GOI SUPPORT FOR U.S. ICAO CANDIDACY APPEARS LIKELY

UNCLAS ROME 002349

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR IO/T - FOSTRANDER; MONTREAL FOR USICAO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ECON IT FAA
SUBJECT: GOI SUPPORT FOR U.S. ICAO CANDIDACY APPEARS LIKELY

REF: SECSTATE 129597


1. ACCORDING TO FRANCESCO ERCOLANO, NEW COUNSELOR IN THE
ITALIAN MFA'S DIRECTORATE FOR ECONOMIC AND MULTILATERAL
COOPERATION, ITALY IS UNOFFICIALLY LIKELY TO SUPPORT THE
UNITED STATES BID FOR RE-ELECTION TO PART 1 OF THE ICAO
COUNCIL. ERCOLANO POINTED OUT THAT ITALY IS ALSO IN THE
PROCESS OF LOBBYING FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS TO SUPPORT ITS ICAO
COUNCIL CANDIDACY, AND REQUESTED EMBASSY ASSISTANCE IN
OBTAINING A RESPONSE FROM WASHINGTON TO GOI'S DEMARCHE ON THE
ISSUE.


2. ECONOFF SPOKE WITH ERCOLANO ON JUNE 17 AFTER FORWARDING
REFTEL DEMARCHE AND TALKING POINTS ON JUNE 15. ERCOLANO
CONFIDED THAT THE PROCESS OF DEMARCHE EXCHANGE ON THIS ISSUE
SHOULD BE MERELY A FORMALITY, SINCE, AS ALLIES, ITALY AND THE
U.S. ARE LIKELY TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER'S CANDIDACIES. HE
ACKNOWLEDGED THE SIGNIFICANT U.S. ROLE IN ICAO AND SAID THAT
IT WOULD BE HARD TO IMAGINE THE U.S. NOT BEING REPRESENTED IN
PART 1 OF THE COUNCIL.


3. ERCOLANO SUMMARIZED THE PARALLEL U.S. AND ITALIAN
DEMARCHES ON THEIR RESPECTIVE ICAO CANDIDACIES BY SAYING THAT
THE ITALIAN RESPONSE TO THE U.S. DEMARCHE WOULD LIKELY BE THE
SAME AS THE U.S. RESPONSE TO THE ITALIAN DEMARCHE. GIVEN THE
STATED U.S. POLICY NOT TO REVEAL SUPPORT IN ADVANCE FOR
CANDIDACIES TO MULTILATERAL FORA SUCH AS THE ICAO COUNCIL, IT
IS THEREFORE LIKELY THAT THE GOI WILL SUPPORT THE U.S.
CANDIDACY BEHIND THE SCENES WHILE REMAINING OFFICIALLY AND
PUBLICLY COY AND NONCOMMITTAL.

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