US embassy cable - 04ROME3115

UNCLAS ROME 003115 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PBTS, MD, IT, UN 
SUBJECT: ITALY SHARES US CONCERNS OVER RISING TENSIONS IN 
MOLDOVA/TRANSNISTRIA 
 
REF: STATE 169792 
 
1. (SBU) On August 10, MFA Russia/NIS desk officer Lucia 
Pasquilini told poloff that Italy supports a more active EU 
role in addressing the growing tensions in 
Moldova/Transnistria.  Italy supported and awaits the 
conclusions from EU Director General Cooper's fact finding 
mission to Moldova August 9-10.  She said that those 
conclusions would be used as the basis for discussions, and 
hopefully concrete actions, in Brussels.  Italy supports a 
visa ban which would bar travel by Transnistrian officials 
directly involved in school closures.  Pasquilini noted that 
discussions in Brussels were focused on a separate ban to 
deal with this issue specifically, rather than an extension 
of the current ban on visas for those involved in the general 
political situation. 
 
2. (SBU) Pasquilini said that the EU had delivered a demarche 
recently in Moscow to encourage a stronger Russian role in 
solving the conflict.  While there was no indication Moscow 
intended to launch another "Kozak" plan which would shut out 
the ongoing five-sided negotiations, she said it was unlikely 
that Russia would agree to expand the negotiations, even for 
a one-time high-level meeting, to include the EU and US in 
the mediating process.  Pasquilini said that Italy would 
consider a joint US-EU demarche in Moscow to propose the idea 
to the Russians. 
 
Visit Rome's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/rome/index.cf m 
 
SEMBLER 
 
 
NNNN 
 2004ROME03115 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED