ITALY SEES LITTLE TRACTION IN EU FOR MORATINOS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003016

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2116
TAGS: PREL XF IT SP
SUBJECT: ITALY SEES LITTLE TRACTION IN EU FOR MORATINOS
INITIATIVE

REF: MADRID 2776

Classified By: Pol M/C David D. Pearce, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) A senior MFA official November 2 provided Pol M/C
with Italy's read on the recent Mediterranean Forum
conference in Alicante, Spain. Luciano Pezzotti, director of
the MFA's Middle East office, had accompanied FM D'Alema to
the session. He said the GOI found the format of the meeting
unsatisfactory, terming it "a one-shot exercise". While
there was considerable homogeneity of views among the
Europeans, he said, the presence of the Arab countries
"risked taking us somewhere we didn't want to go." He added,
"we speak a different language". He cited in particular Arab
reticence about expressing support for Abu Mazen.


2. (C) Pol M/C noted that Spanish FM Moratinos appeared not
to want to be "limited" by the Roadmap and that the
conference statement had called for its revision and update.
Pezzotti said that Moratinos grandly referred to the
conference paper as the "Alicante Declaration", but he
stressed nothing had been signed and the document was not
binding on anyone. He termed the meeting a "brainstorming
session". There was agreement on the general need for
movement on the peace process, but not on how to do so.


3. (C) He thought Spain would likely raise the Alicante
paper at the "Quint" meeting of EU countries (Spain, France,
Italy, Germany, UK) in Madrid November 10, but Pezzotti
doubted it would have much traction. The French, as well as
Italy, were unenthusiastic, and he expected the UK and
Germany would be as well. European solidarity had to be
maintained; "we don't want to appear to be working in
parallel to the Quartet".


4. (C) Pol M/C expressed surprise at the call for an
international conference when the obvious immediate priority,
and essential prerequisite for anything else, was progress on
the ground. Pezzotti said he had told the meeting exactly
that: they had to keep their feet on the ground, because
"without the US and Israel we go nowhere." He said the
Spanish want to push the US to move, but the GOI had told
them this was not the way. Pol M/C asked about FM D'Alema's
views on the meeting. Pezzotti said the minister and
Moratinos were long-time friends. But D'Alema was also
realistic. He knew the meaning of the "declaration"; he had
wanted something "more practical -- these were just words, no
new ideas." And D'Alema understood it was important to keep
the US on board. Any effort without the US was condemned to
fail.


5. (C) Comment: We spoke to Pezzotti before he went with
D'Alema to Alicante, reminding him of A/S Welch's message
that progress on the ground was what was needed now. He says
he sounded that theme during the talks. In his readout, he
was at some pains to stress that the "Alicante Declaration"
was unlikely to gain much headway in the EU, as well as the
GOI view that the meeting did not represent the birth of a
new group or forum. But Pezzotti also acknowledged that
D'Alema was the only other European minister to attend. And
even if Italy has some reservations on the format, content,
and timing of the Alicante discussions, the Italian minister
likely shares with Moratinos the conviction that the two
countries should continue to press their EU partners and the
US on the issue.
SPOGLI