ITALIAN VIEWS ON ISRAELI WEOG MEMBERSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 004280

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2014
TAGS: OPDC PHUM PREL AORC KIPR IS IT UNEP WIPO ILO IAEA
SUBJECT: ITALIAN VIEWS ON ISRAELI WEOG MEMBERSHIP

REF: STATE 235219

Classified By: Pol M/C Tom Countryman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. Pol M/C discussed reftel demarche with key
MFA officials on November 5. While our Italian interlocutors
are sympathetic to Israel's membership in consultative groups
at selected UN agencies, it is unlikely to take action in the
absence of EU consensus and pending the outcome of UNSC
reform. End summary.


2. (C) Pol M/C delivered reftel demarche to MFA Deputy DG for
Multilateral Political Affairs Claudio Bisogniero on November

5. Also present were Alessandro Busacca, the head of the
MFA's UN Office, and Luca Ferrari, head of the MFA's Office
for the Eastern Mediterranean. Bisogniero's initial reaction
was that there is a general nodding of heads on this issue
whenever Italy raises it, but no action is ever taken. He
asked us to share responses we had received from other WEOG
members, so that Italy could see if anyone else is ready to
stand up and move this issue.


3. (C) Ferrari commented that Italy needs EU consensus before
it can act, to which Busacca noted that the issue did not
come up at the latest COMUN (EU meeting on UN issues).
Bisogniero added that there is a significant difference
between the WEOG in New York, which does not discuss
substantive issues other than candidacies, and the WEOG in
agencies like the IAEA, where Israel holds a very different
position on non-proliferation matters than other WEOG
members.


4. (C) Pol M/C responded that, as long as we are discussing
UN reform, Israel should be granted the same rights as other
member states, and that its exclusion from the Asian group
makes it a second-class member. WEOG can address this by
giving Israel interim membership in all fora.


5. (C) Comment: Post will continue to press on this issue
and probably will continue to get a sympathetic ear from the
Italians. We note, however, that in the next year or two
Italy, Germany, and a few other countries will continue to
view this and all UN-related issues through the prism of how
it affects UNSC reform. It is hard to see how Italy will
take the lead on this issue when it might only cost it UNGA
votes from the Arab bloc. End comment.

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2004ROME04280 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL