US embassy cable - 04ROME4280

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 004280 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2014 
TAGS: OPDC, PHUM, PREL, AORC, KIPR, IS, IT, UNEP, WIPO, ILO, IAEA 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN VIEWS ON ISRAELI WEOG MEMBERSHIP 
 
REF: STATE 235219 
 
Classified By: Pol M/C Tom Countryman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary. Pol M/C discussed reftel demarche with key 
MFA officials on November 5.  While our Italian interlocutors 
are sympathetic to Israel's membership in consultative groups 
at selected UN agencies, it is unlikely to take action in the 
absence of EU consensus and pending the outcome of UNSC 
reform. End summary. 
 
2. (C) Pol M/C delivered reftel demarche to MFA Deputy DG for 
Multilateral Political Affairs Claudio Bisogniero on November 
5.  Also present were Alessandro Busacca, the head of the 
MFA's UN Office, and Luca Ferrari, head of the MFA's Office 
for the Eastern Mediterranean.  Bisogniero's initial reaction 
was that there is a general nodding of heads on this issue 
whenever Italy raises it, but no action is ever taken.  He 
asked us to share responses we had received from other WEOG 
members, so that Italy could see if anyone else is ready to 
stand up and move this issue. 
 
3. (C) Ferrari commented that Italy needs EU consensus before 
it can act, to which Busacca noted that the issue did not 
come up at the latest COMUN (EU meeting on UN issues). 
Bisogniero added that there is a significant difference 
between the WEOG in New York, which does not discuss 
substantive issues other than candidacies, and the WEOG in 
agencies like the IAEA, where Israel holds a very different 
position on non-proliferation matters than other WEOG 
members. 
 
4. (C) Pol M/C responded that, as long as we are discussing 
UN reform, Israel should be granted the same rights as other 
member states, and that its exclusion from the Asian group 
makes it a second-class member.  WEOG can address this by 
giving Israel interim membership in all fora. 
 
5. (C) Comment:  Post will continue to press on this issue 
and probably will continue to get a sympathetic ear from the 
Italians.  We note, however, that in the next year or two 
Italy, Germany, and a few other countries will continue to 
view this and all UN-related issues through the prism of how 
it affects UNSC reform.  It is hard to see how Italy will 
take the lead on this issue when it might only cost it UNGA 
votes from the Arab bloc.  End comment. 
 
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 2004ROME04280 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL