US embassy cable - 02ROME81

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000081 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE AND EUR/SCE 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2022 
TAGS: EU, IT, PGOV, PREL, ITALIAN POLITICS 
SUBJECT: AN INSIDER'S VIEW OF RUGGIERO'S SACKING 
 
REF: 2001 ROME 06753 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: A/POL MINISTER COUNSELOR GARY ROBBINS. 
REASON: 1.6 X.6 
 
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GOOD RIDDANCE 
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1.  (C)  ON 7 JANUARY, THE HEAD OF THE MFA'S BALKAN OFFICE, 
MAURIZIO MASSARI (STRICTLY PROTECT) TOLD POLOFF THAT HE WAS 
"NOT SORRY TO SEE FORMER FM RUGGIERO GO," AND THAT THIS VIEW 
WAS SHARED BE MANY AT HIS LEVEL (ROUGHLY, THE EQUIVALENT OF 
OFFICE DIRECTOR IN THE DOS).  MASSARI SAID THAT THERE WAS 
SOME "BITTERNESS" AMONG HIS COLLEAGUES OVER THE "LOST 
OPPORTUNITY" CAUSED BY RUGGIERO'S PUBLIC BICKERING WITH HIS 
BOSS AND REFUSAL TO CONSULT WITH HIS FELLOW MINISTERS OVER 
MATTERS OF GOVERNMENT POLICY.  RUGGIERO COULD HAVE USED HIS 
REPUTATION AMONG OTHER EURO-MINISTERS AND HIS SKILLS AS AN 
ACCOMPLISHED DIPLOMAT TO ADVANCE ITALY'S STANDING AS A WORLD 
LEADER.  THAT CHANCE WAS LOST WHEN RUGGIERO REFUSED TO PLAY 
THE POLITICAL GAME.  MASSARI ALSO CONFIRMED OUR VIEWS, 
REPORTED SEPTEL, THAT RUGGIERO'S DEPARTURE WAS A REFLECTION 
OF INTER-GOVERNMENTAL AND PERSONALITY CLASHES, AND DID NOT 
REFLECT ANY MOVEMENT TOWARDS A MORE ISOLATIONIST, LESS 
PRO-EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY BY THE GOI. 

 
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HE'S NO DINI 
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2.  (C)  MASSARI COMPARED RUGGIERO'S PERFORMANCE WITH THAT OF 
FORMER FM DINI, WHO WAS, IN MASSARI'S VIEW, ALSO A SKILLED 
INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT BUT, IN CONTRAST TO RUGGIERO, A TEAM 
PLAYER.  FROM A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, MASSARI HOPED THAT THE 
NEXT FM WOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO ITALY'S ROLE IN BALKAN 
STABILIZATION, AN AREA ALMOST TOTALLY IGNORED BY RUGGIERO. 
 
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WHO'S NEXT 
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3.  (C)  WHEN ASKED TO SPECULATE ON RUGGIERO'S SUCCESSOR, 
MASSARI SAID THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO POINT TO ANY ONE 
INDIVIDUAL.  HOWEVER, HE HAD JUST RETURNED FROM A MEETING 
CHAIRED BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS (A/S 
EQUIVALENT) AND OFFICE DIRECTORS, WHERE CONSENSUS SPECULATION 
WAS THAT WHATEVER THE CHOICE, IT WOULD BE MADE MORE ON THE 
BASIS OF POLITICAL LOYALTY THAN FOREIGN POLICY ACUMEN. 
MASSARI ALSO SAID HE WOULD "NOT BE SURPRISED" IF ITALY'S 
AMBASSADOR TO THE EU (AND FORMER MFA SECRETARY GENERAL) 
UMBERTO VATTANI, WHO "ENJOYS PM BERLUSCONI'S FULL CONFIDENCE" 
WAS BROUGHT BACK FROM BRUSSELS TO RUN THE 
TECHNICAL/SUBSTANTIVE OPERATIONS OF THE MINISTRY, POSSIBLY AS 
AN UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE OR (AGAIN) AS SECRETARY GENERAL 
OF THE MFA. 
 

4.  (C)  COMMENT.  WHILE MASSARI'S VIEW MAY NOT BE SHARED 
ACROSS THE ENTIRE MFA, PARTICULARLY AMONG THOSE BROUGHT IN BY 
RUGGIERO, WE HEARD SIMILAR RUMBLINGS FROM HIGH-LEVEL CONTACTS 
IN THE MINISTRY PRIOR TO RUGGIERO'S RESIGNATION (REFTEL).  WE 
WILL CONTINUE TO PROBE OUR INTERLOCUTORS FOR THEIR THOUGHTS 
ON RUGGIERO'S DEPARTURE, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, ANY CHANGES IN 
THE DIRECTION OF ITALIAN FOREIGN POLICY HIS FIRING MAY 
PORTEND. 
 
 5.  (U) MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. 
POPE 

 2002ROME00081 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL