Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ROME585
2006-02-24 18:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

ITALY: UN REFORM PARTNER, SUPPORTS GUATEMALA UNSC

Tags:  PREL KUNR PHUM UNSC GT VE IT 
pdf how-to read a cable
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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 241823Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3831
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0732
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA PRIORITY 0316
RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 1104
RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 6610
RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 1162
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0517
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000585 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2016
TAGS: PREL KUNR PHUM UNSC GT VE IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: UN REFORM PARTNER, SUPPORTS GUATEMALA UNSC
BID

REF: A. STATE 4746


B. STATE 4745

C. ROME-S/UNR TELCON

D. STATE 20173

E. ROME 433

F. STATE 22833

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor David D. Pearce for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000585

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2016
TAGS: PREL KUNR PHUM UNSC GT VE IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: UN REFORM PARTNER, SUPPORTS GUATEMALA UNSC
BID

REF: A. STATE 4746


B. STATE 4745

C. ROME-S/UNR TELCON

D. STATE 20173

E. ROME 433

F. STATE 22833

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor David D. Pearce for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. Italy continues to support UN Reform,
including making the new Peacebuilding Commission an
effective body, and creating a strong Human Rights Council.
It also supports improving UN management, including a mandate
review, according to MFA UN Reform Coordinator Alessandro
Busacca. Busacca noted that Italy had made several bilateral
demarches on UN Reform issues to key countries. While Italy
had not made its position known publicly, Busacca said the
GOI would support Guatemala's bid for the 2007-8 Latin
America Group non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Reflecting on the upcoming UN Secretary General appointment,
Busacca noted that Italy would be coordinating with the EU
and agreed the next SYG would need to be a good manager, not
necessarily from Asia. End Summary.

--------------
UN Reform: Italy Supporting our Shared Agenda
--------------


2. (C) Poloff met February 16 with Busacca to follow up on a
UN Reform demarche (Ref A, B) delivered January 13 (Ref C),
urge Italy to support Guatemala for the 2007-8 Latin America
Group (GRULAC) non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council
(UNSC) (Ref D, E),and discuss the UN Secretary General (SYG)
succession (Ref F).


3. (C) Italy recognized the UN is not performing the way it
should, according to Busacca, and is fully supportive of UN
Reform efforts, sharing the U.S. approach. Busacca noted
that Italy was pleased with the outcome of the Peacebuilding
Commission (PBC) negotiations and would work with the EU to
ensure that Europe continued to contribute to work on all
aspects of the PBC, especially when there is EU political or
economic involvement in an operation. In the UN list of top
financial contributors, Italy jumped from tenth to sixth
place (behind the U.S., Japan, UK, Germany, and the

Netherlands) after the SYG's final statement was released.
Busacca noted that this ensures Italy will be a member of the
PBC organizational committee, and that the GOI would work to
make the commission an effective body. Acknowledging the
coordination challenges the PBC will face, Busacca said Italy
planned to create a national inter-ministerial committee to
coordinate the GOI's involvement. He highlighted Italy's
goal to be proactive in designating crises, and to bring
ideas to the PBC.


4. (C) Negotiations on forming a Human Rights Council (HRC)
were still encountering difficulties, according to Busacca,
but Italy had played an active role in moving forward. He
said Italy wanted to strengthen the UN's capabilities in the
field of human rights and wanted to ensure a strong HRC, even
if it meant longer negotiations. He provided Poloff with a
copy of the February 6 EU statement on the HRC. Italy also
agreed on the importance of Management Reform, including a
mandate review, Busacca said. He observed that there was
close cooperation between the U.S. and Italian missions to
the UN on this issue, and that there had been good
coordination among the EU countries.


5. (C) Busacca noted that Italy had carried out bilateral
demarches in several countries, including South Africa,
Argentina, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, and
India, to encourage support for UN Reform. Poloff expressed
appreciation for Italy's efforts and urged the GOI to
continue to speak out on the reform agenda. Busacca noted
that Italy was willing to work bilaterally on the issue and
the MFA was considering another set of demarches.

--------------
UNSC GRULAC Seat: Yes to Guatemala
--------------


6. (C) Poloff provided Reftel D points to Busacca and urged
Italy to support Guatemala's UNSC bid. Italian MFA Director
General for the Americas Claudio Bisogniero had told

ROME 00000585 002 OF 002


Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas
Shannon February 3 that Italy was supportive of Guatemala's
candidacy (Ref E). February 16 Busacca confirmed that Italy
would vote for Guatemala. Like Bisogniero, he highlighted
the fact that Italy would also hold a non-permanent UNSC seat
during 2007-8, and that Venezuela's presence on the council
would be disruptive. Busacca noted that Italy had not made
it's position public, and was not eager to do so, taking into
account its bilateral relationship with Venezuela.

--------------
UN SYG Succession: Initial Thoughts
--------------


7. (C) Noting that it was still early in the process, Poloff
shared U.S. thoughts on UN SYG succession (Reftel F),
highlighting the importance of previous management
experience, a commitment to reform, and the need to consider
all candidates, regardless of region. Busacca noted that the
GOI had been listening carefully to Ambassador Bolton's
comments in New York, but that Italy had not yet reflected
in-depth on the issue and would be coordinating within the
EU. He pointed to a possible conflict between the U.S.
position and the China/Russia view that the new SYG should
come from Asia and wondered whether the selection process
would continue to be a UNSC game. Italy shared our view that
the next UN chief should be a good manager, and that the UN
needed to be a well-run organization, according to Busacca.
He noted that Asia would be better off if it could agree on
one candidate, and that while one previous SYG had come from
the Asia region, Eastern Europe had never been represented.

--------------
Comment
--------------


8. (C) The MFA seems willing to continue bilateral efforts to
move our shared UN Reform agenda forward, and could be open
to coordinating that message with us. Pleased that its UN
contributions have ensured Italy a place on the PBC
organizational committee, the GOI seeks to be an active
member, and to ensure the success of the new body.
SPOGLI