US embassy cable - 05ROME861

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ROME 000861 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2015 
TAGS: PREL, IT, EUN 
SUBJECT: ITALY ON GAERC AGENDA: NO CONSENSUS FOR CROATIA 
ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS START 
 
REF: STATE 39909 
 
Classified By: POL MINISTER COUNSELOR TOM COUNTRYMAN.  REASON:1.5 (B)(D 
). 
 
------------------------------------ 
Croatia/ICTY Conditionality 
-------------------------------------- 
 
1. (C) MFA EU-CFSP Director Luigi Mattiolo told poloff that 
no Member States expect Ministers to approve a start 
date for Croatian accession talks at the March 16 GAERC. He 
predicted Ministers would urge completion of the EU's own 
bureaucratic preparations for negotiations to start, while 
underlining to Zagreb that it has not kept its part of the 
bargain struck at the December 2004 Council, i.e. deliver 
Gotovina to The Hague.  Mattiolo hoped that, coupled with 
statements recognizing developments in other parts of the 
region (peaceful Haradinaj resignation, Bosnia/Serb 
cooperation with ICTY), the GAERC conclusions would spur 
Zagreb to move faster on its ICTY obligations.  Mattiolo 
was unsure on the way ahead for Croatia, but underlined 
that Italy saw no value in establishing a future date or 
time frame to start negotiations.  "The Croatians know what 
they must do, and it is not time dependent." 
 
-------------------------------- 
Russia/Georgia Border Monitoring 
-------------------------------- 
 
2. (C)  Mattiolo said the EU strategy at the moment would 
be to reinforce the office of the recently created EU 
Special Representative for the Caucuses, to include the 6 
trainers mentioned in reftel.  He underlined that this was 
an "interim step" in response to Russian opposition to 
continued operation of the OSCE BMO.  Italy would not 
necessarily oppose a further reinforcement of the SREP or a 
monitoring mission as suggested reftel, but only after a 
period of "assessment" by the SREP.  Mattiolo noted that 
consensus for an EU mission to replace the OSCE BMO "is 
nowhere in sight" in Brussels.  Embassy raised this also with 
FM 
Fini,s deputy chief of cabinet and will follow up with 
Poldir Terzi on March 15. 
 
----------- 
Middle East 
----------- 
 
3. (C)  As this was the first GAERC after the London 
conference, Ministers would reinforce support for the IC's 
role in the peace process and underscore the need for 
enhanced Quartet coordination on the Roadmap.  Mattiolo 
said that FM Fini would likely make reference to bilateral 
Italian initiatives, such as the ongoing Italian government 
assessment for Carabinieri training for Palestinian 
security personnel. 
 
------- 
Lebanon 
------- 
 
4. (C)  Mattiolo said that Syrian government signals on 
withdrawal from Lebanon were hopeful, but nonetheless Italy 
would support a strong reference in the GAERC conclusions 
urging Damascus to implement as quickly as possible UNSCR 
1559, and IC support for UN Envoy Larsen.  Mattiolo said 
that Ministers will discuss a monitoring mission and 
assistance for election institution building in the run-up 
to the April 14 parliamentary vote.  Mattiolo repeated the 
Italian view that Hizballah designation was unlikely any 
time soon.  A number of Member States feel that the IC must 
proceed carefully, given regional implications for any such 
action. 
 
5. (C) Separately, MFA Eastern Med office director Luca 
Ferrari 
told us that in the drafting of the GAERC conclusions in 
Brussels, Italy had been isolated when it had insisted that 
The conclusions refer not only to Syrian withdrawal from 
Lebanon, but also to UNSCR 1559,s other requirement: the 
Disarmament of the militias.  The most the Italians were able 
to 
Get from their colleagues was a demand for implementation of 
1559 
 
 
&in its entirety.8 
 
----- 
Sudan 
----- 
 
6. (C)  Italy fully supports establishing a UN PKO in 
coordination with ongoing African Union efforts.  Mattiolo 
concurred with reftel points concerning the need to 
prosecute those having violated international human rights 
law.  He said that his own government's and EU's views on 
an alternative to using the ICC to prosecute such offenders 
was "evolving," and would likely become clearer once the 
UNSC reached a decision. 
 
SEMBLER 
 
 
NNNN 
 2005ROME00861 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL