ITALY WORKING ON UNSCR 1718 OBLIGATIONS REPORT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003068 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2016 TAGS: PARM PREL XX KN UN IT SUBJECT: ITALY WORKING ON UNSCR 1718 OBLIGATIONS REPORT TO UN, HAS LITTLE DPRK CONTACT REF: A. STATE 180512 ¶B. ROME 2954 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor David Pearce for reasons 1. 4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Poloffs November 8 met separately with Filippo Nicosia, MFA East Asia Office, and Filippo Formica, Office Director for Non-Proliferation to deliver Ref A points requesting countries take steps to meet their obligations under UNSCR 1718 on DPRK Conventional Arms. Nicosia noted that, while Italy and Italian companies had very little contact with the DPRK (Ref B),Italy was taking its obligations seriously and was preparing the required report to the UN on actions it has taken to comply with UNSCR 1718. ¶2. (C) The sole Italian company operating in the DPRK, Misano, had frozen its business in North Korea (Ref B) since the nuclear missile test, Nicosia said. He added that the company consulted with the MFA often and that the GOI had always discouraged Misano from doing business in the DPRK. No Italian companies participated in the recent Pyongyang trade fair, according to Nicosia. He also said the GOI had no relationship with the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation. Nicosia noted that the information in the demarche would be useful in the unlikely case that a company with an interest in doing business in or with the DPRK approached the MFA for guidance. ¶3. (C) Formica, who has received previous demarches on North Korea, reiterated Italy's consistent policy of not doing business with North Korea. Formica underscored that the GOI would not approve any of the exchanges described in Ref A points. Formica understood that the USG request also included possible transit through Italy by North Korean firms, and offered that Italy would be vigilant if KMDTC attempted to use Italy as a transit point. SPOGLI