IRAQ: ITALY NOT ABLE TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000029 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2015 TAGS: PREL PROP PHUM IZ IT IRAQI ELECTIONS SUBJECT: IRAQ: ITALY NOT ABLE TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL MISSION FOR ELECTIONS REF: A. STATE 04 274965 ¶B. ROME 4796 Classified By: Acting Pol M/C Jonathan Cohen for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ) ¶1. (C) Poloff spoke with MFA Iraq officer Daniano Francovigh (speaking on behalf of Iraq Office Director and Task Force Director Luigi Maccotta) on January 4 regarding Ref A demarche. Francovigh said that because of time and financial restraints, Italy will not be able to support the IMIE for Iraq's January elections. Italy's six-month funding decree for its operations in Iraq expired December 31 and has yet to be renewed (although he expected parliament to pass it either this week or next). New funds probably will not be available before the January 30 elections, which means Italy will not be able to provide either financial support or personnel to the IMIE. ¶2. (C) Francovigh stressed, however, that Italy has already made a significant contribution to election support. In December it sponsored a three-week training course in Amman for approximately 90 members of Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission and polling officers. The course, which cost Italy approximately two million Euro (which Francovigh said was part of Italy's 200 million Euro Madrid pledge),was held in close coordination with UNAMI and the Iraqi Independent Electoral Commission, and was part of the electoral-assistance contribution to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI),cluster 11 account (Ref B). In addition, Francovigh said that Italy will send three of ten EU observers to Iraq and Jordan for the upcoming elections. BAGHDAD MINIMIZE CONSIDERED SEMBLER NNNN 2005ROME00029 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL