IMO BALLAST WATER TREATY: ITALIAN VIEWS

UNCLAS ROME 000667 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EWWT PHSA SENV IT IMO SUBJECT: IMO BALLAST WATER TREATY: ITALIAN VIEWS REF: STATE 13847 (U) THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶1. ITALY'S TRANSPORT MINISTRY DIRECTOR FOR MARITIME AFFAIRS, COSIMO CALIENDO, AND HIS DEPUTY, DR. GIORDANO, WHO REPRESENTED ITALY AT THE FEBRUARY 9 MEETING, TOLD SCIENCE COUNSELOR FEBRUARY 17 THAT ITALY HAD BEEN SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS OF THE MEETING ON THE BALLAST WATER TREATY. THEY FELT THAT A GOOD BALANCE HAD BEEN STRUCK BETWEEN WHAT HE TERMED "THE RESTRICTIVE, ENVIRONMENTALLY-PROTECTIVE" U.S. POSITION AND THE "LESS RESTRICTIVE" NORWEGIAN POSITION. ¶2. RATIFICATION: CALIENDO ANTICIPATED THAT THE EU MEMBER STATES WILL COORDINATE THEIR RATIFICATIONS AND DO THEM MORE OR LESS AT THE SAME TIME. HE SEES NO DIFFICULTY WITH RATIFICATION IN ITALY. CALIENDO ASKED WHEN THE U.S. MIGHT RATIFY THE TREATY. SEMBLER NNNN 2004ROME00667 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED