Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ROME1859
2005-06-01 09:45:00
SECRET
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

UNDER SECRETARY BURNS' MAY 13 DISCUSSIONS IN ROME

Tags:  PREL MOPS SY LE AF SR IT EUN BI 
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S E C R E T ROME 001859 

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2015
TAGS: PREL MOPS SY LE AF SR IT EUN BI
SUBJECT: UNDER SECRETARY BURNS' MAY 13 DISCUSSIONS IN ROME

REF: A. ROME 1529

B. ROME 1507

Classified By: DCM Emil Skodon for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

S E C R E T ROME 001859

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2015
TAGS: PREL MOPS SY LE AF SR IT EUN BI
SUBJECT: UNDER SECRETARY BURNS' MAY 13 DISCUSSIONS IN ROME

REF: A. ROME 1529

B. ROME 1507

Classified By: DCM Emil Skodon for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Under Secretary of State for Political
Affairs Burns exchanged views with senior Italian Foreign
Ministry officials on UN Security Council reform, the
Balkans, Afghanistan, Syria/Lebanon, Darfur, and Iran during
his May 13 stopover in Rome. On most issues, Italian
positions were generally in tune with United States views,
with the glaring exception of Syria, from which senior MFA
officials had just returned. The Italians opened the meeting
with their most pressing concern, UNSC reform. Surprisingly,
however, Iraq was not on their agenda, although it was the
major focus of the press roundtable that U/S Burns hosted
later in the day. End summary.


2. (SBU) U/S Burns' May 13 discussions with senior MFA
officials focused on UN Reform, Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan,
Syria, Darfur, and Iran. MFA Political Director Giulio Terzi
hosted the discussions, accompanied by his deputy, Claudio
Bisogniero; DG for Europe Giovanni Caracciolo; DG for
European Integration, Ferdinando Nelli Feroci; Director for
EU and CFSP Luigi Mattiolo; Vice DG for the Mediterranean
Luca Del Balzo; Vice DG for Asia Alessandro Cevese; and G-8
Office Director Giampaolo Cantini. The U.S. delegation also
included Ambassador Sembler, Pol M/C, visiting EUR/WE Office
Director Allegrone, Pol-Mil Counselor, P Special Assistant,
and PolOff (notetaker).

UN Reform
--------------


3. (C) Terzi opened the meeting with UN Security Council
reform, calling the issue a concern of importance to Italian
foreign policy and European policy and integration. Terzi
said Italian officials had discussed the G-4 framework
resolution and the United for Consensus movement with Kofi
Annan's facilitators two days earlier in New York. He said
Italy understands the US position on Japan, but warned that
any additional enlargement of the Security Council would be
very negative in terms of both effectiveness and political
balance. Italy is concerned by recent declarations by
members of the G-4 community (the German and Indian PermReps)

calling for an enlargement of the P-5 to P-11 as a means of
diluting or counterbalancing the P-5 structure.


4. (C) U/S Burns assured Terzi that there is great
recognition, from President Bush on down, on the US'
responsibility to the UN. The purpose of reform should be to
strengthen the UN, and the US supports many of Kofi Annan's
proposals, such as rebuilding the UN's peacekeeping capacity,
abolishing the Committee on Human Rights as currently
structured in Geneva, and financial reforms. Regarding UNSC
reform, he emphasized that the US standard is effectiveness.
While the US has decided to support Japan and hopes that a
decision on Japan will be taken before September, we have not
taken any decisions on whether to support other candidates.
However, the US is listening closely and will consult with
Italy, one of our closest allies on the continent, prior to
announcing any decision. He said the US will decide on the
G-4 proposal to set the stage before it gathers too much
steam. Eliminating the UNSC veto is a non-starter for the
US, he said, and the President will decide the US position on
this important issue.


5. (C) U/S Burns also stressed the need to support
development, noting that, because NGOs and corporations
contribute as much as the USG, the US does not get credit for
all that Americans do. USG aid to Africa has quadrupled, and
US aid worldwide has doubled, but on paper the US still does
not make the 0.7 percent target because other types of aid
are not included. A better measurement would be to
incorporate what each country's public and private sectors

do.

Balkans
--------------


6. (C) Turning to the Balkans, Terzi, citing the Quint's
discussion the previous day, said we must stick to the
schedule in Kosovo. Carracciolo continued saying that Italy
has been very active, especially since DAS Stephens' visit
(Ref A),and is fine-tuning its position with other Contact
Group members. It is important to keep Belgrade in the
process, he said, a view that increasingly is shared by the
US and the Contact Group. Handing U/S Burns a copy of an
Italian proposal on the way forward (faxed to EUR/SCE),
Carracciolo said that we need a "Road Map" for Kosovo,
including more substantial demarches on issues like
institutions (like those created for Bosnia in the Bonn
Powers),military involvement (i.e., role of NATO),and the
economy, where he cited budget autonomy as a possible first
concession to Kosovar authorities in term of sovereignty.
Italy is very sensitive to decentralization, noting the need
to guarantee the security of the Kosovo-Serb minority.


7. (C) On Bosnia, Terzi said it is up to the Bosnian Serbs to
show flexibility now. Europe's strategy is to transfer the
successful Central European model to the former Yugoslav
republics by offering the prospects of EU accession. So far,
the results are not completely satisfactory, but it is still
the right approach. Again, a Road Map with conditions and
concrete incentives such as the Stabilization and Association
Agreements or the prospect of accession would be a useful
tool. There are two elements of uncertainty to this
approach, however: 1) enlargement fatigue (evident in the
upcoming French referendum on the EU constitution); and 2)
the performance of the countries in the region themselves.
Carracciolo added that the prospect of Partnership for Peace
cooperation was also an important incentive.


8. (C) U/S Burns noted that the Contact Group would meet
again in June, on the margins of the G-8 Summit and that he
would be testifying soon before Congress on the Balkans and
traveling to the region in early June to present a renewed
articulation of US policy. He said the US believes a senior
European political figure should lead the final status talks.
Agreeing with the need to stick to the schedule, U/S Burns
noted that KFOR has been strengthened since 2004, most
caveats have been lifted, and Gen. Jones wants to transform
the mission into task force configurations. U/S Burns asked
the Italians to be flexible and listen to Gen. Jones, with a
focus on effectiveness.


9. (C) Turning briefly to PIFWCs, U/S Burns said Serbia and
Croatia could entertain no hope of membership in NATO's
Partnership for Peace until they cooperated on this front,
although Serbia had turned in some important alleged war
criminals and may be considering turning over Mladic. Burns
urged Italy to help keep pressure on the Serbs until Mladic
and Karadzic are turned over.

Afghanistan
--------------


10. (C) Terzi stressed Italy's commitment in Afghanistan,
noting that the Italians took command of the Herat Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) on March 31. (Terzi gave U/S Burns
a copy of the presentation on the Herat PRT recently given at
NATO by Italian officials.) Italy is leading the justice
reform efforts, where it is important to empower the Afghan
government, he said, but emphasized that the links between
issues like security and narcotics-trafficking make it
necessary to look at the reform package as a whole.
Referencing the June 20-21 donor conference in London, Terzi
asked how we can promote better coordination and asked for US
support for better links between security, drug, and judicial
issues.


11. (C) U/S Burns thanked Italy for its work in Herat and
said the US would look at the suggested G-8 language. As of
this summer, NATO will be in north, south, and west
Afghanistan. The planned OEF-ISAF intergration, he said,
makes it necessary to link various sectors, and this will be
a good topic for G-8 discussions. When the merger does
occur, it will be necessary to eliminate as many caveats as
possible, and it might be useful to distinguish between
combat and peacekeeping forces.

Syria/Lebanon
--------------


12. (C) Deputy DG for the Middle East Luca Del Balzo opened
his remarks by summarizing the recent trip to Lebanon and
Syria (in which he took part) of Italian U/S for the Middle
East and Africa Alfredo Mantica. Del Balzo said the purpose
of the trip was twofold: 1) to make a first-hand assessment,
by meeting with all of the government and opposition parties,
of the situation in Lebanon in the run-up to elections, and
2) to send a loud and clear message to the Syrians on the
expectations of the international community, including the
need for free, democratic elections in Lebanon without any
foreign intervention. Del Balzo said the message was
well-received in Damascus. Noting that the EU intends to
monitor the Lebanese elections, he commented that without a
change in the electoral law, there would not be much change
in the Parliament's make-up. Indeed, he said, 90 - 100 MPs
out of a total of approximately 128 total could already be
predicted. Del Balzo also said that he asked the Syrians to
use the upcoming Baath party Congress to send a clear signal
on reforms, such as free market and democratic reforms, that
would help Syria move towards signing an Association
Agreement with the EU.


13. (C) U/S Burns responded in very clear terms that this is
not the time to be meeting with the Syrians or signing an
Association Agreement; the US agrees with the UNSYG and
Special Representative Roed-Larsen that this is not the time
to go back to "business as usual." Rather, we need to keep
isolating the Syrian regime to pressure it to make the
changes required under UNSCR 1559. In Iraq, Syria continues
to play a harmful role by not shutting major crossing points
that support travel of insurgents and by assisting Former
Regime Elements (FREs). The US wants to keep isolating the
Syrian government. Washington has no plans to return our
Ambassador to Damascus and Rome should reconsider meeting
with Syrian officials. In particular, he urged the Italians
not to receive FM Shara'a in Rome.


14. (C) On Lebanon, U/S Burns praised UNSYG Roed-Larsen's
excellent work and the major achievement of getting most of
the Syrians out. Hizbollah, a terrorist organization that is
responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans and that
we believe will never voluntarily change its stripes or
disarm, remains a challenge, but U/S Burns said that the
Lebanese will have to decide how to deal with it.


15. (C) Del Balzo reiterated the MFA's well-known position
that, because of Italy's historic and close relationships
with both Lebanon and Syria, the US should use Italy to pass
the right authoritative messages to Damascus. U/S Burns
countered that the Syrians misread such messages, even when
they come from the US, citing a previous "tough message"
visit by Secretary Powell that Damascus interpreted as a sign
that everything was fine. On the contrary, Syrian military
intelligence is still in Lebanon and Roed-Larsen has told the
US he will not certify Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon as
required under UNSCR 1559. The US, U/S Burns repeated, is in
sync with the UN on this issue.


16. (S) Following the MFA meeting, at a lunch hosted by PM
Berlusconi's Diplomatic Advisor (and Italian
Ambassador-Designate to Washington) Giovanni Castellaneta,

the Ambassador raised the issue of Italy's proposed sale of
an Air Defense Integrated System (ADIS) to Syria (Ref B) with
both Castellaneta and Finmeccanica CEO Pier Francesco
Guarguaglini, who was also present. Guarguaglini stated
unequivocally that Finmeccanica will not pursue the sale.

Darfur
--------------


17. (C) On Darfur, U/S Burns told the Italian officials that
the African Union (AU) chairman has asked the US for NATO's
help in providing command, planning, and lift support. Kofi
Annan has called Secretary Rice three times with similar
requests. The French, however, are blocking a NATO role and
lobbying Francophone countries to this end, based on the
"theological argument" that NATO troops should not get
involved in former colonies. Arguing that both the EU and
NATO can play useful roles, U/S Burns said that the
assistance the AU is requesting is what NATO does best,
whereas the EU has a comparative advantage in areas like
civilian policing capabilities, and that it is ridiculous to
allow thousands of people to starve because of a theological
debate over NATO's role. U/S Burns asked Italy to help
encourage the French to stop blocking this effort. (Note. The
MFA's Deputy NATO Office later called PolOff to report that,
following the meeting, Italy's PermRep to NATO discussed the
issue with his French counterpart in Brussels, and that
things are now "on the right path." End note.)

Iran/IAEA
--------------


18. (C) Lack of time precluded a full discussion of Iran, but
U/S Burns told his interlocutors that the US fully supports
the EU-3 effort. He warned, however, that if Iran resumes
uranium conversion at Isfahan, the issue must be brought
before the IAEA for referral to the UNSC. Terzi responded
that Italy recently demarched Iran at the NPT RevCon in New
York on Iran's recent statement that it would resume
processing, and expressed Rome's serious concern.


19. (U) U/S Burns has cleared this cable.

SEMBLER


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2005ROME01859 - Classification: SECRET