US embassy cable - 02ROME3213

UNCLAS ROME 003213 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, IT, ITALIAN POLITICS 
SUBJECT: "BANANA PEEL POLITICS" IN ITALY 
 
REF:  ROME 1462 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  IN AN EMBARRASSING, INDELICATE, AND 
BADLY-TIMED SLIP, INTERIOR MINISTER SCAJOLA SEEMS TO HAVE 
CALLED THE RECENTLY MURDERED LABOR MINISTRY ADVISER, MARCO 
BIAGI, ROUGHLY A "PAIN IN THE ASS."  THE REACTION WAS 
VINTAGE ITALIAN POLITICS -- OPPOSITION CALLS FOR HIS 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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RESIGNATION AND THREATENED NO-CONFIDENCE VOTES.  PM 
BERLUSCONI REJECTED SCAJOLA'S RESIGNATION, AND WE REMAIN 
CONFIDENT THIS GOVERNMENT WILL SERVE ITS FIVE-YEAR TERM. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U)  ON JUNE 28, "LA REPUBLICA", A LEFT-LEANING DAILY, 
PUBLISHED A SERIES OF LETTERS AND E-MAILS FROM MARCO BIAGI, 
THE LABOR MINISTRY ADVISER MURDERED MARCH 19 IN BOLOGNA 
(REF; BIAGI IS WIDELY PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN MURDERED BY THE 
"NEW RED BRIGADES").  BIAGI SENT THE COMMUNICATIONS TO 
PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES PIER FERDINANDO CASINI, 
THE PREFECT (THE GOI'S LOCAL ADMINISTRATOR, REPORTING TO THE 
INTERIOR MINISTRY) OF BOLOGNA, A DIRECTOR OF CONFINDUSTRIA 
(ITALY'S LARGEST INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION), AND LABOR MINISTER 
MARONI TO REQUEST REINSTATEMENT OF A POLICE ESCORT, SAYING 
HE WAS IN FEAR OF HIS LIFE.  IN LIGHT OF HIS MURDER, HIS 
CONCERNS TURN OUT TO HAVE BEEN NO EXAGGERATION.  IT IS 
UNCLEAR WHAT PROMPTED "LA REPUBLICA" TO PRINT THE 
COMMUNICATIONS AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME; REFERENCE HAS BEEN 
MADE TO THEIR EXISTENCE IN THE PAST. 
 
3.  (U)  WHILE IN CYPRUS ON AN OFFICIAL VISIT, ITALY'S 
INTERIOR MINISTER, CLAUDIO SCAJOLA, WAS ASKED TO COMMENT ON 
BIAGI'S COMMUNICATIONS.  HE WAS QUOTED IN TWO CENTRIST 
DAILIES, "CORRIERE DELLA SERA" AND "IL SOLE-24 ORE," AS 
RESPONDING BY CALLING BIAGI SOMETHING ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO 
A "PAIN IN THE ASS," AN EXPRESSION UNCHARACTERISTICALLY 
VULGAR AND HARSH FOR THE NORMALLY-COMPOSED INTERIOR 
MINISTER.  HE REPORTEDLY ADDED THAT BIAGI ONLY SOUGHT TO GET 
HIS CONTRACT EXTENDED AND THAT, HAD HE HAD AN ESCORT, THREE 
PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED INSTEAD OF ONE.  HE HAS SINCE 
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SAID THAT HE "DID NOT RECOGNIZE" HIMSELF "IN THE REMARKS 
ATTRIBUTED" TO HIM, BUT THE PREPONDERANCE OF INFORMATION 
AVAILABLE SUGGESTS HE DID, INDEED, SAY SOMETHING HE SHOULD 
NOT HAVE.  EVEN HIS FELLOW GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL, LABOR 
MINISTRY ROBERTO MARONI, URGED SCAJOLA TO APOLOGIZE FOR HIS 
REMARKS -- AND WAS NOT REBUKED BY PM BERLUSCONI FOR SO 
DOING. 
 
4.  (U)  IN THE BROUHAHA FOLLOWING SCAJOLA'S REPORTED 
REMARKS, THE OPPOSITION UNSURPRISINGLY CALLED FOR HIS 
RESIGNATION.  AFTER CONSULTING WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER 
FINI, AND PROBABLY OTHER GOVERNMENT MEMBERS AS WELL, 
BERLUSCONI REJECTED SCAJOLA'S RESIGNATION.  THE PRIME 
MINISTER HAS BEEN CALLED BY THE OPPOSITION TO EXPLAIN HIS 
DECISION BEFORE PARLIAMENT; HIS APPEARANCE HAS YET TO BE 
SCHEDULED. 
 
5.  (U)  AMIDST THE ACCUSATIONS AND COUNTER-ACCUSATIONS, 
SEVERAL LEADERS, INCLUDING FINI AND CASINI, HAVE TRIED TO 
CALM TENSIONS AND RECALL THE UNITY OF PURPOSE AGAINST 
TERRORISM REPORTED REF.  FINI EVEN REACHED OUT TO CGIL 
SECRETARY GENERAL COFFERATTI (THE ONLY UNION WHICH REFUSED 
 
SIPDIS 
TO PARTICIPATE IN TALKS WITH THE GOVERNMENT ON LABOR 
REFORM), TO WHOM BIAGI REFERRED IN HIS COMMUNICATIONS AS 
"CONTRIBUTING TO HIS (BIAGI'S) `CRIMINALIZATION.'"   BIAGI 
HAD WORRIED THAT COFFERATTI'S RHETORIC AGAINST THE REFORMS 
BIAGI WAS DRAFTING ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT MIGHT SPARK 
AN ATTACK.  HIS CONCERNS BECAME PUBLIC IN THIS RECENT 
EPISODE.  ACKNOWLEDGING THAT "COFFERRATI IS TO BLAME FOR 
CAUSING HARSH SOCIAL TENSIONS," FINI ADDED THAT "THIS SHOULD 
NOT AUTHORIZE ANYONE TO `CRIMINALIZE' HIM."  CASINI CALLED 
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ON HIS COLLEAGUES TO "STOP USING THESE BARBARIC METHODS OF 
POLITICAL CONFRONTATION." 
 
6.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  AS RESPECTED COMMENTATOR STEFANO FOLLI 
WROTE IN "CORRIERE DELLA SERA," "MINISTER SCAJOLA SLIPPED ON 
A BANANA PEEL."  FOLLI CONTINUED BY SAYING THIS COULD HAVE 
"DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES" FOR THE GOVERNMENT IF NOT HANDLED 
PROPERLY.  WE THINK THERE IS LITTLE DANGER OF THIS TASTELESS 
AND ILL-TIMED REMARK BRINGING DOWN THE BERLUSCONI 
GOVERNMENT; THEY STILL HAVE THE VOTES, EVEN IF THE 
OPPOSITION CALLS FOR A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE.  WE ARE 
REMINDED OF THE POLEMICS FOLLOWING LAST JULY'S G-8 SUMMIT 
AND THE OPPOSITION'S EFFORTS TO BRING DOWN SCAJOLA, AT A 
MINIMUM, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THAT EPISODE.  WE PREDICT THAT, 
IF ANYTHING, THIS EMBARRASSING AND TACKY EVENT WILL HAVE A 
POSSIBLY SHORTER SHELF-LIFE.  WHETHER ITALY'S PUBLIC 
REPRESENTATIVES, GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION ALIKE, CAN REGAIN 
THE HIGH ROAD THEY WALKED FOLLOWING BIAGI'S MURDER IS 
ANOTHER QUESTION, ESPECIALLY IN THE UPCOMING SUMMER NEWS 
DOLDRUMS.  WE HOPE THEY CAN. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 2002ROME03213 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED