ITALY: FUNDS FOR MILITARY MISSIONS ABROAD APPROVED

UNCLAS ROME 000969 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR PREL PGOV MOPS EAID MCAP IZ IT IRAQI FREEDOM SUBJECT: ITALY: FUNDS FOR MILITARY MISSIONS ABROAD APPROVED REFTELS: (A) ROME 638, (B) ROME 936 ¶1. AS EXPECTED, THE ITALIAN CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES MARCH 10 APPROVED EXTENDING UNTIL JUNE 30, 2004, FUNDING FOR ITALY'S PARTICIPATION IN ALL ITS MILITARY MISSIONS ABROAD, INCLUDING IRAQ (REF. B). THE CHAMBER DID NOT MAKE ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE TEXT THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE SENATE ON FEBRUARY 18 (REF. A). THE VOTE IS THEREFORE FINAL AND THE DECREE IS NOW LAW. ¶2. THE CENTER-RIGHT GOVERNING MAJORITY VOTED IN FAVOR (281 AYES),WHILE THE CENTER-LEFT SPLIT IN THREE CHUNKS. THE NAYS WERE 64, AND INCLUDED THE GREENS, COMMUNIST RENEWAL (RC),AND THE ITALIAN COMMUNISTS (PDCI),AS WELL AS 39 FROM THE LEADING OPPOSITION DEMOCRATS OF THE LEFT (DS) -- MORE THAN JUST THE DS' LEFT-WING "CORRENTONE" -- AND ONE FROM THE DAISY. TWELVE CENTER-LEFT PARLIAMENTARIANS FROM MASTELLA'S UNION OF DEMOCRATS FOR EUROPE (UDEUR) AND FROM LOCAL AUTONOMY PARTIES ABSTAINED. THE REST OF THE DS, TOGETHER WITH THE ITALIAN SOCIALISTS (SDI),AND THE BULK OF DAISY PARTY MEMBERS DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE VOTE. ¶3. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE SESSION CHAMBER PRESIDENT CASINI EXPRESSED THE CHAMBER'S HEART-FELT THANKS TO THE MILITARY DEPLOYED ABROAD AND THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY UNDERSCORED HIS WORDS WITH APPLAUSE. THIS NOTWITHSTANDING, MOD UNDER SECRETARY CICU REGRETTED PARLIAMENT WAS NOT UNITED BEHIND THE TROOPS AND MOD MARTINO REMARKED THAT THE DIVISIONS WITHIN THE OPPOSITION AND ITS LACK OF SUPPORT FOR THE TROOPS WERE A "DARK PAGE" FOR ITALY'S DEMOCRACY. GREENS LEADER PECORARO SCANIO SAID INSTEAD THAT THE "DARK PAGE" WAS THE LACK OF UNITY WITHIN THE CENTER-LEFT. GINO STRADA, A PACIFIST ICON IN ITALY AND CHIEF OF THE NGO "EMERGENCY," COMMENTED THAT THOSE WHO DID NOT VOTE AGAINST WERE "POLITICAL DELINQUENTS," CAUSING DS LEADER FASSINO -- ALREADY IRRITATED BY HIS COALITIONS' DIVISIONS -- TO SEND HIM "TO HELL." ¶4. CPA BAGHDAD MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. SEMBLER NNNN 2004ROME00969 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED