ITALIANS WELCOME LEAD ROLE IN EU MISSION AT RAFAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ROME 003827

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2015
TAGS: PREL XF IT EUN
SUBJECT: ITALIANS WELCOME LEAD ROLE IN EU MISSION AT RAFAH

Classified By: POL M/C David Pearce for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. NEA DAS Elizabeth Dibble held consultations
with senior GOI officials on Middle East issues November 15.
The GOI officials welcomed the recent agreement between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority on reopening the Rafah
crossing and noted that an Italian general would lead the EU
monitoring mission at Rafah. The officials said Syria should
change its behavior, but they did not want to see an internal
power struggle bringing the Muslim Brotherhood to power.
Dibble stressed that Syria must cooperate on Iraq, ending its
support for Palestinian rejectionist groups, and Lebanon, as
well as the Mehlis investigation. On Palestinian elections,
the GOI officials felt Hamas had no positive agenda and was
not ready to govern. Dibble said Hams must choose: violence
was incompatible with participation in the political process.
End summary.

Italy to Lead EU Mission in Rafah
--------------


2. (SBU) NEA DAS Dibble met with PM Berlusconi Diplomatic
Advisors (Francesco Talo and Marco Carnelos) and with MFA
Middle East officials (Deputy Director General Luca Del
Balzo, BMENA Coordinator Sergio Scarantino, Acting Office
Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Luca Sorgi, and Desk
Officer for Syria and Lebanon Giorgia DeParolis) in separate
meetings on November 15.


3. (C) Dibble's visit coincided with the Secretary's
announcement of an "Agreement on Movement and Access" between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority. FM Fini hailed the
agreement, termed it a "turning point" and welcomed the EU
role. The GOI said an Italian, Italian Carabinieri General
Pietro Pistolese, had been selected to lead the EU monitoring
mission of the Rafah border crossing. General Pistolese is a
highly respected officer who was heading the Center for
Police Excellence and Stability (COESPU) in Vicenza. His
appointment is a gain for the EU Rafah mission. Text of FM
Fini's statement is reprinted in paragraph 15 below.


4. (C) Carnelos pointed out that historically Israel has not
trusted the EU on security issues. Talo added that the 2003
Italian EU Presidency marked a turning point in EU-Israel
relations when the EU, at Italy's prodding, designated Hamas
as a terrorist organization.

Dibble: Hamas Must Choose
--------------


5. (C) Both the Chigi and MFA officials, noting Italian press
reports on sharp disagreement between the Secretary and PM
Sharon over Hamas, asked for clarification. Dibble explained
that, as reflected in Quartet statements, there is an
inherent contradiction between participating in a democratic
process and maintaining the use of violence as a political
tool. However, this is a Palestinian process and the
Palestinians must decide who is eligible to participate in
their elections. If Hamas officials are elected, the
organization will have to choose which path it intends to
take. The U.S. position is that Hamas is a terrorist
organization and we will not meet with its members.


6. (C) Talo, citing Abu Mazen's argument during his recent
visit to Washington, speculated that participation in the
democratic process might induce Hamas to choose to lay down
its arms in an effort to gain support. He noted, however,
that Hamas was not ready to govern, since it has no positive
agenda to offer on a national level, would find it easier to
attack Israel from outside the government, and the
Palestinians themselves recognize that a Hamas government
would receive decreased international assistance.

Israeli Help with Palestinian Elections Key
--------------


7. (C) The MFA officials agreed that Israel needs to
cooperate with the Palestinians in the upcoming elections by
facilitating access to the West Bank and Gaza. Scarantino
noted that, paradoxically, if Israel doesn't facilitate
access in the West Bank, Hamas (which is stronger in Gaza)
would reap a high percentage of the votes. Dibble said
another issue was access in Jerusalem, without which the
election would not be considered valid in the eyes of the
Palestinians.

Italians Anxious about Syria
--------------


8. (C) The Chigi and MFA officials were also to eager to hear
Dibble's assessment of the situation in Syria. Dibble said
much depended on Mehlis' upcoming report to the Security
Council on Syrian cooperation with his investigation, but
Syria still needs to change its behavior in terms of
interference in Lebanon and Iraq and in providing support for
Palestinian rejectionist groups. Carnelos commented that the
ruling Alawites are in the minority and that for them
changing their behavior would be perceived as a sign of
weakness. This could lead to a power struggle, he said,
adding that his "nightmare" was the Muslim Brotherhood taking
control. Ultimately, he argued, it was more important that
the Syrians change their behavior in Iraq and Lebanon than
that they be punished for the Hariri assassination.


9. (C) Dibble countered that accountability was also
important. Syria must make measurable, not cosmetic changes.
The Lebanese deserved an answer on the Hariri killing, and
the perpetrators needed to be brought to justice. The
Syrians know what they need to do, she said, and the
international community should not tolerate horsetrading.
Carnelos opined that, depending on how far into the circle of
ruling elite the Mehlis investigation reaches, one
face-saving option for Asad would be to give up a sacrificial
lamb (presumably not a member of the innermost Asad family
circle) and then make changes on the other fronts.

10. (C) On Lebanon, Dibble reported progress on the economic
front, but general nervousness about Syrian reaction to UNSCR
1636 and uncertainty regarding the future of President Lahoud
in light of the Mehlis report's implications of his
involvement in the Hariri assassination. Hizbollah is also
still causing trouble, she added, emphasizing that U.S.
officials will not meet with any of its members. (Comment.
The Italian Ambassador in Lebanon did meet with Lebanese
Energy Minister Fneish, a member of Hizbollah, for which FM
Fini was sharply criticized by the Israelis during his
November 1 visit to Israel. End comment). Scarantino
responded that, unlike with Hamas, the EU had not yet taken a
formal decision on designating Hizbollah as a terrorist
organization, though Italy had pushed for one. Dibble said
she wished to take advantage of the opportunity to urge Italy
to keep pressing that the EU do so.

Forum for the Future: The Show Will Go On Without Egypt
-------------- --------------


11. (C) Scarantino, who did not attend the Forum for the
Future in Bahrain due to illness, said it was a pity that the
Forum failed to attain its main goal -- consensus on a
declaration of principles -- because of Egypt. Mubarak
wanted to maintain a bipolar situation pitting the government
against Islamists, leaving no other political option, whereas
the goal of BMENA was to help develop that middle ground.
Furthermore, he added, at the Democracy Assistance Dialogue
(DAD) meeting in Rabat it had already been decided, in
response to Egypt's concerns, that the Foundation would not
be allowed to finance political parties. Egypt's position
was especially regrettable, he commented, because all of the
other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, were on board.
However, he said it would be wrong to call the Forum a
failure, in light of the "great work" done in the areas of
education, literacy, democracy promotion, and advancing civil
society, as well as the increasing involvement and more
positive attitude of the Arab countries. The Foundation
would go ahead without Egypt, Scarantino said.


12. (U) Begin text of Foreign Ministry statement on Rafah
Agreement:

Minister Fini welcomes appointment of Major General Pietro
Pistolese

15 November 2005 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for
Foreign Affairs Gianfranco Fini has expressed his delight on
receiving news of the appointment by the Political and
Security Committee of the European Union, of Major General
Pietro Pistolese, who leads the Center of Excellence for
Stability Police Units, to head the European assistance
mission at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Minister Fini hailed the agreement reached today between
Israel and the National Palestinian Authority on the border
between Gaza and Egypt, saying that it marked a very
significant turning point in the ongoing peace progress.
The request advanced by both the Israeli and Palestinian
parties for the European Union to play a third-party role in
managing the border crossings had first been mooted by
Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and the President of the
Palestinian National Authority Abu Mazen during Minister
Fini's recent visit to Israel and the Palestinian
Territories. Minister Fini actively recommended the idea to
the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy, Javier Solana, and to his counterparts in
the EU Member States, who debated it in the Council on 7
November last, already reaching a positive stance at that
time.

End text.


13. (U) DAS Dibble has cleared this cable.
SPOGLI