US embassy cable - 02ROME4807

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 004807 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2007 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MOPS, MARR, AF, PGOV, MOPS, MARR, AF, IT, ITPREL, IRAQI FREEDOM 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ITALY'S TROOP 
CONTRIBUTION TO OEF 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POL MINCOUNS THOMAS COUNTRYMAN, REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT GAVE SUBSTANTIAL -- 
IF REDUCED FROM LAST NOVEMBER'S VOTE FOR THE ORIGINAL 
DEPLOYMENT -- SUPPORT TO THE GOI PROPOSAL TO SEND UP TO 1,000 
ALPINI GROUND TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN FOR OPERATION ENDURING 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  04807  01 OF 02  031600Z 
FREEDOM.  THE OPPOSITION SPLINTERED BADLY AND ATTEMPTED TO 
LINK REINFORCEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN TO A PRESUMED U.S. ATTACK 
ON IRAQ.  BERLUSCONI'S CENTER-RIGHT COALITION HELD FAST.  IN 
ITS DISARRAY, THE CENTER-LEFT WAS THE LOSER, WITH ITS 
INABILITY TO REACH CONSENSUS A BIGGER HEADLINE THAN THE 
IMPENDING DEBATE. END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U)  GOI DEFENSE MINISTER MARTINO PRESENTED THE 
GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO REINFORCE OEF BY SENDING 800-1,000 
ALPINI TROOPS TO BOTH PARLIAMENTARY CHAMBERS OCTOBER 2, 
SPEAKING BEFORE THE SENATE AND LEAVING THE TEXT WITH THE 
CHAMBER.  HE OUTLINED THE MISSION THE ALPINI WOULD PERFORM, 
LISTED THE DECISIONS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 
AUTHORIZING USE OF FORCE AGAINST TERRORISM IN AFGHANISTAN, 
AND HIGHLIGHTED THE GOI POSITION THAT THE NOVEMBER 7, 2001, 
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORIZATION FOR ITALIAN PARTICIPATION IN OEF 
AUTHORIZED THIS "RECONFIGURATION" OF THE ITALIAN 
PARTICIPATION, AS WELL, BUT THAT THE GOI WANTED TO MEET "NEW 
EXPECTATIONS" BY CONSULTING PARLIAMENT.  MARTINO CALLED ON 
THE OPPOSITION TO AGAIN "PUT INSTITUTIONAL DUTY BEFORE 
POLITICAL PARTY INTERESTS" AND REPEAT THE ALMOST UNANIMOUS 
SUPPORT IT GAVE THE GOVERNMENT LAST YEAR.  HE REPEATEDLY 
UNDERSCORED THAT ITALIAN SUPPORT TO OEF WAS NOT LINKED IN ANY 
WAY TO AN ATTACK ON IRAQ BY EITHER THE U.S. OR AN 
INTERNATIONAL COALITION; DEPLOYMENT OF ITALIAN GROUND TROOPS 
WOULD NOT "COMPRISE SUBSTITUTION OF U.S. PERSONNEL AND 
VEHICLES TO ALLOW THEIR HYPOTHETICAL REDEPLOYMENT IN OTHER 
THEATERS."  THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM AND THE STRUGGLE FOR 
STABILITY AND SECURITY IN AFGHANISTAN ARE NOT OVER.  TO 
WITHDRAW ITALIAN SUPPORT FOR THE EFFORT NOW WOULD BE TO VOTE 
AGAINST THE INTERNATIONAL TRUSTWORTHINESS OF ITALY. 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  04807  01 OF 02  031600Z 
 
3.  (U)  SENATE DEBATE ON MARTINO'S PRESENTATION BEGAN THE 
MORNING OF OCTOBER 3.  THE OPPOSITION DID NOT RESPOND WITH 
THE SAME NEAR-UNANIMOUS SUPPORT AS LAST NOVEMBER; IN FACT, 
THE CENTER-LEFT SPLINTERED.  IN COMPLICATED VOTING ON A 
SERIES OF SIX RESOLUTIONS, COMMUNIST RENEWAL (RC), THE 
GREENS, AND THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF ITALY (PDCI) VOTED 
CONSISTENTLY AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT.  MOST OF THE DEMOCRATS 
OF THE LEFT (DS) ALSO VOTED CONSISTENTLY AGAINST THE GOI, BUT 
DS SAW SEVERAL PROMINENT DEFECTIONS.  THE SMALL 
REPRESENTATION OF THE CENTER-LEFT UNION OF DEMOCRATS FOR 
EUROPE (UDEUR) AND ITALIAN SOCIALISTS (SDI) SUPPORTED THE 
GOI.  THE MORE CENTRIST DAISY AND SEVERAL DS SENATORS (THE 
"DISSIDENTS") LEFT THE FLOOR WHEN THE VOTE WAS CALLED ON THE 
GOVERNMENT'S RESOLUTION TO SHOW THEY WERE NOT OPPOSED, 
ALTHOUGH THEY COULD NOT "POLITICALLY" VOTE IN FAVOR.  DAISY 
GROUP LEADER WILLER BORDON SAID BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY THAT THE 
DAISY DID NOT INTEND TO EXPRESS OPPOSITION TO THE 
CENTER-RIGHT MOTION. 
 
4.  (U)  DAISY AND THE SDI OFFERED A SEPARATE RESOLUTION, 
LARGELY APPROVED WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNING COALITION, 
IN FAVOR OF SENDING TROOPS TO OEF WITH SOME CONDITIONS. 
MARTINO URGED SUPPORT FOR THE PARTS OF THE RESOLUTION 
CONFIRMING ITALY'S COMMITMENT AGAINST TERRORISM AND TO THE 
CONSTRUCTION OF DEMOCRACY IN AFGHANISTAN.  HE URGED THAT THE 
PART OF THE RESOLUTION COMMITTING THE GOI TO SUPPORT 
DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS ON IRAQ IN ORDER TO AVOID A UNILATERAL, 
PREVENTIVE ARMED INTERVENTION BE DEFEATED SINCE IT 
ARBITRARILY LINKED UNRELATED OPERATIONS.  THIS PART OF THE 
RESOLUTION WAS DEFEATED.  ANOTHER RESOLUTION OFFERED BY UDEUR 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  04807  01 OF 02  031600Z 
(NOT YET MADE PUBLIC, BUT EVIDENTLY SUPPORTIVE, AS MARTINO 
ALSO URGED THAT IT BE APPROVED) WAS ALSO PASSED.  RESOLUTIONS 
OFFERED BY DS, GREENS AND PDCI, AND RC WERE ALL DEFEATED. 
 
5.  (SBU)  DEBATE IN THE CHAMBER BEGAN AT 15:00 LOCAL TIME. 
THE RESULTS MIRRORED THOSE IN THE SENATE:  THE 
MAJORITY-BACKED RESOLUTION PASSED 266 TO 151, WITH 65 
ABSTENTIONS, FOLLOWING THE SAME PARTY LINES DESCRIBED ABOVE. 
THE DAISY-SDI AND UDEUR RESOLUTIONS ALSO PASSED, WITH THE 
EXCEPTION OF THE UNRELATED PART OF THE DAISY MOTION. 
REVEALINGLY, DAISY LEADER FRANCESCO RUTELLI SAID HIS PARTY 
(N.B. NOT HIS COALITION; RUTELLI REMAINS THE TITULAR HEAD OF 
THE OLIVE TREE CENTER-LEFT COALITION) WOULD VOTE IN FAVOR OF 
THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL OUT OF A SPIRIT OF SERVICE FOR ITALY. 
 HE REGRETTED THAT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE WAS NOT TRYING TO 
REPRESENT THE OLIVE TREE COALITION, BUT ONLY HIS OWN DAISY 
PARTY.  "ONE YEAR AGO, WE SAID THAT WITHOUT THE DEFEAT OF 
TERRORISM, THERE WOULD NOT BE PEACE.  THIS IS SOMETHING THAT 
IS FAR FROM BEING ACHIEVED," RUTELLI NOTED. 
 
6.  (U)  BOTH CHAMBERS APPLAUDED THE DEPARTING ITALIAN TROOPS 
UNANIMOUSLY AT THE CLOSE OF DEBATE.  FOLLOWING THE SENATE 
VOTE, SENATE PRESIDENT MARCELLO PERA SAID THE ITALIAN TROOPS 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ3827 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  04807  02 OF 02  031605Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EB-00 
      VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    L-00     VCE-00 
      AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OMB-01   PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00 
      ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    SSO-00   SS-00    TRSE-00  T-00 
      USIE-00  PMB-00   DSCC-00  DRL-02   G-00     SAS-00     /005W 
                  ------------------F10B8B  031605Z /75 
O 031522Z OCT 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6149 
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 
AMCONSUL FLORENCE 
AMCONSUL MILAN 
AMCONSUL NAPLES 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 004807 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2007 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MOPS, MARR, AF, IT 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ITALY'S TROOP 
CONTRIBUTION TO OEF 
 
"WILL BE GOING TO A DIFFICULT AND DEMANDING THEATER, BUT THEY 
WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR APPLAUSE AND BY OUR SALUTE.  THEY 
MERIT THIS." 
 
7.  (C)  COMMENT:  WHILE THE OUTCOME OF THIS VOTE IS BOTH 
HISTORIC (FIRST ITALIAN COMMITMENT OF OFFENSIVE GROUND FORCES 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  04807  02 OF 02  031605Z 
SINCE WORLD WAR II) AND IMPORTANT TO THE U.S. (ITALY WILL 
BECOME IN MARCH OUR BIGGEST PARTNER IN OEF), THE DEBATE HAD 
ALMOST NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MERITS OF THE DEPLOYMENT. 
RATHER, IT WAS THE PRODUCT OF THREE FACTORS: 
 
--  THE OPPOSITION'S FIXATION ON SCORING POINTS AGAINST PRIME 
MINISTER BERLUSCONI WHENEVER THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY; 
--  EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS ARE THE LEADERSHIP 
STRUGGLES WITHIN THE OPPOSITION, AND PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE 
DS; 
--  AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, BOTH THE GOI AND THE 
OPPOSITION ARE WARMING UP FOR THE EVENTUAL DEBATE ABOUT IRAQ 
THEY BOTH EXPECT. 
 
8.  (C)  COMMENT, CONTINUED.  DESPITE THE GOI'S BEST EFFORTS 
TO CLARIFY THAT THE ISSUE OF OEF REINFORCEMENT IS SEPARATE 
FROM A POTENTIAL ATTACK ON IRAQ AND THE EMBASSY'S OWN DIRECT 
BRIEFINGS TO THEM, THE OPPOSITION PERSISTED IN LINKING THE 
TWO IN AN EFFORT TO LEGITIMIZE THEIR ABOUT-FACE FROM LAST 
NOVEMBER'S VOTE.  ITALY'S CENTER-LEFT (WITH THE POSSIBLE 
EXCEPTION OF THE DAISY PARTY) IS SEEKING TO CAPITALIZE ON 
STRONG ANTI-WAR PUBLIC SENTIMENT.  THEIR EFFORTS LARGELY 
FAILED, HOWEVER -- MOST OF TODAY'S MEDIA HEADLINED THE 
"COLLAPSE" OF THE LEFT EVEN MORE THAN THE UPCOMING DEBATE. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2002ROME04807 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL