TECHNOLOGY/EQUIPMENT TO STATES THAT DO NOT POSSESS SUCH FACILITIES. FORMICA WELCOMED THE USG PROPOSAL TO BRIEF CD DELEGATIONS AFTER OUR INITIAL PRESENTATION IN GENEVA. ¶4. (S) SARDI POINTED OUT THAT ITALY WOULD EVENTUALLY SEEK TO COORDINATE ITS POSITION WITH ITS EU PARTNERS AND ASKED IF THE USG WAS SHARING ITS VIEWS WITH ALL EU MEMBER STATES. HE HOPED THE USG WAS CONVEYING ITS APPROACH IN DUBLIN SINCE IRELAND HOLDS THE EU PRESIDENCY AND NOTED THAT THE NEXT CODUN (DISARMAMENT) WORKING GROUP MEETING IN BRUSSELS (JUNE 10) COULD BE A PRIME OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN INTRA-EU DISCUSSIONS. POLMILCOUNS EXPLAINED TO SARDI THAT THE USG WANTED TO CONSULT FIRST WITH KEY CD PARTNERS SUCH AS ITALY, FRANCE, GERMANY, AND THE UK BEFORE DETAILING OUR POSITION TO OTHER EU STATES. IN KEEPING WITH OUR INTEREST IN FIRST GAUGING THE POSITIONS OF A FEW KEY COUNTRIES, POLMILCOUNS REQUESTED THAT ITALY REFRAIN FROM BROACHING THE USG'S FMCT POLICY REVIEW AT THE CODUN. VISIT ROME'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/EUR/ROME/INDEX.CF M SKODON NNNN 2004ROME02192 - Classification: SECRET