ANTARCTIC/ARCTIC EVENT: MFA U/S SCOTTI TO ATTEND FOR ITALY;

UNCLAS ROME 000298 SIPDIS OES/OA - ROB HUGHES AND JULIE GURLEY OES/FO - ELIZABETH COLTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TPHY SENV AORC KSCA PHSA EWWT PBTS IT SUBJECT: ANTARCTIC/ARCTIC EVENT: MFA U/S SCOTTI TO ATTEND FOR ITALY; ITALIAN INTEREST IN ARCTIC GROWING Refs: A) 2/24/09 Preston-Hughes e-mail B) State 12850 C) State 816 D) State 109133 E) State 74080 ¶1. Summary and action request. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Under Secretary Vincenzo Scotti will represent Italy at the April 6 ministerial event on Antarctic and Arctic affairs at the Department. Senior working-level MFA Antarctic and Arctic officials are available for consultation by their U.S. counterparts on the program for the event. Action request: Please provide the expected times of the different April 6 events, so that U/S Scotti's staff can plan other appointments for him while he is in Washington. End summary and action request. ¶2. Per ref A),on February 24 SCICouns delivered ref B) invitation to Foreign Minister Frattini to attend the April 6 ministerial event on Antarctic and Arctic affairs, with a cover letter from the Charge' d'Affaires. On March 2, Charge' learned that MFA Under Secretary Vincenzo Scotti will participate in the event on behalf of Foreign Minister Frattini. Scotti's staff is very interested in learning the schedule for the events described in ref B, so as to be able to plan other meetings for U/S Scotti while he is in Washington. The exact time the event opens, of the lunch and afternoon session, and of the reception would be particularly useful. Senior Arctic and Antarctic Affairs Contacts -------------- ¶3. Counselor Francesco Capponi, who follows Antarctic Affairs in the MFA's Directorate General for Asia, Oceania, the Pacific and the Antarctic, is available for consultation by U.S. Antarctic affairs officials on the substantive aspects of the agenda, at tel. +39 06 3693-3676, e-mail francesco.capponi@esteri.it. Counselor Capponi is the officer who successfully shepherded approval of Antarctic Treaty Consultative Measure 1 (ref E) through the Italian bureaucracy in fall 2008. He also paved the way within the MFA for ref B) invitation, using the informal notice of U.S. plans to host the event (ref D). ¶4. Minister Daniele Verga, the official who follows Arctic affairs in the MFA's Directorate General for Europe, also is available for consultation by U.S. Arctic affairs officials, at tel. +39 06 3691-7335, e-mail daniele.verga.esteri.it. Minister Verga expressed warm appreciation for the information in ref C and the Arctic policy NSPD/HSPD, and asked if the NSPD/HSPD is expected to change under the new Administration. He said that Italy has growing interest in Arctic issues, mentioning that Italy hopes to be granted Arctic Council permanent observer status at the April 2009 Council meeting. Both Capponi and Verga speak and read English. Brief Biographic Information on U/S Scotti -------------- ¶5. Title: Under Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Phonetic Name Spelling: Vin-CHEN-tsoe SKAH-tee. English Fluency: Understands English, but is not fluent. ¶6. Personal: Vincenzo (aka Enzo) Scotti was born in Naples on September 16, 1933, and graduated cum laude from the University of Rome with a degree in economics. Since 2007, Scotti has been President of Link Campus University, the Italian branch of the University of Malta, which he helped create in 1999 and where he has taught economics. From 1994 to 1999, he was Visiting Professor at the University of Malta, in Malta. From 1969 to 1995, he taught development economics at Rome's prestigious LUISS University. He is married and has three children. ¶7. Professional: Enzo Scotti became Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs in Silvio Berlusconi's fourth government in May 2008, following the center-right's victory at the parliamentary elections in April. His portfolio includes bilateral relations with the Americas, United Nations and specialized agencies, and human rights. From 1954 to 1958, Scotti worked for the centrist labor union CISL, where he headed the department for development policies, focusing in particular on southern Italy. Scotti's past government positions include Under Secretary for Budget (1976-1979),Minister of Labor (1978-1980, 1982-1983),European Community Policies Minister (1980-1981),Cultural Minister (1981-1982),Civil Protection Minister (1983-1985),Interior Minister (1990-1992),and Foreign Minister (June-July 1992). From 1984 to 1989, he was also mayor of Naples. His complete biography and photograph can be found at: http://diplopedia.state.gov/index.php?title= Category:Italy_Biography. Dibble