LETTER FROM SECRETARY CLINTON TO FM FRATTINI

UNCLAS STATE 107309 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL IT XG XT ZM SUBJECT: LETTER FROM SECRETARY CLINTON TO FM FRATTINI (S/ES: 200918789) ¶1. Please deliver the following message from Secretary Clinton to Italian Foreign Minister Frattini. The Department does not plan to release the text of the message but has no objection if the government of Italy wishes to do so. There will be no signed original. ¶2. BEGIN TEXT: Dear Mr. Minister: Thank you for your generous contribution to help the students of L'Aquila University with the travel costs associated with studying in the United States through the National Italian American Foundation's Adopt-a- Scholar program. Your Ministry's assistance, especially that of the Department for Cultural Promotion and Cooperation, to the students of Abruzzo in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake on April 6 is crucial to supporting their continued education. The U.S. Department of State and the National Italian American Foundation are working together to provide a generous American response to the Italian people through a public-private partnership, which responds to the educational needs of the Abruzzo region. Together, we hope to return the University of L'Aquila community to the important academic, social, and economic role that it played for the region before the earthquake. Your contribution will help us achieve our partnership goals, illustrates the close friendship between the American and the Italian peoples, and demonstrates the strong relationship between our two great nations. Thank you again for your support. Sincerely yours, Hillary Rodham Clinton END TEXT. CLINTON