EU/LIBYA ARMS EMBARGO - ITALY WON'T RISK

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003847 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2014 TAGS: PREL PARM IT EUN SUBJECT: EU/LIBYA ARMS EMBARGO - ITALY WON'T RISK REQUESTING PULLBACK TO PARTIAL LIFTING REF: STATE 207640 Classifie By: A/DCM TOM COUNTRYMAN. REASON:1.5 (B)(D) ¶1. (C) MFA Director for EU CFSP Luigi Mattiol/ told poloff on October 1 that he saw "little or no chance" that the October 11 GAERC will not approve the COREPER recommendation that Qhe EU arms embargo be lifted in its entirety. Qrocess to partially l ift September in an effort tools it needed to contrtop illegal immigra. Mattiolo was veryal was accepted with vd other member state pe rmQ`h `re the US to halt some assferring country. He said hifting the embargo wo`n strengthening the EU transfer, to include aing mechanism and increase`lly with regard to weap`ntries recently subject to an embargo. ¶3. (C) When pressed, Mattiolo confirmed that Italy was willing to accept a partial lifting, and still would if it was proposed and clear it would reach quick consensus. Italy would not, underlined Mattiolo, propose such a measure itself. He stressed the immediate illegal immigration concerns driving Italian policy, and said that Italy would not risk sabotaging the progress made thus far and "starting all over again in Brussels." ¶4. (C) Comment: Illegal immigration from Libya remains one of the hottest political issues in Italy. Once the "two Simonas" were released from captivity in Iraq, the issue reassumed its place among the top headlines in national dailies. It is highly unlikely that the government will do anything that risks undermining what it considers as real progress in stemming this flow across the Mediterranean, for instance, Tripoli's agreement to accept the return of the latest group of clandestine immigrants. SEMBLER NNNN 2004ROME03847 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL