US embassy cable - 03ROME5363

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ROME 005363 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2013 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, IS, SY, IT, EUN 
SUBJECT: ITALY: ON SYRIA TO PRESENT VIEWS ON NEGOTIATIONS 
WITH ISRAEL 
 
Classified By: POL M/C Tom Countryman for Reasons 1.5 (b) 
and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: MFA Eastern Mediterranean Office Chief, Luca 
Ferrari gave a read-out on MFA Mediterranean and Middle East 
Director General Riccardo Sessa's recent trip to Syria. Sessa 
traveled to Syria to inform GOS officials of the need to do 
more on the Arab-Israeli conflict if they want to advance the 
EU-Syria Cooperation agreement. Italy invited GOS officials 
to come to Rome November 27-28 for closed talks to discuss a 
Syrian approach to peace talks with Israel. Italy is 
concerned that Syria may overlook other issues due to its 
focus on Israel and that friendly overtures by the EU could 
lead to incongruence between US and EU positions on important 
issues in the region. Ferrari also described a lack of 
understanding and appreciation for the Israeli position by 
many EU member-states and a concern over USG leadership in 
the region. End Summary 
 
Syria 
----------- 
2. (C) Sessa traveled to Syria without representation from 
other EU member-states. Ferrari stated that the GOI decided 
to take this approach since Italy has a good relationship 
with Syria and could speak more frankly and accomplish more 
if unhindered by other EU representatives.  He stated that 
the main purpose of the trip was to send a clear message to 
the Syrians that, although they have done some work to bring 
stability to and solve problems in the region, such as voting 
in favor of resolution 1511, working on the Iraq border issue 
and supporting the fight against terrorism, they need to do 
more in relation to the Arab-Israeli conflict if they want to 
advance the EU-Syria Cooperation agreement and find a way out 
of their current position of isolation. 
 
3. (C) The Italians asked the Syrians to begin searching for 
solutions and send clear messages to Jerusalem and Washington 
that they are serious about working to find a solution. The 
GOI extended an invitation to the GOS to come to Rome to 
conduct closed talks to explore solutions. The Syrians 
accepted the offer and Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Maullem 
agreed to come to Rome in November 27-28. According to 
Ferrari, the Syrians had already been approached by other EU 
members on this same issue but accepted only Italy's offer 
due to Italy's close relation with Syria and Rome's close 
ties to Washington and Jerusalem. Ferrari stated that this 
meeting will be low-key and may not produce any results, but 
is a positive start to a good initiative. 
 
4. (C) Ferrari stated that the Syrians have a complicated 
regime and it is hard to know what they are thinking. 
However, it is evident that they are currently weak and their 
economy is faltering. According to Ferrari, the cronies of 
the Syrian regime live off of a corrupt system that is 
dependent on the economy and thus need to maintain a growing 
economy and cannot afford economic isolation. Under the 
circumstances, the EU-Syria Cooperation agreement can help 
Syria salvage its economy while providing the EU leverage in 
convincing the Syrians to act responsibly. Ferrari further 
stressed that this dialogue and the cooperation agreement are 
important for the EU and come under the EuroMed framework. 
 
5. (C) Pol M/C appreciated Italy's efforts to get Syria to 
act responsibly, but expressed the following concerns 
regarding the Italian initiative and the EU-Syria Cooperation 
agreement. By directing Syria's focus towards Israel, Pol M/C 
expressed concern that other issues, such as Hezbollah, the 
Iraq border and terrorism may be overlooked. Furthermore, Pol 
M/C stated that it must be made clear that focusing on Israel 
and progressing on that issue alone does not mean all other 
issues will be solved. He reiterated that the Syrians must 
continue increasing their efforts in the fight against 
terrorism and must deal effectively with the Hezbollah 
problem. On the EU-Syria Cooperation agreement, Pol M/C 
expressed concern about the US and the EU sending conflicting 
messages. He explained that the US's tough stance on 
terrorism could be counterposed to a new EU-Syrian agreement 
as a transatlantic division on a key player in the region. 
Ferrari understood these points and assured Pol M/C that he 
would keep him abreast of any developments and work together 
to avoid any misunderstandings. 
 
EU-Israel 
-------------- 
6. (C) Ferrari also touched upon the EU Association Agreement 
stating that some EU countries felt the EU should use it as 
leverage against Israel in order to show EU muscle. Ferrari 
feels that many EU countries do not fully appreciate Israel's 
situation and furthermore do not understand that the 
 
 
Association Agreement is not meant to be used as a 
sanctioning tool. He stated that there are anywhere from 10 
to 12 EU countries willing to jeopardize the Association 
Agreement by using it as a sanction tool against Israel. 
These members do not appreciate that the same logic apply to 
using cooperation agreements against Libya, Syria or any 
number of other EU partners. 
 
7. (C) Ferrari further stated that many members of the EU are 
upset with Italy for taking a balanced approach towards 
Israel. He feels the Franco-Spanish initiative is not in the 
interest of the EU because it is internally driven and that 
the EU's "messianic" attitude toward Israel is unhealthy. 
 
8. (C) Ferrari expressed hope that, due to the internal 
political challenges currently facing the Israeli government, 
Sharon will begin talking with the new Palestinian 
government, giving Prime Minister Qurei's government an 
opportunity to act more effectively than the previous 
government. 
 
On Washington 
-------------------- 
9. (C) Ferrari expressed concern that there are discrepancies 
between DOS and the White House over policy and action in the 
Middle East which could become more pronounced during the 
upcoming presidential campaign. Although he applauded 
President Bush's recent speech on Democracy and Human Rights 
in the Middle East, he feared that excessive caution in 
implementation would cause American leadership in the Middle 
East to suffer. Pol M/C assured Ferrari, in detail, that the 
White House and the State Department are on the same page and 
that the President is determined to move forward if a new 
Palestinian government provides an opening for peace. 
SEMBLER 
 
 
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	2003ROME05363 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL