US embassy cable - 04ROME4682

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 004682 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2014 
TAGS: PREL, ETTC, KPAL, UP, CO, HR, CG, RW, IT, EUN 
SUBJECT: ITALY ON EU GAERC/COUNCIL AGENDA: TURKEY WILL 
RECEIVE A DATE, SO WILL CROATIA, BUT CONDITIONAL; CHINA 
ARMS EMBARGO STAYS - FOR NOW. 
 
REF: STATE 258831 
 
Classified By: POL MINISTER COUNSELOR TOM COUNTRYMAN.  REASON: 1.5 (B)( 
D) 
 
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Enlargement - Turkey and Croatia 
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1. (C) The MFA's Director for EU Integration, Michele 
Quaroni, told poloff that consensus was building around a 
Council conclusion with an unconditional date to begin 
Turkish accession negotiations.  He was not sure whether the 
date would be during the first or second semester of 2005. 
France may ask the Council to consider delaying until the 
second semester so as not to complicate its referendum on the 
EU Constitution in the spring of 2005.  Quaroni said the 
sticking point was Cyprus.  Nicosia wants Ankara to agree to 
full normalization of relations, with recognition of the 
"Republic of Cyprus."  Turkey is refusing to submit to any 
further conditions not contained in the Copenhagen Criteria. 
Quaroni said that the Presidency was working hard on a 
compromise "defacto recognition" in which Turkey would commit 
to recognizing the Republic of Cyprus on or before the date 
negotiations begin.  He was hopeful that PM Erdogan and PM 
Balkenende could make progress on the issue when they met in 
The Hague on December 9. 
 
2. (C) On December 6, DCM drew on reftel points to brief MFA 
Political Director Terzi on the US view that Croatia should 
improve cooperation with the ICTY before EU accession talks 
begin.  Following up with Poloff, Quaroni and Balkans Office 
Director Andrea Orizio predicted that the Council conclusions 
would reflect fairly closely Italy's views on Croatian 
accession.  Both agreed with reftel concerns that too 
positive a statement on Croatia would send the wrong signal 
on PIFWCs to Zagreb.  Italy would advocate for a date to 
begin EU accession negotiations with Croatia.  However, 
Orizio predicted the Council will make clear that the EU will 
reexamine Croatia's level of cooperation with the ICTY at a 
later date, and will suspend the negotiation start date if 
that cooperation is unsatisfactory.  Italy fully supports 
that strategy. 
 
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UKRAINE 
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3. (SBU) EU CFSP Director Luigi Mattiolo said that Italy was 
encouraged by the close cooperation between the US and EU on 
the Ukraine crisis.  He believed that the US and EU 
coordination on-the-ground and speaking with one voice 
brought the situation back from the brink of civil war. 
December 26 was a bit earlier than Italy had hoped for the 
next round of elections.  Nonetheless, Italy will fully 
support a robust election monitoring mission through the 
OSCE.  The GAERC will likely condition any statement on the 
EU's "Neighborhood Policy" to take into account Kiev's 
behavior in the run-up to and during the election. 
 
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CHINA ARMS/CODE OF CONDUCT 
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4. (C)  Mattiolo said that Council language on the China Arms 
Embargo would reflect the conclusions of the December 8 
EU-China Summit - both sides would work towards creating 
conditions under which the embarg could be lifted.  Those 
conditions would incude "significant" progress on human 
rights  He predicted that the growing movement among Member 
States, including Italy, for a transparet, comprehensive 
Code of Conduct could push the possibility of lifting the 
embargo out even beyond the Luxembourg Presidency. 
 
 
SEMBLER 
 
 
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	2004ROME04682 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL