C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 006908

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC IT FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE/UNSC VOTE: NO BENEFIT TO PRESSURE ON ITALY,
CYPRUS

REF: A. STATE 175070 B. 10/19 ROSENBLATT-ALLEGRONE

E-MAIL

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah B. Rosenblatt. Reas
ons 1.4b,d


1. (C) Poloff contacted MFA IO PDAS-Equivalent Marc
Giacomini in absence of IO A/S-Equivalent Sylvie Berman, who
had earlier discussed the Italian abstention with Political
Minister-Counselor (ref B). Giacomini relayed that the
Italian delegation in New York, in response to a French
approach, had confirmed there would be no shift in position
due to the presence in the somewhat fragile Prodi coalition
government of "hard-Leftist" elements with historical ties to
Venezuela. To poloff's comment regretting the Italian
deviation from the overall EU trend, Giacomini remarked that
there was no precedent for a common EU position on Security
Council elections, hence a limit to what pressure would be
appropriate. France had relayed to the Italians, according
to Berman's discussion with Political M/C, that the Italian
stake in joining an effective SC should be decisive.


2. (C) Giacomini raised Cyprus and its concerns about
Guatemalan ties to Taiwan as an entity that was a negative
potential model for the Northern Cyprus enclave. An informal
French approach to Cyprus met with the rebuke that it was
easy for others to discount these anxieties, since they had
no territory at stake in the matter.


Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
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