ITALY SUPPORTS ASEM PARTICIPATION FOR BURMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003240 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2014 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM BM IT EUN SUBJECT: ITALY SUPPORTS ASEM PARTICIPATION FOR BURMA REF: A. STATE 179237 ¶B. ROME 02690 Classified By: Pol M/C Tom Countryman for Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). (C) MFA South East Asia Desk Officer Francesco Taliani stated that, although the Italian government is aware of and disappointed with the lack of progress on human rights in Burma, Italy will support Burmese participation in ASEM in order to avoid conflict with the ASEAN nations and to ensure admission of the new EU members. (C) The ASEAN group has clearly indicated that they will not accept the 10 new EU members in ASEM if Burma is not granted full participation (ref B). Taliani stated that the EU is not willing to allow the Burma issue to paralyze its relations with the ASEAN nations and will therefore work to reach a compromise. PolOff expressed USG disappointment with this approach and stressed the danger of allowing Rangoon to get away with continued abuses. Visit Rome's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/rome/index.cf m SKODON NNNN 2004ROME03240 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL