US embassy cable - 05ROME3978

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 003978 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DOT FOR EDDIE CARAZO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELTN, EWWT, EAIR, OTRA, IT, ITALIAN POLITICS 
SUBJECT: ITALY TRANSPORT MINISTER LAMENTS POOR 
INFRASTRUCTURE, MESSINA BRIDGE "NOW A REALITY" 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified, not for public distribution, not 
for Internet publication. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: In an introductory courtesy call with the 
Ambassador, Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport 
Pietro Lunardi criticized the poor state of Italy's 
infrastructure, and said the situation was holding back 
Italy's tourism industry.  Lunardi was pleased with 
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta's attendance at the 
November EU road safety ministerial.  The Minister also 
pledge his continued support for port security and the 
Megaports program, though he said he had limited ability to 
push Megaports forward on his own.  Lunardi reiterated his 
determination to move forward with the Messina Strait bridge 
and the Venice subway projects.  He expressed concern, 
however, that a victory by the center-left in 2006 would lead 
to cuts in needed infrastructure programs.  End summary. 
 
Lack of Infrastructure Holding Tourism Back 
------------------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) The Ambassador paid a courtesy call November 29 on 
Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Pietro Lunardi. 
 Lunardi opened the meeting by explaining that, while the 
importance of the tourism industry to Italy is well 
recognized, the link between infrastructure and tourism is 
not always appreciated.  Italy is a "country of museums and 
gardens," Lunardi said, but Italy is doing a poor job of 
exploiting its unique attractions.  The transport network 
functions poorly "both for us and for tourists."  He said 
many of Italy's best tourist and archeological sites are not 
easily accessible by freeways and visitors are often forced 
to navigate tiny roads.  Better road infrastructure is 
especially important for attracting more cruise ships. 
Cruise passengers, he said, must be able to move quickly from 
ports to sites inland and back again.  Syracuse in Sicily, 
for example, has some of the best archeological sites in 
Italy, he observed, yet the port is "a disaster."  Similar 
infrastructure problems are also affecting Sardinia, Lunardi 
added. 
 
Pleased With Secretary Mineta's Visit 
------------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) Lunardi expressed great satisfaction with the November 
visit by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.  He said he 
was pleasantly surprised when Mineta accepted his invitation 
to attend the EU road safety ministerial in Verona, Italy. 
The conference, Lunardi explained, was proposed during the 
Italian presidency of the EU and is now an annual event. 
Thirty eight transport minister attended the 2005 meeting. 
 
4. (U) Road safety, Lunardi continued, is key for Italy and 
for the EU, where 160 people die each day in vehicle 
accidents.  Lunardi commented that half of road deaths in 
Italy involve motorcyclists; and he said Italy should 
consider adopting a more strict, U.S.-style licensing system 
for motorcycle riders.  An important topic of conversation at 
the Verona conference was the need for European Member States 
to start educating children at a young age about traffic 
safety. 
 
Port Security 
------------- 
 
5. (SBU) The Ambassador asked Lunardi how to move forward 
with the Department of Energy's Megaports program.  (Note: 
Megaports has made little headway in Italy, primarily because 
the Prime Minister's office has failed for well over a year 
to name a lead Italian agency.  End note.)  While obviously 
not very familiar with Megaports, Lunardi expressed support 
for the program, but said he could not move forward without 
consulting the rest of the government.  Lunardi's chief 
secretary, Giovanni Paolo Gaspari, and his diplomatic 
 
SIPDIS 
advisor, Emilio Maraini, interjected that many agencies have 
a hand in Italian port security issues, including the 
Ministries of Transport, Interior, and (via control of the 
customs service and financial police) Finance.  Lunardi 
suggested that the Ambassador could perhaps host a meeting 
with the key GOI players to discuss a way forward. 
 
6. (SBU) On other transport issues, Lunardi commented that 
the Container Security Initiative (CSI) was functioning well 
and that Italy is ahead of other EU members in implementing 
the program.  Lunardi also mentioned recent airport security 
issues--namely, Italy's implementation of the TSA 
no-fly/selectee list--that raised privacy concerns at the EU 
level.  Maraini stated that Italy had found an interim 
solution to implement USG data-sharing requirements and that 
this was functioning well. 
 
Messina Bridge and Venice Subway 
-------------------------------- 
 
7. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that the GOI had provisionally 
awarded the project management contract for the Messina 
Strait Bridge to the U.S. engineering firm Parsons. (Note: 
This has not been announced publicly, pending a final review 
of documents submitted by Parsons.  End note.)  Lunardi 
expressed satisfaction that the GOI has succeeded in moving 
the Messina bridge project forward after decades of 
discussions.  "It is now a reality," Lunardi pronounced. 
 
8. (SBU) Lunardi also spoke at length about the proposed 
Venice subway project.  He outlined his vision for a 
high-speed rail line from Turin that would link to the Venice 
regional subway system and Venice's Marco Polo airport. 
However, Lunardi also expressed concern that the subway plan, 
along with other key infrastructure projects championed by 
the current center-right government, would be in jeopardy, 
should the center-left win the 2006 general elections. 
 
Bio Note 
-------- 
 
9. (SBU) Pietro Lunardi is a political independent and does 
not hold a seat in the Italian Chamber of Deputies.  He is an 
engineer by training and in the early 1980s founded his own 
company, Rocksoil, Spa, that specializes in tunneling and 
underground construction.  His enthusiasm for the Venice 
subway proposal can be explained, in part, by his extensive 
professional experience working on underground metro projects 
around the world.  He is head of the Italian Tunnel Society 
and gained public prominence through his membership on 
several government panels and committees, including one 
formed to investigate the 1999 Mont Blanc tunnel fire. 
 
SPOGLI