AFGHANISTAN ANNOUNCEMENT: ITALY PREPARING MAJOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001318 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2019 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PGOV NATO IT AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN ANNOUNCEMENT: ITALY PREPARING MAJOR FORCE INCREASES REF: A. SECSTATE 122731 ¶B. ROME 1309 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Elizabeth Dibble. Reasons 1.4 ( b) and (d) ¶1. C) Summary: Foreign Minister Frattini assured the Ambassador that Italy was striving to provide over 1,000 additional troops to the ISAF mission but its final increase depended on cuts in other overseas missions. Defense Minister LaRussa will announce Italy's intent to do more on December 2 following the President's speech but public discussion of the final size of the increase will be deferred pending Parliamentary consultations. End Summary. ¶2. C) Per reftel guidance, the Ambassador spoke with Foreign Minister Franco Frattini the afternoon of December 1 in anticipation of the President's announcement on Afghanistan. Frattini told the Ambassador that Defense Minister Ignazio LaRussa would make a more detailed statement on December 2, after the West Point speech, on Italy's intentions in Afghanistan. The Foreign Minister said that Italy was "looking to increase its contributions beyond 1,000" but the determining factor on the final number would be the drawdown of Italian forces in Kosovo and Lebanon. ¶3. C) Frattini stressed that the Italian build up would have to be gradual. He told the Ambassador that NATO SYG Rasmussen had requested that additional forces be ready for deployment in the next 6-7 months. Italy is currently looking at September 2010 as the target date for completing its reinforcement. ¶4. C) Frattini cautioned that DefMin LaRussa would not announce a specific number in his December 2 announcement because the GOI needs to consult with parliament before announcing a concrete figure. The government will schedule a special session before the Christmas break to complete consultations. Parliament is current scheduled to go out of session on December 21. ¶5. C) In response to the Ambassador's pressure on a more substantial GOI contribution to the ANA Trust Fund, the Foreign Minister said that Italy was increasing its contribution from 5 to 10 million Euros and has already substantially increase development assistance in Herat province this year. THORNE