US embassy cable - 04ROME860

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ROME 000860 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2014 
TAGS: MOPS, MARR, PREL, BK, AF, IZ, IT, NATO, AFGHANISTAN, IRAQI FREEDOM 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR BURNS REVIEWS NATO ISSUES WITH ITALIAN 
OFFICIALS 
 
REF: ROME 0703 
 
Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION EMIL SKODON FOR REASONS 1.5(B)(D 
) 
 
 1. (C) Summary. Ambassador Burns discussed the Istanbul 
Summit, the Greater Middle East (GME) Initiative, NATO 
prospects for Iraq and Afghanistan and a successor mission to 
SFOR during Feb. 26-27 meetings with Italian officials, 
journalists and academics in Rome.  Italy is revising its 
plans to set up a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) after 
input from the US and NATO, and is now evaluating the 
possibility of establishing an ISAF PRT and a Forward Support 
Base (FSB), most likely in western Afghanistan.  On the GME, 
the Italians recommended moving forward with both NATO's 
Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and the GME Initiative for the 
time being. By the Istanbul Summit, the Italians hope the 
alliance will be ready to present leaders with a coherent 
approach to the entire "arc of crisis", rather than just the 
GME Initiative and MD. Foreign Minister Frattini will explain 
the Italian proposal when he speaks to the NAC on March 3 
(reftel).  The Summit will also be the time to decide on 
scenarios for NATO participation in Iraq, according to the 
Italians. In moving from SFOR to an EU successor mission, the 
Italians want the Berlin Plus agreement to be followed 
rigorously and stressed the importance of a strong, 
substantive mandate in order to reinforce EU military 
credibility with local players. End Summary. 
 
ISTANBUL SUMMIT 
--------------- 
2. (C) Ambassador Burns discussed priorities for the June 
NATO Summit in Istanbul with Italian officials from the MFA, 
the Prime Minister's office and the MOD while in Rome on Feb. 
26-27.  He welcomed Foreign Minister Franco Frattini's visit 
to NATO on March 3, particularly his speech to the NAC.  MFA 
Political Director General Giancarlo Aragona told Amb. Burns 
that Frattini will present Italy's view of the road to 
Istanbul and beyond (reftel).  Istanbul should provide the 
same direction to NATO's political approach to the "arc of 
crisis" as the Prague Summit did to NATO's military mission, 
Aragona said. Amb. Burns agreed that NATO needs to develop a 
coherent, long-term outreach to the Muslim world.  The G8 
Summit, the US-EU Summit and the NATO Summit provide 
excellent opportunities to do so. Frattini's speech, along 
with US ideas for the Greater Middle East (GME) Initiative, 
provide useful frameworks for discussion, he added. 
 
GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE 
------------------------------ 
3. (C) Amb. Burns thanked Italy for its support for the US-UK 
GME Initiative.  He clarified that the initiative has been 
refined to reflect the preference of several allies not to 
fold NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue into the broader GME 
Initiative.  Both efforts will move forward in parallel.  At 
the April 2 ministerial or at the June Summit, leaders can 
decide what approach will be the most effective strategy for 
engaging the Muslim world.  Aragona agreed that a wider 
conceptual approach to the Middle East is needed as NATO 
expands to address security challenges in the "arc of 
crisis."  The GME Initiative would be a fundamental part of 
NATO's effort to reach out to Muslim countries, he said, but 
it could not be imposed from the outside.  Aragona's 
successor as of March 8, Giampiero Massolo, warned of the 
risk of creating competing efforts.  He suggested using 
existing mechanisms in more creative ways within the 
framework of a unifying concept.  Aragona added that it would 
also be necessary for the GME Initiative to address the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict without falling hostage to it, 
as the Med Dialogue and Barcelona Process have.  Italy will 
help the US move the GME Initiative forward in parallel with 
the Med Dialogue, as long as both are clearly part of a 
coherent strategy, Aragona said.  Italian officials will 
raise the initiative with Egyptian President Mubarak when he 
is in Rome on March 5 and with Spanish officials with whom 
they'll meet later in the month. 
 
4. (C) The US wants to use the Istanbul Summit to open NATO's 
channel to Muslim countries, Amb. Burns told Aragona.  The 
Med Dialogue and the GME Initiative are two parts of the same 
NATO outreach effort.  Aragona encouraged NATO to invite the 
foreign ministers from Med Dialogue countries to the summit 
but was unsure whether it would be the right time to include 
other Muslim countries.  Amb. Burns argued that more debate 
 
 
within NATO is needed to formulate a proposal for alliance 
foreign ministers to consider on April 2.  US officials have 
been discussing the initiative with Muslim leaders, he 
explained, and would continue to do so as the plan evolves. 
 
5. (C) In a separate meeting with Gianni Castellaneta, the 
Prime Minister's Diplomatic Advisor, Amb. Burns listed two 
key GME goals for the Istanbul Summit: 1) strengthen NATO's 
Mediterranean Dialogue and expand it to include more Muslim 
countries, and 2) launch the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, 
import more of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, 
increase resources and expand the number of countries 
involved.  Castellaneta said Italy shares the US's focus on 
the Middle East.  He noted that the GME has been an Italian 
priority for at least a decade.  Iraq, the Middle East Peace 
Process and the GME Initiative are three parts of an overall 
effort to bring democracy and respect for human rights to a 
troubled region, he said.  It will help Egypt, Jordan, 
Pakistan and Turkey sell the concept to their publics if it 
does not appear to be imposed from outside, Castellaneta 
added. 
 
IRAQ 
---- 
6. (C) Amb. Burns noted that the US expects allied leaders to 
agree at the Istanbul Summit to send NATO into Iraq to take 
command of the Polish-led division, if requested by a 
sovereign Iraqi government.  A majority of NATO members 
support this but everyone wants to avoid dividing the 
alliance again over Iraq, he said.  Clarifying NATO's 
military options is the first step, according to Amb. Burns. 
By May, the alliance should be in a position to discuss 
political considerations.  Aragona said Italy hopes NATO will 
be in Iraq sooner rather than later.  He agreed that the 
Summit is the appropriate forum for making such decisions. 
 
AFGHANISTAN 
----------- 
7. (C)  NATO should have an operational plan for expanding 
ISAF beyond Kabul ready for approval at the April 2 Foreign 
Ministers meeting, Amb. Burns said.  Force generation would 
need to be locked in well before then.  An Italian ISAF PRT 
with Forward Support Base (FSB) in the west would fit nicely 
with the plan recently briefed by SACEUR, which initially 
concentrates NATO PRTs in the north and west, Amb. Burns 
explained.  Herat was a likely candidate, but Gen. Jones 
should be Italy's main point of contact on PRT logistics. 
Aragona indicated that an interagency team plans to discuss 
the Italian PRT and FSB with SHAPE on March 2.  Once the US 
and NATO indicated that Ghazni was not the preferred location 
for an Italian PRT, Italy began evaluating other options, 
including in the west, Aragona said. 
 
8. (C) In Amb. Burns' discussion with Diplomatic Advisor 
Castellaneta, he noted that Gen. Jones and Italy's Chief of 
Defense were reviewing options for an Italian PRT, including 
a PRT and FSB at Herat.  Military decision-makers are in the 
best position to determine PRT logistics, such as location, 
he added. Castellaneta agreed, adding that Feyzabad would be 
difficult for Italy but Herat might have some advantages. 
The Prime Minister's Office is studying the possibilities and 
will meet soon with MOD and MFA officials to finalize a plan, 
he said. 
 
BALKANS 
------- 
9. (C) Aragona predicted that the process of establishing an 
EU successor operation to SFOR will alleviate many suspicions 
and demonstrate how effectively NATO and the EU can work 
together.  Amb. Burns stated that the US wants this to be a 
success and added that the US will support the EU's 
preparations at SHAPE through Berlin Plus. The standard in 
setting up the new mission must be effectiveness, not 
theology.  NATO will continue to have a role in defense 
reform, counter-terrorism and capturing indicted war 
criminals, he added.  Aragona agreed that Berlin Plus should 
be applied rigorously, not only because true joint planning 
will be needed for a mission this complex but also because 
Bosnia will set a precedent for future missions.  Sandro De 
Bernandin, MFA Minister for ESDP, added that the mandate for 
the EU mission must be as strong and as substantive as NATO's 
in order to ensure EU credibility in the region. 
 
RUSSIA 
 
 
------ 
10. (C) At the close of his meeting with Amb. Burns, 
Castellaneta raised Prime Minister Berlusconi's friendship 
with Russian President Putin.  Italy believes Putin is truly 
committed to administrative and economic reform, and is 
working to eliminate remnants of Yeltsin patronage, 
Castellaneta said.  While interim reorganizations are being 
handled in an autocratic way, Castellaneta assured Amb. Burns 
that the eventual outcome will be a closer partnership among 
Russia, the US and the EU.  Persuading Putin to attend the 
Istanbul Summit is one of Prime Minister Berlusconi's three 
priorities, he said.  The other two are finding better 
projects for the NATO-Russia Council and between Russia and 
the EU, and improving Russia's relations with the Catholic 
church.  Having Russia as a NATO member would be Italy's 
dream come true, Castellaneta said.   Amb. Burns noted that 
Russia has chosen partnership with NATO, not membership. 
Relations with Russia are slowly improving but tough issues 
still need to be addressed, including Russia's presence in 
Georgia and Moldova and NATO air policing for the Balts and 
Slovenia. 
 
11. (U) Amb. Burns has cleared this cable. 
 
 
MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
 
SEMBLER 
 
 
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 2004ROME00860 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL