US embassy cable - 05ROME29

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000029 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PROP, PHUM, IZ, IT, IRAQI ELECTIONS 
SUBJECT: IRAQ:  ITALY NOT ABLE TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL 
MISSION FOR ELECTIONS 
 
REF: A. STATE 04 274965 
     B. ROME 4796 
 
Classified By: Acting Pol M/C Jonathan Cohen for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d 
) 
 
1. (C) Poloff spoke with MFA Iraq officer Daniano Francovigh 
(speaking on behalf of Iraq Office Director and Task Force 
Director Luigi Maccotta) on January 4 regarding Ref A 
demarche.  Francovigh said that because of time and financial 
restraints, Italy will not be able to support the IMIE for 
Iraq's January elections.  Italy's six-month funding decree 
for its operations in Iraq expired December 31 and has yet to 
be renewed (although he expected parliament to pass it either 
this week or next).  New funds probably will not be available 
before the January 30 elections, which means Italy will not 
be able to provide either financial support or personnel to 
the IMIE. 
 
2. (C) Francovigh stressed, however, that Italy has already 
made a significant contribution to election support.  In 
December it sponsored a three-week training course in Amman 
for approximately 90 members of Iraq's Independent Electoral 
Commission and polling officers.  The course, which cost 
Italy approximately two million Euro (which Francovigh said 
was part of Italy's 200 million Euro Madrid pledge), was held 
in close coordination with UNAMI and the Iraqi Independent 
Electoral Commission, and was part of the 
electoral-assistance contribution to the International 
Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), cluster 11 
account (Ref B).  In addition, Francovigh said that Italy 
will send three of ten EU observers to Iraq and Jordan for 
the upcoming elections. 
 
BAGHDAD MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
 
 
SEMBLER 
 
 
NNNN 
 
 
2005ROME00029 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL