ITALY SUPPORTS FMCT BUT NOTES CHALLENGES AHEAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001737 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/MNSA; GENEVA FOR CD; USUN FOR POL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2016 TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM PREL IT SUBJECT: ITALY SUPPORTS FMCT BUT NOTES CHALLENGES AHEAD REF: SECSTATE 92033 Classified By: Acting Political Minister-Counselor Jonathan Cohen for R easons 1.4 (a),(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered ref demarche and background materials on June 8 to Paolo Cuculi, from the MFA's Disarmament and Non-proliferation office. Cuculi took on board ref points and readily acknowledged that the Italian position fully supports the US draft text for achieving an FMCT. Ambassador Trezza in Geneva made supportive statements on the draft and noted that Italy subscribes to the EU Common Position outlined by Austrian Ambassador Reiterer. Cuculi said that the key is to start discussions and allow the details to flesh themselves out. He noted that the EU and the US have different views on the issue of verification but that this should not be an obstacle to begin negotiations. ¶2. (C) After presenting the official Italian position, Cuculi (please strictly protect) offered his personal view of the draft proposal. He said that convincing a variety of CD member states to adopt the draft will be a hard sell because many view this proposal as a way for the US to push its own agenda at the CD without considering other member states' concerns. For many, Cuculi said, an FMCT is a secondary priority -- they have other issues that they consider important and want to table. These member states may try to argue that the CD was never intended to be a "single issue" organization and that the US is not committed to reaching an agreement when it proposes that other issues be shelved in favor of negotiating one that the USG considers predominant. ¶3. (C) Nevertheless, Cuculi offered that he personally remains hopeful and thought that the US proposal was perhaps the type of bold move the CD needed to shake things up. Italy would try to help where it could to kick-start negotiations. ¶4. (C) Biographic note: Cuculi is a longstanding Embassy contact who is headed to New York this summer for a tour with Italy's UN mission. He has worked non-proliferation and disarmament issues at the MFA for several years and will continue to follow similar issues from New York. Cuculi is always welcoming, affable, and candid when speaking to us, as the comments above demonstrate. (He speaks English fluently.) We encourage USUN to seek him out as an interlocutor. SPOGLI