ITALY TRANSPORT MINISTER LAMENTS POOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 003978

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DOT FOR EDDIE CARAZO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELTN EWWT EAIR OTRA IT ITALIAN POLITICS
SUBJECT: ITALY TRANSPORT MINISTER LAMENTS POOR
INFRASTRUCTURE, MESSINA BRIDGE "NOW A REALITY"

Sensitive but Unclassified, not for public distribution, not
for Internet publication.


1. (SBU) Summary: In an introductory courtesy call with the
Ambassador, Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport
Pietro Lunardi criticized the poor state of Italy's
infrastructure, and said the situation was holding back
Italy's tourism industry. Lunardi was pleased with
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta's attendance at the
November EU road safety ministerial. The Minister also
pledge his continued support for port security and the
Megaports program, though he said he had limited ability to
push Megaports forward on his own. Lunardi reiterated his
determination to move forward with the Messina Strait bridge
and the Venice subway projects. He expressed concern,
however, that a victory by the center-left in 2006 would lead
to cuts in needed infrastructure programs. End summary.

Lack of Infrastructure Holding Tourism Back
--------------


2. (SBU) The Ambassador paid a courtesy call November 29 on
Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Pietro Lunardi.
Lunardi opened the meeting by explaining that, while the
importance of the tourism industry to Italy is well
recognized, the link between infrastructure and tourism is
not always appreciated. Italy is a "country of museums and
gardens," Lunardi said, but Italy is doing a poor job of
exploiting its unique attractions. The transport network
functions poorly "both for us and for tourists." He said
many of Italy's best tourist and archeological sites are not
easily accessible by freeways and visitors are often forced
to navigate tiny roads. Better road infrastructure is
especially important for attracting more cruise ships.
Cruise passengers, he said, must be able to move quickly from
ports to sites inland and back again. Syracuse in Sicily,
for example, has some of the best archeological sites in
Italy, he observed, yet the port is "a disaster." Similar
infrastructure problems are also affecting Sardinia, Lunardi
added.

Pleased With Secretary Mineta's Visit
--------------


3. (U) Lunardi expressed great satisfaction with the November
visit by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. He said he
was pleasantly surprised when Mineta accepted his invitation
to attend the EU road safety ministerial in Verona, Italy.
The conference, Lunardi explained, was proposed during the
Italian presidency of the EU and is now an annual event.
Thirty eight transport minister attended the 2005 meeting.


4. (U) Road safety, Lunardi continued, is key for Italy and
for the EU, where 160 people die each day in vehicle
accidents. Lunardi commented that half of road deaths in
Italy involve motorcyclists; and he said Italy should
consider adopting a more strict, U.S.-style licensing system
for motorcycle riders. An important topic of conversation at
the Verona conference was the need for European Member States
to start educating children at a young age about traffic
safety.

Port Security
--------------


5. (SBU) The Ambassador asked Lunardi how to move forward
with the Department of Energy's Megaports program. (Note:
Megaports has made little headway in Italy, primarily because
the Prime Minister's office has failed for well over a year
to name a lead Italian agency. End note.) While obviously
not very familiar with Megaports, Lunardi expressed support
for the program, but said he could not move forward without
consulting the rest of the government. Lunardi's chief
secretary, Giovanni Paolo Gaspari, and his diplomatic

SIPDIS
advisor, Emilio Maraini, interjected that many agencies have
a hand in Italian port security issues, including the
Ministries of Transport, Interior, and (via control of the
customs service and financial police) Finance. Lunardi
suggested that the Ambassador could perhaps host a meeting
with the key GOI players to discuss a way forward.


6. (SBU) On other transport issues, Lunardi commented that
the Container Security Initiative (CSI) was functioning well
and that Italy is ahead of other EU members in implementing
the program. Lunardi also mentioned recent airport security
issues--namely, Italy's implementation of the TSA
no-fly/selectee list--that raised privacy concerns at the EU
level. Maraini stated that Italy had found an interim
solution to implement USG data-sharing requirements and that
this was functioning well.

Messina Bridge and Venice Subway
--------------


7. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that the GOI had provisionally
awarded the project management contract for the Messina
Strait Bridge to the U.S. engineering firm Parsons. (Note:
This has not been announced publicly, pending a final review
of documents submitted by Parsons. End note.) Lunardi
expressed satisfaction that the GOI has succeeded in moving
the Messina bridge project forward after decades of
discussions. "It is now a reality," Lunardi pronounced.


8. (SBU) Lunardi also spoke at length about the proposed
Venice subway project. He outlined his vision for a
high-speed rail line from Turin that would link to the Venice
regional subway system and Venice's Marco Polo airport.
However, Lunardi also expressed concern that the subway plan,
along with other key infrastructure projects championed by
the current center-right government, would be in jeopardy,
should the center-left win the 2006 general elections.

Bio Note
--------------


9. (SBU) Pietro Lunardi is a political independent and does
not hold a seat in the Italian Chamber of Deputies. He is an
engineer by training and in the early 1980s founded his own
company, Rocksoil, Spa, that specializes in tunneling and
underground construction. His enthusiasm for the Venice
subway proposal can be explained, in part, by his extensive
professional experience working on underground metro projects
around the world. He is head of the Italian Tunnel Society
and gained public prominence through his membership on
several government panels and committees, including one
formed to investigate the 1999 Mont Blanc tunnel fire.

SPOGLI