AMBASSADOR THORNE PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO

UNCLAS ROME 001032 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL OVIP IT SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR THORNE PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT NAPOLITANO ¶1. (U) Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador David Thorne presented his credentials to President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinale Palace, Rome, on September 4. During a wide-ranging discussion of foreign policy and U.S. domestic politics, Napolitano stressed repeatedly the importance of the U.S.-Italy relationship and his admiration for President Obama. Ambassador Thorne underscored his commitment to strengthening the bilateral relationship and to working together with Italy to help address the economic and political challenges facing the world. ¶3. (SBU) Noting the role that Ambassador Thorne's father had played as the Administrator of the Marshall Plan in Italy in the 1950s, President Napolitano stressed the importance that U.S. assistance had played in the reconstruction and stabilization of Italy in the post-war period. Ambassador Thorne's lifelong personal connection to Italy, he said, will stand him in good stead over the term of his appointment. Napolitano reiterated his pleasure in meeting President Obama just prior to the G8 Summit, and affirmed that the President's strong voice in foreign affairs had done much to repair the image of America in the world, an image that had been eroded by the course U.S. policy had taken after September 11. Obama's America is dedicated to listening, he said, not just talking. ¶4. (SBU) Sounding a theme he has stressed on previous occasions, Napolitano highlighted the importance of the EU as a positive force for stability and prosperity not only for the EU's neighbors to the east, but for the broader region in general. He praised President Obama for his recognition of the importance of the EU, and urged that the U.S. not forget Europe even as our attention is drawn increasingly to the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Obama's speeches in Cairo and Istanbul, he noted, had done a great deal to create a new dynamic in the Middle East and in Europe. Napolitano was also pleased to learn that Speaker Pelosi would be visiting Italy September 11-14. ¶5. (SBU) On the Economic front, Napolitano and the Ambassador agreed on the importance of the U.S. and Europe working closely together to bring about a recovery. Napolitano asked about the health care debate in the U.S., which he has followed closely, and conveyed his hope that President Obama will be successful in his attempts to get the reform package through Congress. The Ambassador agreed that this is one of the President's most important challenges, and noted that Senator Kerry has taken up the baton of health care reform advocacy held for so many years by the late Senator Kennedy. Napolitano closed by stressing that his door is always open and that he hoped to see the Ambassador often. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: President Napolitano showed clearly why he is so highly regarded in Italian politics. He is a serious, thoughtful figure, an intellectual eminence grise who exerts great moral influence from above in an often fractious Italian political arena. End Comment. THORNE