ITALY'S CHIEF OF COUNTER-TERRORISM, DIEGO

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000270

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREF PREL
SUBJECT: ITALY'S CHIEF OF COUNTER-TERRORISM, DIEGO
BRASIOLO, CALLS FOR AN INCREASE IN MEMBERS OF CTAG


1. SUMMARY: Italy, as President of the G8, convened its
first meeting of counter-terrorism (CT) experts from the G8
UN delegations on March 11. Diego Brasioli, Chief of the
Counter-Terrorism Branch in the Italian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, presided over the meeting and discussed the
stand-alone Declaration on counter-terrorism that Italy will
present at the G8 Summit in La Maddalena in July and raised
the notion of increasing the number of states that
participate in the Counter-Terrorism Action Group (CTAG).
Brasioli also hosted a meeting of CTAG UN delegations (plus a
European Union (EU) rep) where CTED's (Counter-Terrorism
Executive Directorate) Executive Director, Mike Smith,
provided an update on CTED's activities and included an idea
to create a South Asia CT training center along the same
lines as the Jakarta Center. The day before the meetings,
Brasioli pre-briefed USUN which included the same points he
made to the G8. END SUMMARY.


2. Brasioli, outlining Italy's approach as President of the
G8, said that Italy would focus on CT issues from a regional
perspective, rather than hosting local CTAG meetings in every
country as Japan had done last year. As an example, he
mentioned an upcoming meeting in Dakar, Senegal that would
not be a bilateral meeting, but would include members of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The
theory, Brasioli said, is to help create a stronger interest
in countering terrorism at the regional level where states
might be able to help each other.


3. In regard to members of CTAG, Brasioli said that there
are some states and international organizations that are not
part of CTAG, but are poised to contribute to countering
terrorism and that some of them should be given an
opportunity to participate with the rest of the members of
CTAG. He mentioned that adding The Netherlands, New Zealand,
South Korea, Turkey, one of the Nordic states and the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),the United Nations
Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI)
and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) might be a good place to start. Canada reacted
positively and suggested that the rotating president of the
Nordic states be the Nordic representative to CTAG. Brasioli
asked G8 members to keep the idea close hold until all
respective capitals had the opportunity to weigh in on the
idea and said the subject would be on the agenda of the G8
Lyon-Roma Anti-Crime and Counter-Terrorism Group (LR/ACT)
meeting in Rome April 21-23. While addressing Italy's
intentions to present a Declaration on counter-terrorism at
the July G8 Summit, Brasioli asked G8 countries to develop
recommendations to address due process concerns about UNSCR
1267 (listing/delisting) that would be included in such a
declaration. In a general sense, Brasioli conveyed a greater
role for the European Union in countering terrorism. USUN in
both the U.S./Brasioli bilateral meeting and in the larger
G8/CTAG meetings, supported Brasioli's initiative and efforts
to enhance the G8/CTAG's ability to counter terrorism, noting
that the approach was consistent with our own. USUN
indicated that expansion of CTAG's membership would have to
be carefully considered.


4. CTED Executive Director Mike Smith briefed CTAG UN
delegations (plus EU) on the recent work of CTED including
more focused visits to states. Smith endorsed Brasioli's
regional approach with CTAG and said that he sees value in
applying a similar approach to the way CTED does its work.
Citing the South Asia region as the place in the world that
needs the most help to counter terrorism, Smith said that a
regional CT training center should be established in the
region that would work in the same way as the Jakarta
Training CT Center (JCLEC).
Rice