ITALIANS RESPOND FOR EGF ON HAITIAN DEPLOYMENT

UNCLAS ROME 004116 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR PREL KPKO HA IT EUN SUBJECT: ITALIANS RESPOND FOR EGF ON HAITIAN DEPLOYMENT REQUEST REF: A. ROME 03796 ¶B. STATE 206172 ¶1. Following on Rome's initial response (Ref A) to the request for a European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) deployment in advance of the Haitian elections (Ref B),Italy, as current president, has provided a letter to Embassy Rome on behalf of the EGF affirming that the force is not yet fully operational. Text of letter follows. Dear Minister, I refer to the United States of America's Embassies' demarches recently made in The Hague, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Rome - as capitals of the five European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) participating countries - aimed at exploring the possibility of a deployment of an EGF force to reinforce the UN stabilization mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) during the election period. As President of CIMIN, the decisional EGF body which is presently under Italian Presidency, and after consulting with all the partners of the EGF initiative, I wish to express our deep appreciation for the interest shown, through this request by the United States of America towards the European achievements in the field of crisis management and in particular toward this new European police force. As it has been clarified during the abovementioned demarches - although already constituted as a force, with a permanent HQ, located at Vicenza (Italy) - EGF has not yet achieved full operational capability and several further steps have to be conducted before envisaging its deployment abroad. On behalf of the five countries represented in CIMIN, I wish to renew the appreciation for the interest shown in this matter and reassure you of our readiness to have further discussions on the progress of the EGF. Sincerely Yours, Giacomo Sanfelice Deputy Director General for Political and Multilateral Affairs End Text. SPOGLI