US embassy cable - 05ROME3671

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ROME 003671 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2015 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, BO, KPAL, ETRD, IT, EUN, EAGER 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN VIEWS ON NOVEMBER 7 EU FOREIGN MINISTERS' 
MEETING 
 
REF: A) ROME 3631 B) ROME 3631 C) ROME 3547 D) STATE 
     198361 
 
Classified By: Classified by David D. Pearce, Acting Deputy Chief of Mi 
ssion, for reasons 1.4. (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary. Post delivered ref d points to MFA 
interlocutors during the week of October 31.  The GOI 
supports the US position on Middle East, Balkans, and Avian 
Flu issues.  Progress on WTO issues, however, will depend on 
the whether there is movement on issues of key importance to 
the GOI - particularly on geographic indicators.  End Summary. 
 
DOHA ROUND 
- - - - - - 
 
2. (SBU)  Although manufactured goods and services make up 
82% of Italian exports, the GOI supports the EU's proposals 
on agricultural market access, and is unlikely to play a 
prominent role in urging member states to give EU Trade 
Commissioner Mandelson more flexibility in the negotiations 
leading to December's WTO Ministerial.   Italy's position is 
driven by the disproportionate weight agricultural interests 
(responsible for only six percent of Italy's exports on its 
current account) have in Italy's governing coalition.  Senior 
officials at the Ministries of Trade, Agriculture and Foreign 
Affairs have stated that, in the face of elections scheduled 
for April, the GOI's position on Doha is heavily influenced 
by political, not economic, considerations.  The GOI supports 
the EU's call for "parallelism" in the negotiations and is 
concerned about the lack of progress in negotiations for 
improved market access, both for manufactured goods and 
services. 
 
3. (SBU)  Our assessment is that in order for the GOI to 
become more forward leaning on agricultural access, movement 
is needed on three issues in the Round that are of particular 
concern to the GOI.  These are: (i) institutionalization of 
geographical indicators (GIs), (ii) flexibility on "sensitive 
goods" lists, and (iii) progress in NAMA negotiations aimed 
at increasing access to markets in developing countries for 
Italian manufactured goods and services.  Our interlocutors 
said that "gains" in these areas will help the GOI sell 
"losses" in the agricultural sector to an otherwise skeptical 
electorate. 
 
 
IRAQ 
- - - 
 
4. (C) As a major troop-contributing country, the GOI has a 
significant stake in a successful outcome of the Iraqi 
democratic process.  Repeated statements from high-level GOI 
officials and messages communicated to post indicate that the 
GOI will continue to play a leadership role in Iraq (ref b). 
GOI leaders have also made plain that any adjustments that 
might be contemplated in future force levels would be closely 
coordinated with both the government of Iraq and other troop 
contributors.  Additionally, despite having strong commercial 
ties with Iran, the GOI did not hesitate to deliver strong 
messages condemning the Iranian President's recent comments 
about Israel (ref a). 
 
 
AVIAN FLU 
- - - - - 
 
5. (C) The GOI takes the threat of Avian flu seriously. The 
GOI intends to participate in the International Partnership 
for Avian and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) and has committed 
5.4 million Euros for vaccines, 1 million euros for 
stockpiling retrovirals (Tamiflu), and an additional 1 
million euros for surveillance measures.  The GOI will attend 
the WHO conference in November, at which time Italy will 
announce a pledge.  The GOI is pushing legislation, expected 
to be enacted soon, that would increase surveillance and 
education efforts, create a national center to coordinate GOI 
responses to animal diseases, register poultry farms, 
establish guidelines for containing commercial flocks of 
poultry to avoid contact with wild birds, and begin regular 
testing of animals.  Post believes the GOI is both committed 
and capable of sharing information with U.S. and 
international bodies on this threat. 
 
SYRIA 
- - - 
 
6. (C) Acting Office Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, 
Luca Sorgi, said his office had brought the points to the 
attention of DG for the Middle East and Mediterranean 
Riccardo Sessa (who had just returned from a trip to the 
Palestinian territories and Israel with FM Fini), 
highlighting the two key points: 1) non-engagement with 
Syria; and 2) canceling Syria's invitation to the upcoming 
10th Anniversary Summit of the Barcelona Process.  Sorgi said 
that, on the first point, Italy has no planned visits to 
Syria or by Syrian officials to Italy.  On the second point, 
he said that the UK, as holder of the EU Presidency, and 
Spain, as host of the Barcelona Summit, were handling the 
invitations, and that Italy was not involved in the process. 
PolOff pushed back saying that Italy could speak up if it 
wanted.  Sorgi said that the November 11 meeting of the COMEP 
(EU working group on Middle East issues) presented an 
opportunity to discuss the issue, if the UK decided to 
include it in the agenda, which, to his knowledge, it had not 
yet done. 
 
 
ICTY COOPERATION 
- - - - - - - - - 
 
7.  (C)  During a recent visit to Rome by DAS Rosemary 
DiCarlo, the Italians confirmed in multilateral and bilateral 
meetings that they view ICTY cooperation as a firm 
requirement for Euro-Atlantic integration by Balkan nations. 
Amb. Laura Mirachian, the Italian candidate for High 
Representative in Bosnia, noted that ICTY cooperation is one 
of the four highest priorities for Italian initiatives in the 
region. 
 
 
KOSOVO 
- - - - 
 
8. (C)  During the recent Contact Group meetings and related 
bilateral discussions with USG officials, the Italians 
stressed that international engagement continues to be 
necessary in Kosovo.  For their part, the Italians plan to 
maintain a sizable military presence in Kosovo and have 
lobbied for a larger policy voice in the Balkans. 
 
BELARUS 
- - - - 
 
9. (C)  The GOI remains committed to working toward a 
peaceful transition of power in Belarus.  They support 
bilateral civic organizations and opposition figures.  They 
support the EU visa ban and have joined other EU countries in 
condemning previous elections as not meeting international 
standards for free and fair voting.  The GOI will coordinate 
with the EU and OSCE to provide election monitoring in the 
upcoming election cycle.  On a bilateral basis, the GOI has 
essentially frozen the bilateral relationship with Belarus. 
(ref c) 
 
MEPP 
- - 
 
10. (C) MEPP points were delivered separately to Acting 
Office Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Luca Sorgi. 
Sorgi said, as with the recent Bush - Abu Mazen meeting, he 
was struck by the absence of any mention of Hamas.  With 
Palestinian elections only a few months away, he said, time 
is getting short and Italy would like to know whether the US 
position towards Hamas is changing.  Within the EU, he said, 
some countries are already asking what will happen if there 
is a Hamas minister, and he expects that the EU will 
specifically address the Hamas issue in more detail in a 
GAERC meeting on November 21.  (Note:  Italy successfully 
pushed the EU to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization 
during its 2003 EU Presidency.  Sorgi's comments indicate 
that some EU members may be asking the EU to rethink its 
policy toward Hamas.  End note.) 
 
 
UN MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
11. (U) Italy fully supports the outcomes of the Millennium 
Development Summit and is commited to defining a strategy to 
reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  In an October 
27 speech, Under Secretary Mantica stressed good governance, 
recipient country ownership of development projects, rural 
development, trade and investment, microcredit, and education 
as key to reaching the MDGs.  He also underlined the 
importance of the private sector in contributing to 
sustainable development.  Italy has donated 4 million USD to 
the "Education for All" initiative of the World Bank; 
committed 180 million Euro to the Global Fight Against AIDS 
and malaria and tuberculosis initiatives, with another 130 
million Euros earmarked for 2006; canceled 2.7 billion USD in 
debt and is prepared to cancel another 4.5 billion USD when 
additional countries reach the "completion point"; supported 
the proposal for an International Finance Facility; and is 
committing 600 million USD over the next 20 years to finance 
a pilot program for production and distribution of vaccines. 
Given Italy's poor economic performance and rising deficit, 
Mantica noted that it will be a challenge to increase 
official development assistance (ODA) to 0.7% of GDP.  Italy 
aims to increase its ODA to 0.51% of GDP by 2010. 
SPOGLI