Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ROME2332
2007-11-15 13:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

ITALY: TOO SOON TO EXPAND EU SANCTIONS ON BURMA

Tags:  PGOV PREL ETRD EFIN BM IT 
pdf how-to read a cable
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P 151354Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9393
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1283
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002332 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EAP/MLS AARON COPE
EEB/TFS KERRY MCCORMACK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ETRD EFIN BM IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: TOO SOON TO EXPAND EU SANCTIONS ON BURMA

REF: SECSTATE 155019

Classified By: A/Pol M/C Jonathan Cohen, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002332

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EAP/MLS AARON COPE
EEB/TFS KERRY MCCORMACK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ETRD EFIN BM IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: TOO SOON TO EXPAND EU SANCTIONS ON BURMA

REF: SECSTATE 155019

Classified By: A/Pol M/C Jonathan Cohen, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to MFA Southeast Asia
Office Director Alberto Vecchi November 14 and urged Italy to
press for expanded EU sanctions against Burma. Poloff
discussed USG efforts to promote dialogue between the regime
and democratic and ethnic minority groups, stressed that the
U.S. considers financial sanctions an important and effective
means of applying pressure, and pointed out signs that U.S.
sanctions are having an effect on the regime and its
supporters.


2. (C) Vecchi agreed that coordination on sanctions was
essential to making them effective, and that efforts like the
November 16 DVC were useful tools for maintaining a unified
approach, but said it seemed too early to toughen EU
sanctions further, given that the results of UN Special
Advisor for Burma Gambari's latest visit were not yet clear.
Vecchi thought the regime's willingness to allow Aung San Suu
Kyi to meet with her colleagues in the National League for
Democracy (NLD) on November 9 was a good sign, and said we
should allow some time to see the junta's next moves. Poloff
countered that allowing her to meet with a few NLD members
while under house arrest was a somewhat positive but entirely
insufficient development.


3. (C) In the event that the Burmese junta remains unmoved by
international pressure, Vecchi said he thought Italy would
support further sanctions. In any case, he thought expanded
sanctions would not be on the agenda of the November 19
GAERC, and that the next opportunity to consider such EU
action would be in December.
SPOGLI