US embassy cable - 02ROME966

UNCLAS ROME 000966 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MASS, EU, IT, EUN 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN DEFMIN'S COMMENTS SPARK ANOTHER ROUND OF 
"EURO-SKEPTICISM" CHARGES 
 
 
1.  ITALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ANTONIO MARTINO REVIVED 
OPPOSITION PARTY ACCUSATIONS THAT HE IS A "EURO-SKEPTIC" BY 
SUGGESTING THAT THE EU HAD RUSHED INTO CREATING ITS OWN 
MILITARY IDENTITY WITHOUT THINKING IT THROUGH.  THE NUMBER OF 
TASKS APPROPRIATE FOR THE EU'S RAPID REACTION FORCE (RRF) 
SHOULD BE REDUCED TO "VERY FEW," MARTINO TOLD THE BRITISH 
"DAILY TELEGRAPH" IN A FEBRUARY 21 INTERVIEW.  NATO HAS 
PROVEN TO BE THE BEST VEHICLE TO PERFORM MULTINATIONAL 
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OPERATIONS OF BOTH AN OFFENSIVE AND PEACE-KEEPING NATURE, 
MARTINO SAID.  IT HAS A COMMAND AND CONTROL STRUCTURE THAT 
WORKS -- SOMETHING THE RRF LACKS AT THIS POINT.  "NATO 
WORKS," MARTINO STATED, ADDING, "IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX 
IT." 
 
2. MARTINO ASKED THE SPANISH EU PRESIDENCY TO CALL A MEETING 
OF EU DEFENSE MINISTERS TO RE-EXAMINE THE SCOPE OF THE 
PETERSBURG TASKS AND DECIDE WHICH ONES ARE FEASIBLE FOR THE 
RRF, ACCORDING TO THE INTERVIEW AND OTHER PRESS REPORTS. 
MARTINO PREDICTED THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE MANY MISSIONS THE 
RRF COULD CARRY OUT WITHOUT THERE BEING SOME DISAGREEMENT 
AMONG THE EU MEMBERS.  HE CAUTIONED AGAINST CREATING 
"DIVISIVE SITUATIONS" AMONG MEMBERS. 
 
3. ITALY'S CENTER-LEFT OPPOSITION QUICKLY JUMPED ON MARTINO'S 
STATEMENTS AS ANOTHER SIGN OF HIS -- AND THE BERLUSCONI 
ADMINISTRATION'S -- EURO-SKEPTICISM.  COMING NOT LONG AFTER 
HIS PUBLIC DOUBTS ABOUT THE WISDOM OF A SINGLE EUROPEAN 
CURRENCY AND HIS VOCAL REFUSAL TO SUPPORT ITALY'S 
PARTICIPATION IN THE AIRBUS A400M MILITARY TRANSPORT PLANE, 
MARTINO'S COMMENTS ADD MORE FUEL TO THE FIRE.  GIOVANNI 
FORCIERI, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE DEFENSE COMMITTEE AND 
OPPOSITION MEMBER, SAID MARTINO'S STATEMENTS WERE "SERIOUS" 
AND NOT USEFUL TO THE US OR NATO.  GIUSEPPE MOLINARI, 
OPPOSITION LEADER ON THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES' DEFENSE 
COMMITTEE, CHARGED THAT ITALY IS BECOMING "FLATTENED OUT ON 
DEVOTIONAL ATLANTICSM," AND CALLED FOR MARTINO TO APPEAR 
BEFORE PARLIAMENT.  CENTER-LEFT PARTY LEADER PIERO FASSINO 
NOTED THAT BERLUSCONI CLAIMED TO BE DEFENDING ITALY'S 
NATIONAL INTERESTS, WHICH FASSINO SAID USED TO MEAN BEING A 
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PART OF EUROPE.  OPPOSITION MEMBERS ALSO OBJECTED TO 
MARTINO'S REQUEST FOR AN EU DEFMIN MEETING WITHOUT FIRST 
HAVING CONSULTED WITH PARLIAMENT. 
 
4. COMMENT. MARTINO'S COMMENTS ON THE RRF ARE FURTHER 
EVIDENCE THAT HE IS LESS DOGMATIC ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE 
"PRO-EU" THAN MANY ITALIANS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN THE 
OPPOSITION.  HE IS AN ADVOCATE FOR EUROPEAN MILITARIES WITH 
RESTRUCTURED ARMED FORCES AND BETTER ARMAMENTS TO MEET GLOBAL 
SECURITY NEEDS, AND ARGUES THAT IF EUROPEANS HAD ALLOTTED 
MORE FUNDS FOR DEFENSE OVER THE YEARS, EUROPE WOULD HAVE 
GREATER INFLUENCE IN WASHINGTON.  HE IS NOT THE ONLY MINISTER 
WILLING TO TAKE A PRACTICAL, AND OFTEN CONTROVERSIAL, LOOK AT 
EU INSTITUTIONS, BUT HIS RRF COMMENTS MAY BE A LITTLE OUT IN 
FRONT OF HIS PRIME MINISTER'S POSITION.  IN A RECENT 
INTERVIEW IN "THE SUNDAY TIMES," BERLUSCONI SAID THAT THE RRF 
SHOULD WORK IN COOPERATION WITH NATO BUT BE COMPLETELY 
AUTONOMOUS.  MARTINO MAY HEAR MORE ON THE SUBJECT FROM HIS EU 
COUNTERPARTS AT THE INFORMAL DEFENSE MINISTERS' MEETING 
SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 22-23 IN SARAGOSA.  END COMMENT. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 2002ROME00966 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED