ITALY SUPPORTS ARMS TRADE TREATY, LOBBYING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001327 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR PM/DTPC E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2017 TAGS: PARM ETTC KOMC UNDC SUBJECT: ITALY SUPPORTS ARMS TRADE TREATY, LOBBYING ABSTAINERS REF: STATE 63299 ¶1. (U) Poloffs delivered reftel demarche to MFA UN Office Director Leonardo Bencini and Chemical Weapons Coordinator Giulio Picheca June 12, noting U.S. concerns that the proposed Arms Trade Treaty will provide governments a fig leaf for arms exports, and urging that countries implement strict domestic arms control measures instead. Bencini responded that Italy had consistently supported the ATT and had recently demarched several Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries that had abstained on or supported the ATT resolution. Noting that Italy considers its arms export laws to be among the strictest in the world, Bencini said Italy hoped to contribute its experience legislating arms control to the inter-governmental experts group that will meet in 2008 to work on the ATT. ¶2. (C) Comment. While Italy's arms export control laws may be robust, Italy has a mixed record where dual use exports that are not specifically prohibited by international agreements/arrangements are concerned. End comment. Spogli