ITALY SUPPORTS EXTENSION OF CW DESTRUCTION DEADLINE

UNCLAS ROME 001466 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL IT CWC SUBJECT: ITALY SUPPORTS EXTENSION OF CW DESTRUCTION DEADLINE REF: STATE 62850 ¶1. (SBU) Poloff on May 10 received a response to Ref demarche from Giulio Picheca, director of the MFA's Disarmament Office. Picheca said Italy understands the rationale for the USG request and noted that there were other countries, such as Japan, in similar circumstances. Picheca said his office has spoken to the Italian delegations at The Hague and the EU, communicating to them that the GOI would support the US request to extend the CW destruction deadline to 2012. Asked about other help the GOI could provide, Picheca said Italy would help lobby others to approve the extension even though he expected some countries, such as Libya, to raise objections. ¶2. (SBU) Asked about a possible extension beyond 2012, Picheca said the GOI would consider such a request when or if it is formalized. Right now such an extension is notional and the GOI cannot comment. Nevertheless, Picheca said the GOI takes note of that possibility and will consider it in the appropriate context. In this regard, he said the fact that the US is taking seriously its responsibilities to destroy the world's second-largest CW stockpile and the spirit of transparency with which the USG is approaching these requests will have significant sway on GOI decisionmaking. SPOGLI