MEETING ON IRAN WITH ITALIAN ADVISOR TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PEOPLE'S PARTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001341 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL EU IR IT SUBJECT: MEETING ON IRAN WITH ITALIAN ADVISOR TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PEOPLE,S PARTY Classified By: DCM Elizabeth L. Dibble, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Poloff and Econoff met with Rino Trombetta, an Italian adviser on Iran and Afghanistan to the members of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament. Several of his Parliamentarians are members of a Delegation for Relations with Iran, a group composed of 18 MEPs and 16 alternates. Trombetta was involved in preparing a visit to Tehran for the Delegation, and had advised the group to stress human rights issues and to insist on meetings with jailed opposition figures. The Delegation was originally scheduled to visit Tehran December 5-7, but Trombetta reported on December 3 that the meeting was postponed due to lack of response from the Iranian counterparts. ¶2. (C) According to Trombetta, at a meeting on December 2, the Delegation decided to aim for a meeting in Tehran instead in March 2010. Trombetta is urging the committee to insist on visits to Evin Prison and to meet with civil society, preferably students at the University of Tehran and at a Polytechnic north of Tehran. ¶3. (C) Trombetta said that the Greens in the Delegation have been very sympathetic to the Iranian regime, and have made his work difficult. In recent days, however, he said the Greens have "woken up." Prior to this, however, Trombetta said he had feared the Greens would travel to Tehran during the Christmas holidays -- they had asked EP President Buzek,s authorization to travel on January 4, a time when few others of the delegation would be available -- after which he feared they would release a weak statement following their meeting with the Majlis. ¶4. (C) Despite his grim view of the Iranian regime and his negative experience with Iranian diplomats (Trombetta noted that the Delegation's contact at the Iranian Embassy, Mohammed Safaei, was particularly good at evading direct questions and asked if any information could be shared on this individual),the advisor was not very supportive of the idea of sanctions, and saw little support for them in Brussels. He and poloff agreed to establish a dialogue with the Italian Parliamentarians when they are in Rome, and to that end poloff will set up a meeting before the Christmas holidays. He was also eager to meet with colleagues at USEU and to set up meetings for the Parliamentarians (Trombetta himself speaks little English). THORNE