FUNDING DECREE FOR ITALIAN MILITARY MISSIONS

UNCLAS ROME 000651 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MCAP MOPS EAID PTER NATO UN AF AL LN SU SO BK, CG, IS, IT SUBJECT: FUNDING DECREE FOR ITALIAN MILITARY MISSIONS ABROAD: PARTICIPATION IN HUMANITARIAN AND INTERNATIONAL MILITARY MISSIONS ¶1. March 27, the Italian Senate approved a government decree authorizing calendar year expenditures for "Italian Participation in Humanitarian and International Missions," all of Italy's military missions abroad The full Italian language text of the decree and a detailed English summary are available on Embassy Rome's classified website (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/rome/index.cf m). Some highlights and clarifications are included below. ¶2. The decree authorizes slightly more than 1 billion Euros for the Italian participation in international missions in calendar year 2007. In most cases, unspent funds can be rolled over into 2008. -The decree covers development assistance programs in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sudan and Somalia; Humanitarian, stabilization and reconstruction programs in Iraq (including NTM-I),Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, as well as Italy's participation in ESDP initiatives. -The decree authorizes funds for Italy's military and police missions abroad: UNIFIL, ISAF, Active Endeavor, Knights of Malta, MSU in Kosovo, Joint Enterprise in the Balkans, Albania, Albania 2, ALTHEA in Bosnia-Herzegovina, TIPH 2, EUBAM Rafah, Darfur, EUPOL Kinshasa, UNFICYP, Albania, UNMIK, EUPM and EUPOL COPPS. -The decree allocates 40 million Euros of new money for Afghan reconstruction. However, since the MFA has yet to disburse its 607 million Euros in 2007 development assistance budget passed by Parliament as part of the general budget in December, it is still unclear how much Italy's 2007 total assistance to Afghanistan will have increased in respect to previous years. -The decree provides some guidance on personnel and judicial issues relevant to the missions. -The decree includes 500,000 Euros for a proposed International Peace Conference on Afghanistan. -In article 2, the reference to the authorization of 2.8 million Euros for Italy's participation in NATO Trust Funds includes 1 million Euros for the NTM-I Trust Fund. -In article 2, the 10.4 million Euros to extend military personnel in Iraq includes funds to cover Italian military personnel and related "life-support" costs involved in NTM-I, including a proposed additional Carabinieri component. SPOGLI