AFGHANISTAN: ITALY WILL PUSH FOR CREDIBLE ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000753 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO IT AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: ITALY WILL PUSH FOR CREDIBLE ELECTIONS REF: STATE 63551 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Barbara A. Leaf for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) Charge delivered reftel demarche to Italian MFA Secretary General Giampiero Massolo on June 23 and Poloff delivered it to Italian MFA Afghan Unit Director Sergio Mercuri on June 22. Both Massolo and Mercuri said that Italy, in its role as G8 President and ISAF contributor, will continue to push for and make statements in support of credible, fair and balanced elections in Afghanistan. Mercuri noted that Italy had taken positive note of President Obama's statement and had inserted similar language into the draft Statement on Afghanistan and Pakistan being negotiated for the Trieste Foreign Ministerial/Af-Pak Regional Conference. Poloff also delivered points to a Luigi Gianniti, top aide to Center-Right Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Lamberto Dini, and to Emilio Ciarlo, a top Parliamentary Aide to the opposition Center-Left Partito Democratico (PD). Ciarlo indicated that this was important information to combat the misperception among PD parliamentarians that the U.S. is backing Karzai. DIBBLE