KOSOVO: ITALIAN FM SUPPORTS AHTISAARI'S CORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000779

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
NOFORN

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE AND IO/UNP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/17/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC YI SR IT
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: ITALIAN FM SUPPORTS AHTISAARI'S CORE
STATUS PROPOSALS, BUT INSISTS NON-STATUS ASPECTS SHOULD BE
STRENGTHENED

REF: A. A. SECSTATE 49723

B. B. ROME 710

C. C. ROME 702

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Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Ronald Spogli for reasons 1.4 (
b) and (d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C/NF) I discussed the Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo with FM
D'Alema in an April 5 meeting (ref B.) He assured me of
Italy's firm support for the plan's core status provisions.
However, he made it clear Italy felt work needed to be done
to strengthen the non-status aspects of the plan such as the
protection of religious sites and minority rights. If we
need to persuade FM D'Alema to support ALL aspects of the
Ahtisaari plan, I recommend a call from the Secretary to
engage him personally.


2. (C/NF) The absence of a clear public statement from FM
D'Alema has created confusion about Italy's intentions on
Kosovo. While the Italian MFA continues to insist that the
Italian position is clear and "available" to the public, no
public statements have been issued supporting the Ahtisaari
proposal indicating Italy's support for supervised
independence for Kosovo. I encouraged D'Alema to make a
strong public statement in favor of the Ahtisaari proposal
during our April 5 meeting and D'Alema agreed (ref B).
D'Alema's COS Nelli Feroci told the DCM in an April 16
conversation that D'Alema hadn't forgotten his commitment,
but that he just needed to find the right place to make the
public statement. Nelli Feroci promised "we will find a
place and do it." Post has also reached out to the political
parties in the governing coalition on this topic. All
interlocutors agree that D'Alema is the key to Italy's
position on Kosovo. End. Summary.

MFA Insists its position is well known
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3. (C/NF) On April 5, FM D'Alema told me Italy fully supports
the Ahtisaari plan's core status provisions for supervised
independence for Kosovo and agreed to make a public statement
to that effect. He also underscored that he felt some
non-status aspects, like protection of religious sites and
minority rights, needed to be strengthened. MFA Balkans
Office Director Raimondo De Cardona assured poloff that the
Italian position remains solidly in support of the UNOSEK
proposal and remains fully in line with other Quint members.


4. (C/NF) The DCM called Ambassador Ferdinando Nelli
Feroci, D'Alema's Chief of Staff, April 16 to remind him of
D'Alema's commitment to make a public statement and to ask
why he hadn't done so yet. Nelli Feroci said he remembered
the commitment D'Alema had made to the Ambassador to issue a
public statement in support of the Ahtisaari plan, but said
they need to find the right place to do it. He said the FM
was on his way to Algiers April 16 which would not be the
right place for the Kosovo announcement, but he promised "we
will find a place and do it."


PM's Office Pledges Support for Kosovar Independence
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5. (C/NF) On April 4, PM Prodi told me his office fully
supports the UNOSEK proposals and believes that supervised
independence for Kosovo is the only solution (REF C). He
noted, however, that if there were any equivocation on
Italy's policy, it was coming from the MFA.

Political Parties Ready to Accept Kosovo's Independence
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6. (C/NF) Luciano Vecchi, foreign policy advisor to D'Alema's
DS party, insisted that the position of the FM and party
leadership was firmly in support of supervised independence
for Kosovo. He added that he would encourage D'Alema to make
a public statement outlining his full support for the plan
and appeared surprised that none had yet been made.


7. (C/NF) Luca Bader, foreign policy advisor of the
Margherita party, noted that the party supported the work of
Ahtisaari and recognized that his proposals were the only way
forward. Bader noted with some frustration that D'Alema's
decision making on foreign policy issues was a mystery to his
party's leadership, and did not know whether the Margherita
party could influence the FM to be more publicly supportive
of the proposal.


8. (C/NF) Rafaello Matarazzo, political advisor to the head
of the Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs Committee Umberto
Ranieri (also a DS party member),told poloff that while the
party recognized that the Ahtisaari plan was the only way
forward on Kosovo, no political decision and no political
instructions have been handed down from the party leadership.
Matarazzo speculated that D'Alema was caught trying to
placate the Russians without angering the US.

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


9. (C/NF) Support for the Ahtisaari plan is widespread
within the Italian governing coalition all the way up to the
PM; however FM D'Alema is clearly running the show on this
one. I believe he was sincere in his support for the core
status provisions in our April 5 conversation (ref B).
D'Alema does not support all of the non-status aspects of the
Ahtisaari plan as they currently stand. If we need his
support on all aspects of the plan, I recommend a call from
the Secretary to personally engage him. End Comment.
Spogli