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


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2005ROME00029 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL