US embassy cable - 05ROME3547

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003547 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KDEM, EAID, PGOV, BO, IT, EUN 
SUBJECT: ITALIANS SHARE USG CONCERNS ON BELARUS 
 
REF: STATE 188900 
 
Classified By: Classified by David D. Pearce, Political Minister-Counse 
lor, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary.  On October 24 Poloff met with Antonino 
Cascio, Deputy Director of the Office of Eastern European 
Affairs of the Italian MFA to deliver reftel points.  Cascio 
stated that Italy and the EU share the USG opinion that 
pressure must be stepped up on the Lukashenko regime in 
advance of the 2006 elections.  He stated that an action plan 
was being developed in Brussels to deal with the elections 
and expected that the EU would be prepared to condemn the 
current and past elections as being undemocratic and 
predetermined.  Despite this, the GOI expects very little 
change in the status quo in Belarus after 2006.  End summary. 
 
2. (C) On October 24, Poloff delivered reftel points on 
Belarus to Cascio.  Cascio noted that Italy and the EU were 
in agreement with the US that pressure must be maintained and 
stepped up on the Lukashenko regime.  Italy was coordinating 
its activities with the EU in order to maintain a united 
front against Lukashenko, including support for NGO 
activities and maintaining the EU visa ban on key regime 
officials.  Cascio added that the EU would be focused on 
sending observers to Belarus to monitor the 2006 elections. 
 
3. (C) On a bilateral basis, the GOI has worked to find 
members of the GOB with which to begin a dialogue.  Cascio 
stated that although the Italian Embassy in Minsk has not 
found any cooperative partners in the regime, there do appear 
to be some that are more open to discussion than others.  The 
GOI had hoped to use its relationship to encourage Russia to 
pressure Lukashenko as well.  The Russians, however, have not 
responded with any initiatives to help introduce democratic 
reforms in Belarus.  The GOI believes that the Russians' 
willingness to discuss the issue is, at the very least, a 
step in the right direction. 
 
4.  (C) Comment. From the GOI perspective, Italy has done 
everything possible, both within the EU and bilaterally to 
express condemnation of Lukashenko's undemocratic behavior to 
the point of freezing the bilateral relationship.  Despite 
the widespread international condemnation of his behavior, 
Lukashenko has actually stepped up his curtailment of civil 
and human rights in the recent past.  As a result, the GOI is 
pessimistic of the effect any new measures will have on 
Lukashenko's grip on power. 
SPOGLI