US embassy cable - 03ROME5322

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 005322 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2013 
TAGS: MARR, AF, IT, NATO, UN, AFGHANISTAN, IRAQI FREEDOM 
SUBJECT: ITALIANS EXAMINING ISAF HELO AND OTHER REQUESTS 
FOR MIL ASSISTANCE 
 
REF: A. STATE 317086 
     B. ROME 5217 
     C. BRUSSELS 5294 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASO 
NS 1.5(B)(D) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY. ITALY IS STUDYING REFTEL A REQUEST TO 
CONTRIBUTE HELICOPTERS FOR ISAF, IS LIKELY TO DEPLOY A PRT TO 
GHAZNI, IS UNLIKELY TO RETURN TROOPS TO KHOST AND IS ALMOST 
CERTAIN TO EXTEND ITS MILITARY PARTICIPATION IN IRAQ, 
ACCORDING TO FRANCESCO TRUPIANO, DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR TO DEFMIN 
MARTINO.  A PARLIAMENTARY VOTE ON EXTENDING THE IRAQ MISSION 
WILL PROBABLY OCCUR IN MID-JANUARY, TRUPIANO TOLD 
POLMINCOUNS, TO ALLOW FOR CONTINUED CONSULTATIONS WITH 
COALITION AND OPPOSITION MEMBERS.  THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO 
APPROACH PARLIAMENT ON THE IRAQ EXTENSION AT THE SAME TIME AS 
IT PRESENTS ITS PROPOSAL FOR A STREAMLINED CONSULTATION 
PROCESS FOR NATO RESPONSE FORCE (NRF) OPERATIONS, HE 
EXPLAINED.  TRUPIANO ALSO GAVE A BRIEF READ-OUT ON SECURITY 
RELATED ASPECTS OF THE NOVEMBER 17 GAERC MEETING.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
HELOS 
----- 
2. (C) ITALY IS CONSIDERING REFTEL A REQUEST FOR HELICOPTERS 
FOR ISAF, ACCORDING TO DEFMIN MARTINO'S DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR, 
FRANCESCO TRUPIANO.  ITALY'S HELO ASSETS ARE IN BIG DEMAND, 
TRUPIANO TOLD POLMINCOUNS ON NOVEMBER 21; THE GOI IS TRYING 
TO BALANCE REQUESTS TO HELP IN THE SUDAN AND AFGHANISTAN 
    WITHOUT WEAKENING SUPPORT FOR OPERATIONS IN PLACES LIKE 
LEBANON (UNIFIL).  REFTEL A POINTS WERE ALSO CONVEYED TO 
VCHOD GENERAL VINCENZO CAMPORINI ON NOVEMBER 17, AND TO MFA 
NATO AFFAIRS OFFICE DIRECTOR GIOVANNI BRAUZZI AND MFA 
AFGHANISTAN AFFAIRS OFFICE DIRECTOR DEMAIO ON NOVEMBER 18. 
POST WILL FOLLOW-UP WITH CAMPORINI AND TRUPIANO FOR AN 
OFFICIAL RESPONSE. 
 
PRT/TROOP REQUESTS 
------------------ 
3. (C) ITALY WILL LIKELY AGREE TO DEPLOY A PROVINCIAL 
RECONSTRUCTION TEAM (PRT) IN AFGHANISTAN, TRUPIANO PREDICTED, 
BUT PROBABLY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEND ANOTHER BATTALION AS 
REQUESTED (SEE ALSO REFTEL B).  THE ITALIAN DEFENSE GENERAL 
STAFF (IDGS) IS STILL PREPARING A FORMAL RESPONSE FOR 
MARTINO'S CONSIDERATION, BUT INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT WILL BE 
POLITICALLY AND LOGISTICALLY DIFFICULT TO RETURN TROOPS TO 
KHOST.  IN ADDITION TO RE-ESTABLISHING THE LOGISTICS CHAIN 
THAT WAS DISMANTLED WHEN THE FOLGORE LEFT IN SEPTEMBER, 
DEPLOYING 1,000 TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN WOULD PUT ITALIAN 
RESOURCES UNDER SEVERE STRAIN AGAIN, TRUPIANO EXPLAINED.  HE 
DOUBTED ITALY COULD SUSTAIN SUCH A SITUATION A SECOND TIME. 
 
4. (C) REDUCTIONS UNDER DISCUSSION IN THE BALKANS, PLUS THE 
UNIT THAT RETURNED FROM KHOST, MAY RELIEVE SOME OF THE 
PRESSURE ON ITALIAN TROOP COMMITMENTS, TRUPIANO SAID, MAKING 
IT EASIER TO DEPLOY A PRT.  WHILE TROOPS IN ALBANIA, ETC. 
AREN'T FUNGIBLE WITH THOSE NEEDED IN AFGHANISTAN, THEY MAY BE 
ABLE TO FREE-UP UNITS THAT ARE.  TIMING OF THE DEPLOYMENT 
WILL BE IMPORTANT TO JUGGLING AVAILABLE TROOPS.   WHEN THE 
JOINT MFA/MOD TEAM RETURNS FROM GHAZNI WITH A REPORT ON 
    PROJECTED REQUIREMENTS FOR A PRT (I.E., THE NUMBER/TYPE OF 
TROOPS NEEDED, REQUIREMENTS FOR CIVILIAN ASSISTANCE, 
LOGISTICS OF GHAZNI AREA, ETC.), THE MOD WILL HAVE A BETTER 
IDEA OF WHAT TYPE OF MILITARY SUPPORT THEY'LL NEED TO DEPLOY, 
AND WHEN, IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE CIVILIAN SIDE OF THE PRT. 
 
FLAGS TO POST 
------------- 
5. (C) TRUPIANO RAISED ITALY'S CONTINUED DISSATISFACTION WITH 
GEN. KUJAT'S FLAGS TO POST PROPOSAL AT NATO, AND REPEATED 
THAT ITALY FOUND IT NOT ONLY UNACCEPTABLE BUT OFFENSIVE, AS 
DEFMIN MARTINO HAD TOLD SECDEF DURING THEIR OCTOBER 8 MEETING 
IN COLORADO.  THERE SHOULD BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THE GRAVITY OF 
THE ISSUE FOR ITALY, TRUPIANO NOTED; MARTINO HAD RAISED IT 
WITH SECDEF, FM FRATTINI ADDRESSED IT WITH SECRETARY POWELL, 
AMB MORENO DISCUSSED IT WITH AMB. BURNS, ALONG WITH 
NEGOTIATIONS IN OTHER FORA.  ITALY WILL CONTINUE TO BREAK 
SILENCE ON THE PROPOSAL, EVEN AT THE MINISTERIAL LEVEL, 
TRUPIANO SAID.  NEGOTIATIONS ARE UNDERWAY WITH THE UK AND 
WITH OTHER KEY ALLIES, HE ADDED.  POLMINCOUNS ASSURED 
TRUPIANO THAT THE USG WILL SUPPORT WHATEVER SOLUTION ITALY 
AND ITS EUROPEAN ALLIES REACH ON THE ISSUE. 
 
ROME 00005322  001.2 OF 002 
 
N 
 
ROME 00005322  002.1 OF 002 
 
HE NOVEMBER 17 GAERC MEETING WERE ENCOURAGING, TRUPIANO 
REPORTED (SEE REFTEL C).  ALL EU MEMBERS (VICE FOUR) WILL BE 
INVOLVED IN DECIDING AMONGST THE VARIOUS PROPOSALS FOR 
BUILDING AN EU MILITARY PLANNING CAPACITY.  MINISTERS HAD 
SPECIFICALLY ENDORSED THE NEED TO AVOID DUPLICATION AND 
ENSURE COMPATIBILITY WITH NATO.  TRUPIANO NOTED THAT A 
PRECEDENT HAS BEEN FIRMLY SET TO HAVE THE NATO SECGEN (OR 
DEPSECGEN) PARTICIPATE IN ALL EU DEFENSE-RELATED 
MINISTERIALS, WITH RECIPROCAL ATTENDANCE BY SOLANA OR HIS 
DEPUTY AT APPROPRIATE NATO MEETINGS.  INCOMING EU PRESIDENCY 
IRELAND PLANNED TO CONTINUE THE PRACTICE, ACCORDING TO 
TRUPIANO. 
 
7. (C) ITALY WAS PLEASED THAT EU MEMBERS APPROVED THE 
APPROACH IT PROPOSED, AS EU PRESIDENT, FOR BUILDING CAPABLE, 
INTEROPERABLE MILITARY FORCES BY 2010, TRUPIANO SAID.  WHILE 
THE ITALIAN PAPER ON THE SUBJECT WASN'T FORMALLY APPROVED AT 
THE EU MINISTERS' MEETING ON NOVEMBER 17 BECAUSE FRANCE AND 
THE UK HAD ALSO SUBMITTED PROPOSALS, THE MORE GENERAL ITALIAN 
APPROACH WAS.  TRUPIANO EMPHASIZED THAT THE TIMELINE SET 
FORTH IN THE ITALIAN PAPER DELIBERATELY MATCHES NATO'S 
SCHEDULE FOR ACHIEVING AN INTEROPERABLE FORCE. 
 
8. (C) MARTINO WAS ALSO ENCOURAGED THAT EU MINISTERS 
SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF PLACING THE NEW EUROPEAN DEFENSE AGENCY 
UNDER EU DEFENSE MINISTERS' DIRECTION, ACCORDING TO TRUPIANO. 
 THIS WILL ENSURE THAT THE AGENCY RETAINS A PRIMARY FOCUS ON 
    DEFENSE POLICY RATHER THAN INDUSTRIAL POLICY, AS MARTINO HAS 
OFTEN URGED.  THE AGENCY ESTABLISHMENT TEAM, CREATED BY THE 
EU MINISTERS TO EXAMINE THE LINKS BETWEEN THE AGENCY AND 
EXISTING ENTITIES LIKE OCAAR, COREPAR, AND NATIONAL DEFMINS, 
WILL PRESENT ITS RECOMMENDATIONS BY JUNE 2004, HE NOTED, AND 
THE AGENCY SHOULD BE UP AND RUNNING BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR. 
 
SEMBLER 
 
ROME 00005322  002.2 OF 002 
 
N 
 
 
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 2003ROME05322 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED