Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ROME924
2008-07-28 14:21:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rome
Cable title:
ITALY: THE WAY FORWARD ON UNMEE
how-toVZCZCXRO7667 OO RUEHFL RUEHNP RUEHTRO DE RUEHRO #0924 2101421 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 281421Z JUL 08 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0649 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1306 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 1750 RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 0160 RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0304 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1493 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 4434 RUEHOU/AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU PRIORITY 0207 RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 0287 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 2429 RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 0536 RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE PRIORITY 0252 RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY RUEHVB/AMEMBASSY ZAGREB PRIORITY 0788 RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 0764 RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA PRIORITY 0343 RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 9479 RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 3135 RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 3282 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0901
C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000924
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2018
TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO PBTS ET ER IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: THE WAY FORWARD ON UNMEE
REF: STATE 79539
Classified By: A/Pol M/C Gabriel Escobar for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000924
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2018
TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO PBTS ET ER IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: THE WAY FORWARD ON UNMEE
REF: STATE 79539
Classified By: A/Pol M/C Gabriel Escobar for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) POLOFF delivered reftel demarche to MFA East Africa
Office Director Mario Sammartino July 25. Sammartino said
Italy was largely in agreement with U.S. thinking on the UN
Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). UNMEE's mandate
must be terminated, he said, given the lack of agreement by
either party for it to remain on the ground, and it was
appropriate to ask the UNSYG to use his good offices to
explore a fruitful future UN role in promoting normalized
relations and implementation of the Algiers Agreements.
2. (C) Sammartino, who had just received a copy of the
Belgian draft UNSCR on UNMEE, said Italy was concerned about
PP3, which he said drew a parallel between Eritrea's
violation of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) and Ethiopia's
refusal to accept the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's
(EEBC) delimitation and demarcation of the border. He
thought it was inaccurate to suggest that breach of the TSZ,
which was always intended to be temporary and which according
to the EEBC's ruling lies within Eritrean territory, was
equal in gravity to Ethiopia's refusal to accept the binding
EEBC ruling. Sammartino thought that such language was
likely to inflame Eritrea and produce uncooperative behavior,
and should be dropped from the resolution.
3. (C) Sammartino also said Italy was perplexed by the
suggestion that the UN should consider establishing a
follow-on presence in only the territory of one of the
parties. He asked what purpose such a presence would serve,
and more problematically, whose interpretation of the border
it would recognize. Better to have no UN presence than one
that was present on only one side. Sammartino thought that a
better solution might be the establishment of a small UN
political liaison office in Asmara and Addis Ababa, a
compromise to which he thought both sides might agree.
MINIMIZE CONSIDERED - TRIPOLI
SPOGLI
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2018
TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO PBTS ET ER IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: THE WAY FORWARD ON UNMEE
REF: STATE 79539
Classified By: A/Pol M/C Gabriel Escobar for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) POLOFF delivered reftel demarche to MFA East Africa
Office Director Mario Sammartino July 25. Sammartino said
Italy was largely in agreement with U.S. thinking on the UN
Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). UNMEE's mandate
must be terminated, he said, given the lack of agreement by
either party for it to remain on the ground, and it was
appropriate to ask the UNSYG to use his good offices to
explore a fruitful future UN role in promoting normalized
relations and implementation of the Algiers Agreements.
2. (C) Sammartino, who had just received a copy of the
Belgian draft UNSCR on UNMEE, said Italy was concerned about
PP3, which he said drew a parallel between Eritrea's
violation of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) and Ethiopia's
refusal to accept the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's
(EEBC) delimitation and demarcation of the border. He
thought it was inaccurate to suggest that breach of the TSZ,
which was always intended to be temporary and which according
to the EEBC's ruling lies within Eritrean territory, was
equal in gravity to Ethiopia's refusal to accept the binding
EEBC ruling. Sammartino thought that such language was
likely to inflame Eritrea and produce uncooperative behavior,
and should be dropped from the resolution.
3. (C) Sammartino also said Italy was perplexed by the
suggestion that the UN should consider establishing a
follow-on presence in only the territory of one of the
parties. He asked what purpose such a presence would serve,
and more problematically, whose interpretation of the border
it would recognize. Better to have no UN presence than one
that was present on only one side. Sammartino thought that a
better solution might be the establishment of a small UN
political liaison office in Asmara and Addis Ababa, a
compromise to which he thought both sides might agree.
MINIMIZE CONSIDERED - TRIPOLI
SPOGLI