US embassy cable - 04ROME3847

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003847 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PARM, IT, EUN 
SUBJECT: EU/LIBYA ARMS EMBARGO - ITALY WON'T RISK 
REQUESTING PULLBACK TO PARTIAL LIFTING 
 
REF: STATE 207640 
 
Classifie By: A/DCM TOM COUNTRYMAN.  REASON:1.5 (B)(D) 
 
1. (C)  MFA Director for EU CFSP Luigi Mattiol/ told poloff 
on October 1 that he saw "little or no chance" that the 
October 11 GAERC will not approve the COREPER recommendation 
that Qhe EU arms embargo be lifted in its entirety.  Qrocess to 
partially l 
ift September in an effort tools it 
needed to contrtop illegal 
immigra.  Mattiolo was veryal was accepted with vd other member 
 state pe 
rmQ`h `re the US to halt some assferring country.  He said hifting 
the embargo wo`n strengthening the EU transfer, to include 
aing mechanism 
and increase`lly 
with regard to weap`ntries recently 
subject to an embargo. 
 
3. (C) When pressed, Mattiolo confirmed that Italy was 
willing to accept a partial lifting, and still would if it 
was proposed and clear it would reach quick consensus.  Italy 
would not, underlined Mattiolo, propose such a measure 
itself. He stressed the immediate illegal immigration 
concerns driving Italian policy, and said that Italy would 
not risk sabotaging the progress made thus far and "starting 
all over again in Brussels." 
 
4. (C) Comment:  Illegal immigration from Libya remains one 
of the hottest political issues in Italy.  Once the "two 
Simonas" were released from captivity in Iraq, the issue 
reassumed its place among the top headlines in national 
dailies.  It is highly unlikely that the government will do 
anything that risks undermining what it considers as real 
progress in stemming this flow across the Mediterranean, for 
instance, Tripoli's agreement to accept the return of the 
latest group of clandestine immigrants. 
 
 
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	2004ROME03847 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL