ITALY: AMBASSADOR'S LUNCH WITH CENTER-RIGHT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003290

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV EFIN IT ITALY NATIONAL ELECTIONS ITALIAN POLITICS
SUBJECT: ITALY: AMBASSADOR'S LUNCH WITH CENTER-RIGHT
SENATORS

REF: ROME 3276

Classified By: Ambassador Ronald Spogli for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Ambassador met September 28 with the four
center-right Senate caucus chairmen. They discussed the
evolution of the Northern League as a responsible coalition
partner, and the Christian Democrats of the Center (UCD)
senator spoke positively about "devolution." All were
relatively concerned about their chances of winning next
year's general elections, saying the Euro had hurt the
typical Italian's purchasing power. The Forza Italia (FI)
senator said the electoral debate has to be about "values"
for the center-right to win. They expressed concern about
rising anti-Americanism in Europe and worried openly about
probable center-left candidate Romano Prodi's EU-centric
perspective. They said the U.S. must help the center-right
in Europe in order to act as a counterbalance to this
anti-Americanism. They believe Italy is positioned on the
frontier of the battle against extremist Islam and encouraged
us to work with them as such. The FI senator spoke
approvingly of the Broader Middle East and North Africa
(BMENA) initiative. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) The Ambassador hosted lunch September 28 for the
Senate Caucus Chairmen from the Center-Right coalition.
Renato Schifiani (Forza Italia),Domenico Nania (National
Alliance),Ettore Pirovano (Northern League) and Francesco
D'Onofrio (Christian Democrats of the Center) attended. The
Ambassador was accompanied by Political Minister Counselor,
Poloff and POL FSN.

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THE NORTHERN LEAGUE, DEVOLUTION AND A SINGLE PARTY
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3. (C) D'Onofrio opened the conversation by praising the
constructive approach that the Northern League has taken to
working in the legislature. He noted "la Lega" is not really
a party, but rather a movement that began by calling for
separation of the North from the rest of Italy. He said the
Lega leadership has transformed itself and worked responsibly
as a member of the government and that the other coalition
partners understand the Lega needs to "exaggerate and scream
loudly" periodically in order to reassure its base. Pirovano
thanked his colleague and freely admitted that the Lega
sometimes needs to reassure "racist" elements of its
electorate. Both Pirovano and D'Onofrio agreed that a single
center-right party would be difficult for the Lega to accept
since it has a regional base.


4. (C) D'Onofrio, who is from the southern city of Salerno,
commented that his view on the Lega and "devolution" might
differ from that of his party. However, he said he does not
see devolution as a threat to the interests of the South. He
described Italy as a relatively new democracy and often
parochial. The Italian State historically centralized power
in Rome as a way to unify Italy as a country. Devolution, or
an Italian version of federalism, would never resemble
federalism in the United States, but the regions would gain
more authorities as a result of the Lega's proposal.

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ELECTIONS, VALUES, AND THE POLITICAL CIRCUS
--------------


5. (C) The four Senators were generally pessimistic about the
center-right's chances of being re-elected in next spring's
general elections. Schifiani painted the bravest face,
saying he thought Berlusconi could still win. He said the
the average Italian's purchasing power has declined during
the Berlusconi administration because of slow economic
growth, but especially because of the introduction of the
Euro. The center-left will constantly repeat the "fourth
week" refrain, the expression used locally to refer to the
fact that families do not have enough income to cover
expenses through the fourth week of each month.


6. (C) Schifiani said the center-right would have to run a
"values-based" campaign and that the center-left was out of
sync with the values of the typical Italian, who does not
favor homosexual unions (PACs) and other "Zapatero social
policies." Pirovano agreed, but said the center-right has not
been able to capitalize on the opportunity the PACs issue has
offered because of coalition infighting, which has dominated
the press in recent weeks. Looking at D'Onofrio, Pirovano
said, "If we want to win on values we need to stop pushing
for electoral reform." Schifiani quickly dismissed electoral
reform as something that will not happen. D'Onofrio, whose
UDC party most strongly supports electoral reform, had
earlier spoken positively and optimistically about the
proposed legislation.


7. (C) Schifiani said the recently introduced federal budget
is an attempt to blunt the effects of the Italian's loss of
purchasing power. He said the government had no choice but
to introduce a "social" budget. He then defended that tactic
by stating the center-left would have introduced an even more
political budget were they in power.

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ANTI-AMERICANISM, THE EUROPEAN LEFT AND PRODI
--------------


8. (C) All four senators were disturbed by what they
perceived as growing anti-Americanism in Europe, which has
found a political home in the European left. Both Nania and
Schifiani believed that with the collapse of communism, and
the collapse of Washington-Moscow tensions, a new tension has
arisen between Washington and Europe. Nania said social
democracy has replaced communism as a competitive philosophy
to U.S-style capitalism and its accompanying values. They
strongly encouraged us to work with the European center-right
to counter growing anti-American sentiment.


9. (C) D'Onofrio said that probable center-left candidate
Romano Prodi had returned EU-centric from five years as
European Commission President. Schifiani added that Prodi
had moved to the left, as well. Under Berlusconi, Italy had
for the first time developed an independent foreign policy.
They spoke proudly of Italy's term as EU President and its
positive role in the Arab-Israeli peace process. They feared
Prodi would subordinate Italy's interests to those of the EU.

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WORKING IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
--------------


10. (C) Describing Iraq as an issue that polarized popular
opposition to U.S. policies in Europe, the Middle East, and
North Africa, the senators said the U.S. should use Italy as
a tool to reach the Arab world. They said that whereas
Germany stood on the frontier of the West during the Cold
War, Italy, with its strategic position in the Mediterranean,
is the new frontier in the battle against Islamic extremism.
Referring specifically to the Broader Middle East and North
Africa (BMENA) initiative, Schifiani said Italy should be a
close ally in that effort. The senators added that the
European center-right needs to show their publics that being
pro-American means more than doing what the U.S wants; that
it also means engaging positively on shared values of
democracy and development.


11. COMMENT: The Senators' pessimistic tone reflected
comments made earlier in the day by Senate President Marcello
Pera (REFTEL). Like Pera, they consistently referred to the
need for the U.S. to do something in Europe to help the
center-right. END COMMENT.
SPOGLI


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2005ROME03290 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL