US embassy cable - 05ROME4028

UNCLAS ROME 004028 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, XF, IS, IT, PLO, MEPP 
SUBJECT:  ABU MAZEN CALLS FOR ACTIVE EU ROLE IN PEACE 
PROCESS 
 
1.  Summary: On a two-day official visit to Italy, Abu 
Mazen underlined PA commitment to the Roadmap and called 
for a vigorous EU role in the peace process.  He said 
Palestinians had chosen the path of democracy and called 
on Israel to remove all obstacles to the conduct of 
elections, including in Jerusalem.  Italian leaders 
reiterated their support for the peace process and Prime 
Minister Berlusconi renewed his offer to host Israeli- 
Palestinian negotiations at Erice, a picturesque Sicilian 
seaside town.  End summary. 
 
2.  During his December 2-3 visit to Rome, PA President 
Mahmoud Abbas reiterated to his Italian interlocutors 
that he and the PA consider political negotiations with 
Israel to be the only way to reach a peace.  He 
underscored the PA's total commitment to follow the 
Roadmap and invited the EU to take a more active role in 
the peace process and become a third party to it.  "We 
want the EU to have a political role, along with its 
economic role.  Fortunately this role, which for us is 
very important, has already started.  The agreement on 
the Rafah Crossing was reached also with the EU's 
commitment."  (Note:  Italian Carabinieri General Pietro 
Pistolese is heading the EU's Rafah mission.  End note.) 
 
3.  Abbas said he was determined to extend PA control 
over the entire Palestinian territory and guarantee 
public order, which he called an absolute priority.  He 
said he was equally determined to move forward with 
democratic reform, because "rebuilding trust is the main 
path toward peace in the Middle East."  On several 
occasions, he pointed to what he termed the major effort 
he and Israeli PM Ariel Sharon were putting into the 
peace process, remarking that the motivations driving 
both were sincere.  He said a lot can be done toward 
achieving peace if the people of Israel follow their 
leader. 
 
4.  Abbas used his public remarks in Rome to underscore 
that the PA had chosen the path of democracy -- a 
democracy in which all must participate.  He did not 
publicly mention Hamas (nor did any of his Italian 
interlocutors).  The PA President stressed that 
Palestinians residing in Jerusalem must be allowed to 
vote.  Calling on Israel to remove all obstacles to the 
conduct of elections, he warned that if the PA failed to 
conduct the elections successfully, Israel would have 
responsibility for blocking the Palestinian democratic 
process. 
 
5.  Abbas was well received by all his Italian 
interlocutors.  Both President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and 
PM Silvio Berlusconi gave assurances of Italy's continued 
support of the Palestinian goal of an independent state 
living in peace with Israel, within secure, certain, and 
recognized boundaries.  Berlusconi once again proposed 
the southern Italian city of Erice as a venue for a 
possible international peace conference or for Israeli- 
Palestinian talks (Abbas accepted).  And Ciampi and 
Berlusconi underscored the importance of the Roadmap to 
peace.  On Jerusalem, Ciampi called for a solution that 
would not jeopardize its status as a "city dear to all 
cultures and religions."  Abbas remarked that it should 
remain "open to all the faithful" and that its 
administration should answer to the "fundamental needs of 
the Jewish and Palestinian people." 
 
Spogli