Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ROME275
2008-03-05 14:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rome
Cable title:
ITALY: SEEKING BALANCED UNSCR ON GAZA SITUATION
how-toVZCZCXRO6044 OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV RUEHTRO DE RUEHRO #0275 0651425 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 051425Z MAR 08 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9939 INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0400 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 0961 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0441 RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 9285 RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 2942 RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 3094
C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000275
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2018
TAGS: PREL UNSC XF IS GZ IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: SEEKING BALANCED UNSCR ON GAZA SITUATION
REF: STATE 22380
Classified By: A/Pol M/C Jonathan R. Cohen, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.
(C) Poloffs raised reftel USG concerns regarding the UNSC
draft resolution on the situation in Gaza with MFA Levant
Office Director Carlo Formosa and UN Desk Officer Leonardo
Bencini March 5. Formosa said the Libyan draft was
unbalanced, and would require work. However, Bencini pointed
out that Slovenia, acting as EU president, issued a statement
March 3 calling Israel's response "disproportionate," and
said Italy did not oppose this language. But both Formosa
and Bencini stressed that Italy's priority was passage of a
Security Council resolution regretting the loss of civilian
life and calling for an immediate halt to violence on both
sides. The humanitarian situation on the ground was so
serious and the loss of civilian lives so alarming that
silence on the part of the UNSC was unacceptable, according
to Formosa. Formosa said Italy thought the recent French
draft amendments provided a good starting point for
negotiating a more balanced resolution.
SPOGLI