US embassy cable - 04ROME1681

S E C R E T ROME 001681 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2008 
TAGS: PTER, EUN, TU, IT 
SUBJECT: PREVENTING TRAVEL TO POSSIBLE KONGRA-GEL 
CONFERENCE: ITALIAN RESPONSE 
 
REF: A. STATE 89155 
     B. 03 ROME 5175 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: ECONOMIC COUNSELOR KATHLEEN REDDY FOR REASONS 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1. (S) INFORMATION IN REFTEL WAS SHARED APRIL 27 WITH PAOLO 
VAIRA OF THE MFA'S COUNTER-TERRORISM OFFICE.  VAIRA AND THE 
DIRECTOR OF THE COUNTER-TERRORISM OFFICE, GIAMPAOLO CANTINI, 
ALREADY HAD SEEN A COPY OF THE U.S. DEMARCHE, WHICH HAD BEEN 
TRANSMITTED BY THE EU COMMISSION - JIM CLOOS - TO MEMBERS OF 
THE COREPER. (NEITHER CANTINI NOR VAIRA WAS AVAILABLE FOR A 
MEETING WITH US PRIOR TO APRIL 27.) 
 
2. (S) VAIRA SAID THAT THE GOI ACUTELY UNDERSTOOD THE 
IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTING KONGRA GEL MEMBERS FROM TRAVELING, 
ESPECIALLY TO IRAQ. WHILE EU CLEARINGHOUSE DECISIONS PERMIT 
BOTH ASSET FREEZING AND A TRAVEL BAN, IN PRACTICALITY, 
RESTRICTING THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE CAN BE MORE DIFFICULT THAN 
FREEZING FUNDS, VAIRA NOTED. IN RESPONSE TO THE U.S. 
DEMARCHE, THE ABSENCE OF SPECIFIC NAMES OF INDIVIDUALS AND 
IDENTIFYING DATA WOULD MAKE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS IMPOSSIBLE, 
HE SAID.  THE U.S. DEMARCHE DOES APPROPRIATELY RAISE THE 
ISSUE OF HOW TO RESTRICT TRAVEL WITHIN, AND FROM, EU 
COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY IN SCHENGEN COUNTRIES, OF INDIVIDUALS 
BELONGING TO LISTED TERRORIST GROUPS. THE GOI FACED THE ISSUE 
DIRECTLY WITH THE TRAVEL OF YOUSSEF NADA AND AHMED NASREDDIN, 
WHO ARE LISTED IN U.N. TERRORIST LISTS, VAIRA REMARKED (REF 
B). 
 
VISIT ROME'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: 
HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/EUR/ROME/INDEX.CF M 
 
SEMBLER