GREECE/MACEDONIA: ITALY IN FAVOR OF QUICK

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000528 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2018 TAGS: PREL NATO PGOV MK GR IT SUBJECT: GREECE/MACEDONIA: ITALY IN FAVOR OF QUICK RESOLUTION TO NAME DISPUTE REF: STATE 40462 Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Jonathan Cohen for r easons 1.4 b and d ¶1. (C) Poloffs delivered reftel points on April 18 to MFA NATO desk officer Piermario Dacco. Poloffs requested high-level Italian intervention with Greece to urge renewed commitment in resolving the Macedonia name dispute as soon as possible. Dacco said Italy shared the USG concern and also wanted to see Macedonia invited to join NATO as soon as possible. ¶2. (C) MFA NATO desk officer Carlo Battori contacted poloff late April 24 to say FM D'Alema had also been contacted by the Macedonian government on the issue. Battori reiterated Italy's strong support for Macedonian NATO accession but said the current Italian care-taker government was unlikely to take action at the PM or FM level given that the new government is expected to be innaugurated within the next two to three weeks. That said he stressed that Italy would continue to be very active at the UN and in the EU in the "Friends of Macedonia" group in support of quick resolution to the name dispute. SPOGLI