ITALY SUPPORTS PAKISTAN DONORS CONFERENCE,

UNCLAS ROME 001509 SENSITIVE SIPDIS SCA/PB FOR MARY TOWNSWICK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN IBRD IMF IT PK SUBJECT: ITALY SUPPORTS PAKISTAN DONORS CONFERENCE, UNDECIDED ON PLEDGE REF: STATE 129615 ¶1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Italian MFA Director for South Asia Giampaolo Cutillo on December 12. Cutillo agreed that the postponement of the Pakistan donors conference was necessary to provide more time for potential donors such as Italy to come up with pledge packages. He agreed that Ministerial-level participation was important to the conference's success and assumed that FM Frattini would participate if his schedule allowed. Poloff noted that a significant Italian pledge would send a strong signal of support, particularly in light of Italy's upcoming G8 presidency and FM Frattini's declared intention of holding a G8 Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan and Pakistan in the spring of 2009. Cutillo said that Italy has not yet arrived at a final pledge total, but was firmly committed to supporting Pakistan's efforts to strengthen its social sector and to build foreign currency reserves in line with the IMF program. He asked that we share with him Pakistan's list of programmatic priorities as soon as it becomes available. SPOGLI