US embassy cable - 03ROME4460

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 004460 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
PARIS PLEASE PASS TO U/S BOLTON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2013 
TAGS: EU, IT, MARR, PHUM, PREL, EUN 
SUBJECT: ARTICLE 98/ITALY: NO CHANGE IN ROME'S POSITION 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL MINISTER-COUNSELOR THOMAS COUNTRYMAN, REASONS 
1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1. (C) DURING A SEPTEMBER 26 MEETING DEVOTED TO OTHER ISSUES, 
POL MC RAISED THE ISSUE OF ARTICLE 98 AGREEMENTS WITH CLAUDIO 
    PAGE 02        ROME  04460  291757Z 
BISOGNIERO, DEPUTY TO MFA POLITICAL DIRECTOR ARAGONA.  NOTING 
THE SCHEDULED OCTOBER 1 MEETING BETWEEN UNDERSECRETARY BOLTON 
AND ARAGONA, POL MC REMINDED ARAGONA THAT THE USG CONTINUES 
TO ATTACH GREAT IMPORTANCE TO PROTECTION OF AMERICAN 
PERSONNEL, AS ALLOWED BY THE TREATY OF ROME.  SOME 65 
COUNTRIES HAVE NOW SIGNED ARTICLE 98 AGREEMENTS WITH THE US. 
WE REMAIN EAGER TO BUILD ON THIS MOMENTUM BY CONVINCING OUR 
CLOSEST FRIENDS IN THE EU TO JOIN THIS GROUP.  POL MC ASKED 
IF ITALIAN THINKING ON THE ISSUE HAD EVOLVED RECENTLY. 
 
2. (C) BISOGNIERO NOTED THAT IT WAS ITALY AND LIKE-MINDED 
COUNTRIES, NOTABLY THE UK, WHICH HAD PREVENTED THE EU, LAST 
YEAR AND AGAIN THIS YEAR, FROM ESTABLISHING A MORE HARD-LINE 
POSITION ON THE NEGOTIATION OF SUCH AGREEMENTS.  ITALY 
SUBSCRIBES FULLY TO THE COMMON EU POSITION, WHICH DOES NOT 
RULE OUT BILATERAL AGREEMENTS AS LONG AS CERTAIN CRITERIA ARE 
MET.  BISOGNIERO SAID THAT THIS ITALIAN POSITION HAD NOT 
CHANGED SINCE THE BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS IN ROME LAST OCTOBER 
WITH AMBASSADOR LINO.  AS USEFUL AS THOSE DISCUSSIONS HAD 
BEEN, ITALY WAS STILL AWAITING ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS 
REFERRED BACK TO WASHINGTON, ESPECIALLY ON THE CENTRAL ISSUE 
OF SCOPE.  WHILE THE MFA IS ALWAYS HAPPY TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE 
WITH U/S BOLTON, IT VIEWED REACHING A COMMON DEFINITION OF 
SCOPE AS ESSENTIAL TO MOVING FORWARD ON AN AGREEMENT. 
SEMBLER 
 
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 2003ROME04460 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL