US embassy cable - 05ROME3600

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ROME 003600 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DOT FOR EDDIE CARAZO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2015 
TAGS: EAIR, ELTN, EWWT, IT, OTRA, OVIP, AVIATION 
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY MINETA'S 
ITALY TRIP 
 
REF: ROME 03441 
 
Classified By: Economic Minister-Counselor Scott Kilner for 
reasons 1.4 b and d. 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
1.  (C) Summary.  Italy has been a key U.S. ally and 
steadfast partner.  Italy is the third largest contributor of 
troops to coalition forces in Iraq, the largest contributor 
to NATO Balkans operations, and commands international 
security assistance forces (ISAF) and a Provincial 
Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan.  Newfound international 
leadership has weighed heavily on the Italian public, most of 
whom are convinced a terror attack will occur here soon. 
Prime Minister Berlusconi,s government has been particularly 
supportive of our policies; we hope to continue effective 
coordination with the GOI should a center-left coalition win 
elections next spring. Technocrat Transport Minister Pietro 
Lunardi, however, has kept a greater distance from the United 
States than other Italian Ministers, even though we have 
maintained excellent and deep transport contacts on the 
staff- and senior-staff levels.  We have made headway with 
some issues, like coordination on air safety, but we have 
been waylaid with others, like breaking Megaports free from 
inter-Ministerial wrangling and having Italy begin a port 
security program in earnest.  Your visit provides an 
opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the Minister, 
and help move forward key transportation security issues. 
Minister Lunardi is delighted you will be able to 
participate.  End summary. 
 
Good, Solid Ministry Contacts, but... 
------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) We have excellent relations with staff- and senior 
staff-level Transport Ministry contacts, and effective 
coordination on civil aviation, maritime, rail, and 
transportation safety and security issues.  Our strong 
relations include dependent agencies, most notably the 
Italian National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC).  A House 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure delegation was 
here this year and was well received by the Ministry, but not 
Lunardi himself. 
 
Cool Lunardi Relationship:  Let's Warm it Up. 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C) Over the past several months, Lunardi's lack of 
accessibility has contrasted markedly with that of the rest 
of his Ministry.  Lunardi's staff appeared to use "scheduling 
issues8 to duck an Ambassadorial farewell call on Lunardi 
earlier this year.  The Minister has also declined numerous 
invitations to Embassy events since 2002.  Valued contacts 
report the Minister was miffed because 1) you were unable to 
attend last year's EU Ministers, Road Safety Conference, 
also in Verona; and 2) the USG kept the Linate case open, 
even after Alitalia addressed the codesharing issue.  We are 
satisfied we have salved bruised relations over Linate, and 
believe now is a good time to re-engage Minister Lunardi, who 
is delighted you can attend this year's event. 
(Newly-arrived Ambassador Spogli's first meeting with Lunardi 
is scheduled for November 10, a week after your visit.) 
 
Lunardi:  Technocrat Minister to Charm 
-------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (U) Infrastructure and Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi 
is a rare technocrat in a government whose Ministers are 
mostly career politicians.  He is a civil engineer with 
first-hand experience managing large public works projects, 
including dams, tunnels, and underground metro stations, both 
in Italy and abroad.  In 1979, he founded his own engineering 
firm, Rocksoil S.P.A., recognized for innovative tunneling 
and underground construction.  Minster Lunardi is currently 
president of the Italian Tunnel Society and the &Fourth 
Dimension Project,8 a professional association advocating 
greater use of underground space.  Lunardi's first exposure 
to government work came in the late 1980,s as a technical 
consultant on critical infrastructure protection, underground 
defense, civil protection, and emergency public works 
projects.  He subsequently sat on many commissions, including 
the one formed after the tragic 1999 Mont Blanc tunnel fire. 
He was appointed Infrastructure and Transport Minister in 
2001, and reconfirmed in April 2005.  He speaks very little 
English. 
 
5.  (U) Most recently, Lunardi bucked the emerging EU 
consensus for establishing an aviation &black list.8  He 
publicly and vehemently opposed black list proposals from his 
European colleagues, as one-off and emotional measures that 
would not improve aviation safety.  Instead, Lunardi 
introduced an aviation safety plan to: (1) adopt and 
implement common EU aviation codes for carrier and aircraft 
inspections; (2) impose sanctions on non-compliant airlines; 
(3) ban airliners from EU airspace for infractions occurring 
in any one EU Member State; (4) coordinate an EU &white 
list8 of approved air carriers; and (5) EU certify, upon 
request, companies not operational in EU skies.  The 
Ambassador hosted top-level civil aviation contacts September 
27 to discuss these aviation safety topics with FAA experts, 
including ENAC President Riggio.  It would be appropriate to 
thank the Minister for his leadership on aviation safety. 
 
Transportation Security:  Critical Areas For Mission Italy 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
6.  (C) The Embassy's top transportation priorities with 
Italy concern transportation infrastructure security, on 
which we have had varied success.  Italy worked 
constructively with us to resolve initial disagreements over 
the transmission of passenger-name record data.  The GOI also 
complied with TSA's Emergency Amendment &No Fly8 procedures 
only after costly infractions by Alitalia resulted in an 
ad-hoc solution.  Then-Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham 
proposed the Megaports radiation detection program to the 
Prime Minister's Office eighteen months ago, but the issue is 
still stalled, due to inter-ministerial turf battles and MFA 
concern about EU competence.  The Prime Minister's Office has 
so far failed to pick a lead technical Ministry to direct 
negotiations on a Megaports MOU.  There is a possibility the 
MOT could take the lead on this, and it would be appropriate 
for you to ask whether Lunardi could push to have a lead 
agency identified with whom we could work on Megaports. 
 
7. (SBU) Again, on port security, we have engaged with MOT 
contacts on ISPS implementation and U.S. Coast Guard visits 
(although the latter has not materialized because of EU 
Commission insistence that the Commission, and not Member 
States, have competency).  While we have found interlocutors 
generally receptive, we have not seen much inter-ministerial 
and inter-agency coordination.  The Ministry of Interior 
(MOI) claims it will assume additional responsibilities for 
port security, but it is unclear how the MOI will coordinate 
with port authorities and terminal operators, both of whom 
fall under the supervision of the MOT. 
 
The Messina Bridge and Other Italian Interests 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
8. (SBU) We believe Lunardi's chief interests during your 
meeting will be (a) the Messina Bridge project and (b) the 
Linate complaint.  Lunardi may also raise the aviation safety 
&black list8 issue, which has figured widely in the local 
press (see para 5); you may also want to ask Lunardi's 
thoughts on coordinating with the FAA on current aviation 
safety issues. 
 
(a) Messina Bridge.  The bridge to link mainland Italy to the 
island of Sicily has taken another step forward.  A 3.88 
billion euro contract was awarded October 12 to a consortium 
led by Italian construction giant Impreglio and including 
Japanese and Spanish firms.  Construction is to start next 
year; and if completed on schedule in 2012, the almost-four 
km Messina bridge would become the longest suspension bridge 
in the world.  No U.S. companies bid this contract; however, 
U.S.-based Parsons Transportation Group is competing against 
two Italian-French consortia for the Project Management 
Consulting tender.  Parsons has requested Foreign Commercial 
Service assistance in coordinating Embassy support for its 
bid.  We hope there may be additional contracting or 
sub-contracting opportunities for U.S. firms to participate 
in this project.  That said, it is unclear how the GOI will 
come up with the 40 percent of its part of the project 
finance. 
 
(b) Linate Complaint.  The American-United Airlines complaint 
perplexed our MOT contacts, who asked why the complaint 
remained open after Alitalia stopped listing codeshare 
flights from Milan's conveniently-located, and small, Linate 
airport to U.S. destinations.  Our local contacts never 
missed an opportunity to express their puzzlement that we 
refused to close a case they viewed as solved.  We think this 
issue is in the past, but the matter could come up in 
conversation. 
 
9.  Iraq Reconstruction.  Conceivably, Minister Lunardi could 
also raised Italy's effort to develop a national 
transportation plan for rebuilding Iraq's transportation 
infrastructure, as part of Italy's 2003 reconstruction pledge 
to Iraq.  The idea was to create opportunities for Italian 
contractors, but security conditions have stalled this 
initiative. 
SPOGLI