IRAQ/ITALY: PARLIAMENT APPROVES FUNDING FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000919

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2015
TAGS: PGOV MOPS MARR IT IZ IRAQI FREEDOM AFGHANISTAN
SUBJECT: IRAQ/ITALY: PARLIAMENT APPROVES FUNDING FOR
ITALY'S MILITARY MISSIONS ABROAD, INCLUDING IN IRAQ

REF: A. ROME 537

B. ROME 902

C. ROME 886

Classified By: POL MINCOUNS THOMAS COUNTRYMAN,
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: On March 15, the Italian Chamber of
Deputies gave final approval to extend through June 30
funding for Italy's military mission in Iraq. We expect
funding to be extended for the July-December period without
difficulty, given the size of the Government's majority. The
subsequent vote, to extend funding for January-July 2006,
will be less predictable, given national elections in spring
of that year. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On March 15, the Italian Chamber of Deputies gave
final approval to extend funding for all of Italy's military
missions abroad, including, in a separate vote, its mission
to Iraq. The Senate passed these measures in February (Ref
A). This vote authorizes funding for the period January
1-June 30, 2005; funding for overseas military missions is
always extended in six-month increments. Procedurally, the
government authorizes funding by decree early in a period,
and the decree must then be approved by Parliament within 60
days. This explains why the decree funding the current
period was not approved until now. Total funding approved
for Italy's Iraq mission was just under 18.8 million Euro.
Center-right governing coalition parties were joined by the
small Union of Democrats for Europe (UDEUR),nominally with
the left, in passing the Iraq funding. That measure received
a total vote of 246 in favor, 180 against, with eight
abstentions.


3. (U) The Chamber also considered two non-binding
recommendations. The first, sponsored by governing coalition
partner Union of Christian Democrats of the Center (UDC),
urged the Government to enhance the EU's "united commitment"
toward the constitutional process in Iraq and the role of the
UN and to promote an international conference on Iraq based
on the model of the November 2004 Sharm-al Sheik Conference.
The resolution also urged the Government to "define the
procedures and timetable for the return of the Italian
contingent in Iraq, within the framework of decisions that
will be adopted in the UN Security Council and together with
the Iraqi authorities, for the gradual withdrawal of foreign
military troops from Iraq." There were 218 votes in favor of
the resolution, 26 against, 25 abstentions. (Note: All
votes took place before PM Berlusconi's televised remarks
concerning a possible Italian troop withdrawal beginning in
September, Refs B and C.) The center-left Democrats of the
Left (DS) and Daisy parties did not participate in the vote,
a tactical maneuver which lessens the number of votes needed
for a majority and is more supportive then voting against a
measure.


4. (SBU) The Italian Communist Party (PdCI) presented the
second non-binding resolution before the Chamber of Deputies,
urging the Government to "assess the opportuneness of
deciding the withdrawal of the Italian military contingent in
Iraq," given the "extremely tragic characteristics" of
developments there (including, but not limited to, the
killing of Italian intelligence office Nicola Calipari) and
the "spiral of violence" spreading in the Middle East. As
with similar motions during previous debates on extending
funding for the Iraq mission, the Chamber voted down the PdCI
resolution by 229 against, 15 for, and 20 abstentions, with
DS and Daisy again not participating. (The call for
withdrawal of troops consistently splits the opposition.
While they have found ways to justify a vote against funding,
even in the wake of the successful January elections in Iraq,
more centrist members of the left acknowledge that a
withdrawal of troops would be disastrous for the Iraqi
people.) In the same television show in which Berlusconi
later made his announcement of a possible Italian troop
drawdown, the Prime Minister praised the opposition's
"responsible" stance in Parliament.


5. (C) COMMENT: The opposition was shocked by Berlusconi's
May 15 remarks, interpreted as a promise to withdraw Italian
troops in September, in part because they came on television,
not in Parliament, on a day which had witnessed a fairly
unacrimonious vote on the Italian troop presence in Iraq.
"Had Berlusconi said in Parliament what he said on
(television)," Daisy leader Francesco Rutelli told


journalists, "It would have been different. ... We would, for
example, have voted in favor of a motion indicating an exit
strategy from Iraq," Rutelli added, suggesting his party
might have voted with the majority. The PM's March 17
clarifications of his statement (see March 17 entry on Rome's
Siprnet site),which urged the media to review his exact
words on the program, further confounded the opposition,
according to most analysts. It has been an intriguing bit of
electoral politicking by Berlusconi.


6. (C) Looking ahead, we do not foresee difficulties for
the Government when the time comes to renew funding for the
Iraqi mission for the July-December period this year. As
with all funding votes since Italy began participating in
Iraqi reconstruction, we expect the Government's majority to
hold fast and the left to vote against, with few, if any,
splinters on either side. The subsequent vote to renew
funding for January-July 2006 becomes more problematic for
governing coalition partners. The national election campaign
will be close to full swing and there will be increasing
pressure on politicians to respond to the majority of the
Italian public that opposes the country's military presence
in Iraq. END COMMENT.


7. (U) Minimize considered, Embassy Baghdad.

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2005ROME00919 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL