US embassy cable - 03ROME5179

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 005179 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/RPM, EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2013 
TAGS: PREL, IT, EUN, ESDP, NATO 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN EU PRESIDENCY - RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE FOR 
NOVEMBER 17-18 EU FM MEETING 
 
REF: A. A) STATE 313871 
 
         B. B) ROME 5093 
     C. C) STATE 315022 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL-MILITARY COUNSELOR GARY ROBBINS FOR REASONS 1. 
5(B),(D) 
 
1. (C) ESDP: IN RESPONSE TO REFTEL A POINTS, MFA 
INTERLOCUTORS REITERATED ITALY'S VIEW EXPRESSED IN REFTEL B 
AND PREVIOUS; THAT THE CHANGES UNDER CONSIDERATION IN THE IGC 
DEALING WITH ESDP ARE DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN, NOT 
MARGINALIZE, THE TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP.  MFA NATO OFFICE 
DIRECTOR GIOVANNI BRAUZZI TOOK ISSUE WITH THE WORDING OF SOME 
OF REFTEL A POINTS, PARTICULARLY THE MEANING OF A "SERIOUS" 
EU OPERATION.  POLMILOFF SUGGESTED THAT "SERIOUS" COULD BE 
INTERPRETED AS "EXTENSIVE."  BRAUZZI ALSO ASKED FOR 
CLARIFICATION ON WHETHER REFTEL A POINTS WERE MEANT TO 
INDICATE THAT ALL EU OPERATIONS, RATHER THAN JUST CRISIS 
MANAGEMENT/BERLIN PLUS TYPE, SHOULD BE CONDUCTED IN 
PARTNERSHIP WITH NATO. 
 
2. (C) COMMENTING ON THE THIRD TALKING POINT, BRAUZZI 
EMPHASIZED THAT STRUCTURED COOPERATION IS A WAY TO BUILD 
CLOSER COOPERATION AMONG SOME COUNTRIES ON PREPAREDNESS FOR 
MORE ROBUST MISSIONS.  HE SAID BERLIN-PLUS ADDRESSES HOW 
NON-EU ALLIES CAN JOIN IN EU OPERATIONS AND STRESSED THAT 
ITALY FAVORS MULTILATERALISM AND OPPOSES MULTIPOLARISM. 
(NOTE: THE US-EU TROIKA ON NOVEMBER 18 MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNE 
TIME TO CLARIFY THESE POINTS FOR THE PRESIDENCY, SHOULD TIME 
PERMIT. END NOTE.) 
 
3.  (C) MFA ESDP COORDINATOR AND EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT 
    SANDRO DE BERNADIN SAID THAT THE US AND ITALY SHARE THE SAME 
CONCERNS OVER PRESERVING THE PRIMACY OF BERLIN-PLUS IN 
DEFINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ESDP AND NATO.  HE URGED 
THE US TO TRUST ITALY AND LIKE-MINDED ALLIES TO DO THE RIGHT 
THING IN THE IGC AS IT RELATES TO TRANSATLANTIC SECURITY AND 
OUR CONCERNS OVER DUPLICATION AND CAPABILITIES.  HE SAID THAT 
THE PRESIDENCY WILL WORK TO REFINE THE WORDING OF ARTICLES IN 
THE DRAFT (40.4 AND 40.5) DEALING WITH 
OPERATIONS/IMPLEMENTATION TO MAKE CLEAR THAT ANY DECISION TO 
USE FORCE IS TAKEN AT CONSENSUS (25). 
 
4. (C) IRAQ/IRAN: ITALY TOO WAS PLEASED WITH THE AMOUNT 
CONTRIBUTED FOR IRAQI RECONSTRUCTION AT THE MADRID DONOR'S 
MEETING, ACCORDING TO LUIGI MACCOTTA, DIRECTOR OF THE MFA 
IRAN/IRAQ OFFICE.  ITALY SUPPORTS A RAPID TRANSITION OF POWER 
TO A FUNCTIONING IRAQI GOVERNMENT, BUT ONLY WHEN SECURITY 
CONDITIONS AND GOVERNING CAPABILITIES EXIST FOR SUCH A 
TRANSITION TO SUCCEED, MACCOTTA TOLD POL-MIL OFFICER ON NOV. 
14.   THE REGIONAL DIMENSION IS KEY, HE EMPHASIZED.  REGIONAL 
PLAYERS MUST BE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN 
STABILIZING THE AREA.   MACCOTTA, WHO HAD REVIEWED THE USG 
ANALYSIS OF THE NOV. 10 IAEA DG REPORT ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR 
PROGRAM (REFTEL C), NOTED THAT EU MEMBERS WILL BE DISCUSSING 
THE REPORT IN PREPARATION FOR THE NOV. 20 BOARD OF GOVERNORS 
MEETING AT THE NOV. 17-18 GAERC IN BRUSSELS.   MAXIMUM 
TRANSPARENCY MUST BE INTRODUCED INTO IRAN'S NUCLEAR AFFAIRS, 
HE STRESSED, ADDING THAT ITALY'S PREFERRED APPROACH IS TO 
ENGAGE IRAN AS THE EU3 RECENTLY SUCCEEDED IN DOING. 
SKODON 
 
 

 
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 2003ROME05179 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL