ITALY DOES NOT HAVE A CANDIDATE FOR UNESCO DG

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000163 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2018 TAGS: PREL UNESCO CA IT SUBJECT: ITALY DOES NOT HAVE A CANDIDATE FOR UNESCO DG REF: A. 2009 OTTAWA 67 ¶B. 2008 ROME 1587 Classified By: A/Pol M/C Liam Wasley for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Italy has not, and does not intend to, put forward a candidate for director general of UNESCO, according to Barbara Bregato, director of the MFA office of multilateral cultural cooperation. Bregato told Poloff February 11 that there had been some tentative discussions about the possibility of an Italian candidacy, but in the end a decision was taken to not put forth a nominee. While we did not raise claims made by the Italian Ambassador in Ottawa that he was seeking the job with the support of PM Berlusconi (ref A),Bregato was clear that the GOI did not intend to name a candidate. ¶2. (C) Bregato also said that Rome had heard informally from the French that they had definitely decided against supporting Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni for the UNESCO DG slot. In addition, the Italians have heard that Cambodia has nominated an Algerian who is running without the support of the Algerian government. DIBBLE