SOMALIA PIRACY: ITALY CONCERNED ABOUT SETTING A

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000568 SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/UNP E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2018 TAGS: PREL PHUM PHSA EWWT KCRM UNSC SO IT SUBJECT: SOMALIA PIRACY: ITALY CONCERNED ABOUT SETTING A PRECEDENT REF: STATE 47531 Classified By: Jonathan R. Cohen, Acting Political Minister Counselor, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On May 6 Poloff delivered reftel points to Leonardo Bencini of the MFA UN Office. Bencini said Italy agrees that piracy in Somali territorial waters is becoming an increasingly serious threat to international vessels and the that the international community needs to take action. Bencini noted, however, that Italy believes the Transitional Federal Government should be given a more robust role in authorizing international action. Otherwise, giving the international community authorization to intervene militarily in the territorial waters of a third country could create an unhelpful precedent. ¶2. (C) Bencini noted that Italy would be supportive of the U.S. position in UNSC deliberations but added that since Italy currently has only caretaker Foreign and Defense Ministers, the Italian mission to the UN would be cautious about giving assent to any decision that might require Italian vessels operating in the region to take action on behalf of the international community. SPOGLI