US embassy cable - 04ROME668

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ROME 000668 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2014 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, MOPS, AF, IT, EUN, AFGHANISTAN 
SUBJECT: MFA U/S BONIVER ON AFGHANISTAN:  PRT, RESPONSE TO 
GAERC, BERLIN CONFERENCE, ELECTIONS 
 
REF: A. STATE 34712 
     B. USNATO 144 
     C. ROME 640 
     D. 03 ROME 4155 
 
Classified By: DCM EMIL SKODON, REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  In a February 20 meeting with Charge, MFA 
U/S Boniver conveyed the GOI's irritation at the USG's 
last-minute request that Italy lead a PRT in Afghanistan 
somewhere other than Ghazni, despite months of planning 
prompted by a specific U.S. request.  She said Italy hoped to 
maintain economic contributions to Afghanistan at the same 
level -- around 45-50 million Euro -- annually for the next 
three years.  She expressed "theoretical" satisfaction with 
progress on judicial reform in Afghanistan, given the fact 
that no semblance of a judicial system exists in Afghanistan 
as a base.  Finally, she suggested that parliamentary 
elections might need to be postponed, but the international 
community must strengthen and support the Karzai 
administration.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C)  Charge, accompanied by Poloffs, called on MFA U/S 
for Asia and Human Rights Margherita Boniver February 20 to 
deliver Ref A GAERC demarche and discuss Afghanistan prior to 
the spring Berlin conference.  Somewhat more mildly than we 
had expected, Boniver conveyed the GOI's "embarrassment" and 
irritation at the last-minute request by the USG that Italy 
switch gears to lead a PRT in Afghanistan in a place other 
than Ghazni.  Months of careful planning had gone into making 
the Ghazni PRT possible, she pointed out, at the USG's 
specific request.  Charge explained the new security analysis 
that made the change advisable, assured Boniver that the 
change had nothing to do with Italy or our confidence in 
Italy's capabilities, and acknowledged the inconvenience the 
abrupt change had caused GOI officials.  Boniver let the 
matter drop, saying Italy was now beginning to consider which 
new location it would assume, and by March 31 in Berlin, she 
hoped to be able to announce where. 
 
3.  (C)  Charge shared points in Ref A GAERC demarche 
(previously shared with the MFA, Ref C), expressed 
appreciation for Italy's contributions to Afghanistan, and 
asked for GOI assistance in doing not only what it could, but 
also in urging other nations to do as much as possible to 
help the Afghans meet budgetary needs.  He noted the expected 
U.S. one billion dollar pledge.  Boniver said Italy hoped to 
be able to make its own three-year pledge, with contributions 
remaining on the current scale of 45-50 million Euro/year. 
(Her Chief of Staff emphasized that Italy's annual 
contributions were closer to 45-47 million Euro/year than to 
50.  Italy pledged 47.3 million Euro at Tokyo, and has 
exceeded that pledge in recent disbursements (see Ref D).) 
Boniver stated this was in addition to expenses associated 
with Italy's role as lead nation for Afghan judicial reform. 
(NOTE:  According to figures from the MFA's Development 
Directorate General, Italy's pledges include money toward 
judicial reform efforts.)  Boniver will lead the Italian 
delegation to the Berlin conference. 
 
4.  (C)  Responding to Charge's inquiry, Boniver said that 
from a "theoretical point of view," Italian-led efforts 
toward judicial reform in Afghanistan were going very well. 
Judge Di Gennaro has worked extremely well and has completed 
a new condensed version of an Afghan penal code that awaits 
only Karzai's approval.  Her satisfaction had to be 
"theoretical," she explained, because nothing existed in 
Afghanistan in terms of judicial infrastructure on which the 
Italian efforts could build.  Nothing resembled democratic 
judicial fixtures; there were no codes, no prisons, no 
judges.  Training will begin on February 21 of the first of 
some 450 Afghan judicial officials (lawyers and judges) to be 
trained over the next two months.  This would also be 
supervised by Di Gennaro.  Training will occur in Rome and 
Turin. 
 
5.  (C)  Boniver shared her thoughts on the timetable for 
Afghan elections, noting it would require thorough discussion 
in Berlin.  Presidential elections are "absolutely necessary 
and fantastic," she said.  But perhaps "we will need to 
procrastinate a bit" on legislative elections.  If only eight 
percent of the population is registered to vote, that is not 
enough.  Regardless, the international community must 
continue to strengthen President Karzai and his 
administration. 
 
 
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 2004ROME00668 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL