US embassy cable - 03ROME4022

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ROME 004022 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2013 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, IT, UK, EUN, ESDP 
SUBJECT: FRATTINI-STRAW MEETING READOUT 
 
 
Classified By: DCM EMIL SKODON.  REASON: 1.5 (B)(D) 
 
1. (C) Summary: During an August 29 meeting in Rome, FM 
Frattini and UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw agreed on the 
necessity of a quick finish for the Intergovernmental 
Conference on the EU constitution, but Straw cautioned that 
some items in the current draft would need clarification 
before it would be acceptable to UK lawmakers.  They agreed 
that the discussion of EU security structures should be 
brought back to the EU at 15 (25).  Straw welcomed Frattini's 
proposal for a MEPP Quartet meeting on the margins of the 
UNGA, and both thought it unlikely that France would agree to 
list Hamas on a terrorist "black list".  Straw registered 
Frattini's concern that the arms sanctions against Libya were 
impeding Tripoli's ability to deal with illegal immigration, 
but underlined that Qadhafi had a long list of conditions to 
satisfy before sanctions could be lifted.  Straw agreed to 
take under consideration Frattini's concerns on the UK 
proposal for UNSC reform.  End Summary. 
 
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Constitution/IGC 
---------------- 
 
2. (C) On September 3, MFA Western Europe Office Director Pio 
Mariani briefed poloff on FM Frattini's August 29 meeting 
with UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.  They spent a 
significant portion of the meeting discussing the draft EU 
constitution and Intergovernmental Conference, scheduled to 
begin on October 4 in Rome.  Frattini stressed the GOI's 
preference to finish the IGC by the end of the Italian 
Presidency, in order to complete the three-month translation 
process into all EU 
languages prior to the spring European Parliamentary 
elections and formal accession of new members.  Therefore, 
emphasized Frattini, the IGC could not reopen large areas of 
the current draft for extended debate; its role will be to 
fine tune and perhaps give a bit more detail and precision to 
the existing language. 
 
3. (C) Straw agreed in principle that a December finish to 
the IGC would be optimal, but had reservations about 
Frattini's minimalist view of the role of the IGC.  He said 
that the document would need consensus not just among the 
framers, but among all citizens of EU member states - most or 
all would be voting for or against the document in referenda. 
 In the UK, for instance, there was substantial concern among 
MPs and ordinary citizens over defense/security issues, the 
authority of the new "Minister of Foreign Affairs for Europe" 
and his/her role in international organizations and the 
question of whether unanimity would be retained for decisions 
dealing with EU finances and Common Foreign and Security 
Policy.  These are red lines for the British, and Straw 
thought it was possible that the UK would have some 
"alternate wording" for the draft constitution ready to 
present at the September 5-6 informal EU FMs' meeting 
(Gymnich) at Riva del Garda. 
 
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Gang of Four 
------------ 
 
4. (C) Straw and Frattini agreed that the German, French, 
Belgian, Luxembourger proposal to establish a separate ESDP 
planning operation at Terverun was not acceptable.   Straw 
said that if the EU started now down the road towards 
dismantling the Berlin-plus agreement, within ten years there 
would be little left of the transatlantic alliance.  Straw 
and Frattini agreed that one goal of the IGC should be to 
bring debate on security and foreign policy back to 15 (25). 
 
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MEPP 
---- 
 
5. (C) Frattini underlined the need for a regional "Marshall 
Plan" to improve the economic status of individuals on all 
sides of the conflict.  Straw agreed to Frattini's proposal 
for a Quartet meeting on the margins of UNGA on September 22. 
 Hamas is on the agenda for the Gymnich, but Frattini and 
Straw concurred that French agreement to add Hamas to the 
terrorist "black list" was unlikely. 
 
---- 
Iran 
---- 
 
6. (C) Straw raised the case of former Iranian Ambassador to 
Argentina Hadi Soleimanpour, arrested and ordered held in 
London on August 21 for alleged complicity in the 1994 
bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires.  He asked 
Frattini for continued Italian support in explaining to the 
Government of Iran that there was little HMG could do to get 
the courts to drop the case.  Mariani said that Italy had in 
fact already made a number of demarches in Tehran, urging the 
Iranians not to blow the case out of proportion, and 
stressing that Iran "needs all the friends it can get". 
Threatening to lower diplomatic relations with the UK, and by 
extension the EU, would not elevate Iran's standing in the 
eyes of the international community. 
 
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Libya 
----- 
 
7. (C) Frattini said that he hoped the French would soon 
reach a satisfactory agreement with Libya, as the UK had, 
over the Lockerbie bombing.  The government of Italy wants to 
start discussions, first in Brussels then, after a common EU 
position is forged, at the UN on lifting, at least partially, 
arms sales sanctions against Libya.  Frattini told Straw that 
Libya does not have the tools to control its own borders and 
the increasing flow of illegal aliens into Italy and other EU 
countries.  Straw did not discount the possibility of 
eventual discussions on sanctions, but noted that an 
agreement with France is just one in a series of conditions 
that Libya must satisfy before the UN sanctions are lifted. 
 
----------------------- 
Security Council Reform 
----------------------- 
 
8. (C) Frattini told Straw that the British initiative on UN 
Security Council reform had "created problems" for Italy. 
Simply enlarging the number of Permanent Members (which would 
exclude Italy) seemed unfair to Frattini and would create 
problems with other large excluded countries in South America 
and Asia.  A more equitable plan, pushed by Italy, would 
expand the number of non-permanent members on a more frequent 
rotation based on "benchmarks".  Straw promised only to take 
Frattini's concerns under consideration.  Mariani noted that 
under the British plan, France, UK, and Germany would have 
permanent seats in the Security Council, effectively killing 
any debate on the possibility of moving to a single EU seat. 
SEMBLER 
 
 
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 2003ROME04022 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL