US embassy cable - 04ROME3061

UNCLAS  ROME 003061 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR PM/PPA: RACHEL FEATHERSTONE; EUR/PGI:TABITHA OMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPKO, MARR, MOPS, PGOV, PREL, IT 
SUBJECT: US AND ITALY MOVE AHEAD ON G-8 INTERNATIONAL 
CONSTABULARY TRAINING CENTER 
 
REF: A) ROME 2692 B) STATE 143267 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
1.  A State/DOD delegation, led by Acting DAS for Regional 
Security (PM) Elena Kim-Mitchell, visited Rome and Vicenza on 
July 19-21 to discuss the U.S.-Italian joint initiative for a 
G-8 sponsored Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units 
(COESPU).  The delegation met with the MFA and Carabinieri in 
Rome and the director of the Carabinieri training facility in 
Vicenza.  The MFA expressed strong support for the 
initiative, noted that resources (to bring trainees) would 
likely be needed, and agreed to work with the U.S. to 
identify and reach out to countries likely to be interested 
in developing gendarme units for international peace support 
operations (PSOs).  The Carabinieri were enthusiastic about 
hosting the COESPU, and proposed to train approximately 3,000 
trainers over the next five years through  "train the 
trainer" programs and pre-deployment training for gendarme 
units to participate in PSOs.  The existing Carabinieri 
training facility at Vicenza is completely ready to house and 
instruct this number of trainees.  The U.S. and Italians 
agreed that the Carabinieri will prepare training curricula, 
terms of reference, a budget, and a project proposal 
identifying resource gaps for circulation among G-8 partners 
in September.  Italy agreed to host a seminar to review the 
COESPU,s training program, which could include participation 
by G-8 partners, relevant international organizations, and 
European Gendarmerie countries in Fall 2004.  End Summary. 
 
Background: Sea Island 
---------------------- 
 
2.  As part of the June 2004 Sea Island Summit, G-8 partners 
addressed the need for more gendarme-like forces in PSOs. 
G-8 member states committed to support Italy in establishing 
the COESPU to foster the development of international 
gendarme/constabulary peacekeeping forces. 
 
Follow-up: U.S. Delegation to Rome and Vicenza 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
3.  On July 19-21, a State/DOD delegation traveled to Italy 
to consult with the MFA and Carabinieri on their current 
plans and begin working out the details of the COEPSU. 
Delegation members accompanying Acting DAS Kim-Mitchell 
included Rachel Featherstone (PM/PPA), Tabitha Oman 
(EUR/PGI), and Col. Dallas Brown (Office of the Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity 
 
SIPDIS 
Conflict).  Army Attache Col. Elliot Rosner and Pol-Mil 
Officer Lee R. Brown joined the delegation from Embassy Rome. 
 
4.  The team met for an in-depth discussion on July 19 with 
Giampiero Massolo, Director of the Italian MFA,s 
Multilateral and Political Affairs Directorate.  Also present 
at the MFA meeting were heads of relevant offices in the 
Italian MFA and MOD, including G-8 Office Head Giampaolo 
Cantini, who has the lead for the MFA on the COESPU project. 
The Carabinieri Vice Commander-General Salvatore Fenu also 
received the delegation on July 19 at the Carabinieri 
Headquarters.  Col. Domenico Libertini led the technical 
discussions that followed on the COESPU project for the 
Carabinieri.  On July 21, the team traveled to Vicenza to see 
the prospective location for the COESPU at the Carabinieri,s 
training facility. 
 
Agreement on Approach 
--------------------- 
 
6.  The Italian interlocutors confirmed that the COESPU will 
be located at the Carabinieri facility in Vicenza.  Both the 
MFA and Carabinieri expressed strong support for Italy,s 
lead in the initiative, which coincides well with plans to 
host the European Gendarme Force headquarters at the Vicenza 
facility. 
 
7.  Carabinieri, MFA, and MOD officials stressed that the 
COESPU enjoys support at the highest levels in the Italian 
government and military.  Indeed, the productive spirit of 
 
 
all meetings epitomized the close relationship of the joint 
U.S.-Italian effort.  There were few, if any, significant 
differences of opinion about facts or goals between Italian 
and U.S. interlocutors.  For this reason, the particular 
points of U.S.-Italian agreement set out below will appear by 
topics, followed by a summary of the next steps to be taken. 
 
Target Number: 3000 Over 5 Years 
--------------------------------------- 
 
8.  Though the G-8 set its headline goal of training 75,000 
military peacekeeping troops by 2010, it set no headline goal 
for numbers of gendarme troops trained.  U.S. and Italian 
colleagues agreed on a prospective COESPU target figure of 
training about 3000 trainers over a five-year period, or 
roughly 600 per year.  Logistically speaking, the Vicenza 
facility could easily manage such a figure. 
 
9.  GOI officials agreed that the number of gendarme trainers 
ultimately receiving instruction at the COESPU should depend 
more on the availability of qualified trainees than on 
prescribed numerical goals.  Early success will be crucial in 
proving gendarme forces can play a useful role in initial 
PSOs and encouraging countries to participate in the training 
program.  It was anticipated that there might be fewer than 
600 trained the first year, but that the goal of 3,000 over 5 
years would undoubtedly be met.  MFA officials took the point 
that quality will be far more important than the absolute 
numbers of trainees -- especially at the start. 
 
Terms of Reference 
------------------ 
 
10.  Carabinieri Col. Libertini agreed to provide the MFA and 
State with a detailed project proposal along with a shorter 
document containing provisional Terms of Reference for the 
COESPU.  This information could then be used to "market" the 
COESPU with prospective participating and contributing 
countries.  Ms. Kim-Mitchell outlined four general U.S. 
goals, which the Italians readily agreed would characterize 
the aims of the center: 
 
-- Fostering interoperability between constabulary units of 
different countries. 
-- Fostering interoperability between constabulary units and 
military units; and between gendarme units and police. 
-- Providing pre-deployment training -- i.e., training and 
preparation for specific peace support missions. 
-- Serving as a repository for doctrine relating to the 
constabulary dimension of peacekeeping operations, promoting 
consistency and commonality with the NATO and EU 
gendarme/constabulary doctrine. 
 
Recruitment of Trainees 
------------------------ 
 
11.  U.S. and Italian colleagues agreed that COESPU,s focus 
should be global.  The goal for the COESPU should be to 
develop the strongest possible peacekeeping gendarme 
capability, taking best advantage of available capabilities. 
It will be important to show qualitative success during the 
center,s first year in order to ensure support and attract 
more countries in the future.  The U.S. and Italy will work 
together to identify countries with the political will and 
institutional capability to field gendarme peacekeeping 
forces. 
 
The COESPU Facility 
-------------------- 
 
12.  The delegation agreed that the facility in Vicenza is 
already essentially prepared to house the COESPU.  The 
compound was extensively modified and modernized to suit the 
Carabinieri,s training needs and is a perfect facility for 
the COESPU. 
 
13.  The Vicenza center will also serve as the home for the 
soon-to-be-launched European Gendarmerie HQ.  The Italian, 
French, Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish governments have 
agreed in principle to create such a force, which would be 
 
 
used for peacekeeping purposes as part of the EU,s European 
Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) and coordinated with NATO 
in accordance with the Berlin Plus agreements.  The five 
countries will sign the formal agreement creating the 
European Gendarmerie in September 2005.  The HQ staff would 
consist of 30-40 gendarme officers from all five countries. 
The Carabinieri look forward to constructive interaction 
between the European Gendarmerie HQ and the COESPU at the 
Vicenza facility. 
 
Curriculum and Staff 
-------------------- 
 
14.  The COEPSU training courses will not only consist of 
train-the-trainer-courses, but also courses for military 
commanders and pre-deployment training.  The Carabinieri are 
currently drafting a curriculum for the first COESPU course 
for mid-level trainers (approximately 4-6 weeks long), to be 
offered in early 2005.  Ms. Kim-Mitchell emphasized that the 
curriculum should include segments on human rights, the Rule 
of Law, trafficking in persons, and working with NGOs, and 
left copies of curriculum used in U.S. peacekeeping programs 
for informational purposes. 
 
15.  The Carabinieri will provide teaching and administrative 
staff to start up the courses at the COESPU, but it will be 
critical to the ultimate success of the COESPU to have G-8 
members such as the U.S., France, and other interested 
nations and international organizations also contribute 
personnel to the staff. 
 
Resources Required 
------------------ 
 
16.  The Carabinieri were not concerned with finding 
resources for the COESPU facility as they believe that is in 
good shape.  However, the MFA raised the issue of resources 
with the delegation and stressed that Italy,s contribution 
to the COESPU will be limited to providing the facility along 
with training and administrative personnel.  Ms. Kim-Mitchell 
suggested to the MFA that U.S. resources might best be used 
to help support bringing students to the center.  She 
requested that the MFA and Carabinieri create a list of 
resource gaps that need to be addressed, for support by the 
other G-8 members. 
 
Next Steps 
---------- 
 
17.  The Carabinieri suggested that the first class of the 
COESPU could begin as soon as early 2005.  Prior to that, the 
concept needs to be refined, the curriculum needs to be 
finalized, G-8 and other partners need to be invited to 
provide support, and the first groups of trainees need to be 
identified. 
 
18.  The U.S. and Italian colleagues agreed on the following 
steps to reach those goals: 
 
--  The Carabinieri will produce a brief descriptive document 
before the end of August with terms of reference and an 
outline of the initial curriculum.  This brochure, after 
being cleared by the U.S., will be used to both solicit 
contributions for the center and to solicit personnel to be 
trained from selected countries. 
 
--  The Carabinieri will draft a general project proposal for 
the COESPU for circulation among G-8 partners in September 
(following U.S. clearance).  The Carabinieri will outline 
specific gaps that should be addressed by contributing 
partners so that when the proposal is passed around to the 
other G-8 members, they can be addressed. 
 
-- State and the MFA will work together to identify and 
select target countries capable of providing qualified 
trainees for the first few classes in 2005. 
 
--  State and the MFA will coordinate an approach to the 
selected target countries. 
 
 
--  The Carabinieri will develop the curriculum for the 2005 
training program, adopting standards from MSU training and 
including parameters for levels of competency of incoming 
students.  Doctrine will be developed in keeping with EU 
standards and adapted to NATO standards as those are 
developed. 
 
--  The Carabinieri will produce a list of essential 
equipment needed for training for gendarme operations in a 
foreign environment. 
 
--  The Carabinieri will calculate an administrative and 
material budget along with "tuition" (cost per head) for 
trainees. 
 
--  The Carabinieri will host a seminar in Fall 2004 for 
representatives from countries with established gendarme 
forces and from multilateral and regional organizations 
involved in peacekeeping operations. 
 
Brindisi Visit 
-------------- 
 
19.  In support of the G-8 initiative to establish a 
transportation and logistics support arrangement, the 
delegation traveled to Brindisi on July 20 to visit the UN 
Logistics Base (UNLB).  The delegation was very impressed 
with the facilities and took away many lessons learned from 
the UNLB,s experiences. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
20.  The MFA and Carabinieri were both very supportive of the 
concept and are eager to move forward.  However, there was an 
obvious lack of communication between the MFA and the 
Carabinieri on the COEPSU project and it will be critical to 
keep both of them informed and involved as the project moves 
forward.  End comment. 
 
Visit Rome's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/rome/index.cf m 
 
SEMBLER 
 
 
NNNN 
 2004ROME03061 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED