Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04ROME4443
2004-11-19 17:03:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

ITALIAN RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON NEGOTIATIONS

Tags:  AORC EAGR ETRD PREL SENV IT 
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191703Z Nov 04
C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 004443

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR OES/ENV - JULIE GOURLEY AND JOHN THOMPSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2014
TAGS: AORC EAGR ETRD PREL SENV IT
SUBJECT: ITALIAN RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON NEGOTIATIONS
UNDER GLOBAL AGREEMENT TO PROTECT OZONE LAYER

REF: STATE 245175

Classified By: Scott F. Kilner, Minister Counselor
for Economic Affairs, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

(U) Per reftel, on November 18, the Ambassador conveyed
non-paper to Altero Matteoli, Minister of the Environment
and Territorial Protection. The Embassy's Minister ounselor
for Agricultural Affairs delivered th non-paper to the
office of Agriculture Minister Giovanni Alemanno, as
well as to several Italian grower organizations interested
in the methyl bromide issue. As of COB on November 19,
there has been no official reaction from either ministry.


2. (C) We followed up with Federica Fricano (PROTECT),
the senior adviser to Corrado Clini, General Director of
the Ministry of Environment, who is currently in Washington.
Fricano had been in contact with Clini, who reportedly
touched on next week's extraordinary Meeting of the
Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Prague with Department
officials during his visit.


3. (C) In an unofficial and preliminary reaction to the
demarche, Fricano told us that the GOI would continue to
support the U.S. views on critical use exemptions (CUEs)
in 2006. Specifically, Italy would continue to support
the U.S. view that U.S. and other CUE requests should be
approved based on the language contained in the Montreal
Protocol that allows CUEs to be approved in cases where
technically and economically feasible alternatives to
methyl bromide are not available.


4. (C) However, Fricano noted that in contrast to the
Italian support provided at previous Montreal Protocol
meetings, Italy would probably not be able to support
the U.S. position in Prague that the decision process
of the Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee (MBTOC)
for recommending CUEs is flawed. This change has come
about because the GOI is involved in difficult ongoing
negotiations with the European Commission (EC),which
administers the allocation of the Montreal Protocol CUEs
within the EU. Following bilateral negotiations with Italy,
the EC has proposed that Italy reduce its level of CUEs
by 73 percent in 2005. According to Fricano, Italy has
not accepted the proposal and is trying to negotiate a
better deal before the next EC Management Committee
meeting on December 9. She explained that the Ministry
considers the MBTOC's expertise to be superior to the EC's
and is arguing that the MBTOC should be seen as an
"example to emulate" in the EC. Thus, supporting the U.S.'
view that the MBTOC recommendations are flawed might
undermine the Italian arguments with the EC.



5. (SBU) We will continue to follow up with the
Ministry of Environment and immediately report any
further reaction.


SEMBLER


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2004ROME04443 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL