US embassy cable - 02ROME6059

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 006059 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/SAT AND EUR/ERA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2012 
TAGS: TSPA, ETTC, IT, EUN 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER DISCUSSES GALILEO WITH 
DE PALACIO 
 
 
1. (U) THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED BY ECONOMIC MINISTER 
COUNSELOR SCOTT KILNER. REASONS 1.5B AND D. 
 
2. (C) SUMMARY. ON 4 DECEMBER DCM MET WITH MINISTRY OF 
TRANSPORT INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COUNSELOR EMILIO MARAINI AND 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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OUTLINED USG VIEWS ON THE PROPOSED OVERLAY OF GPS M-CODE BY 
THE PUBLIC REGULATED SERVICE (PRS) OF THE GALILEO SATELLITE 
NAVIGATION SYSTEM.  DCM ALSO DELIVERED A LETTER FROM 
AMBASSADOR TO MINISTER OF TRANSPORT LUNARDI. IN A DEC 12 
CONVERSATION WITH MARAINI, POST LEARNED THAT LUNARDI HAD USED 
THE LETTER TO OPEN A PERSONAL DISCUSSION ON M-CODE WITH 
TRANSPORT COMMISSIONER DE PALACIO. HOWEVER, DE PALACIO'S 
ASSISTANT ILBRECHT INSISTED THAT THE OVERLAY PROBLEM COULD BE 
SOLVED BY MODULATION OF THE PRS SIGNAL RATHER THAN MOVING PRS 
TO A SEPARATE SEGMENT OF SPECTRUM. END SUMMARY. 
 
3. (SBU) DCM CALLED ON MARAINI ON THE EVE OF HIS DEPARTURE 
FOR THE DEC.5 TRANSPORT COUNCIL TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE THE 
USG ATTACHES TO MOVING GALILEO'S PROPOSED PRS TO A FREQUENCY 
WHICH WOULD NOT OVERLAY THAT OF U.S. M-CODE.  DCM STRESSED 
THAT THE USG WAS NOT OPPOSED TO THE EUROPEAN SYSTEM, IN FACT 
SAW POSSIBLE BENEFITS FOR USERS OF GALILEO AND GPS, BUT 
SIMPLY COULD NOT ACCEPT THE RISKS TO U.S. AND NATO MILITARY 
OPERATIONS AND PERSONNEL THAT WOULD RESULT FROM THE OVERLAY 
OF VITAL M-CODE BY GALILEO'S PROPOSED PRS.  DCM UNDERLINED 
THAT NO TECHNICAL FIX WAS POSSIBLE, AND THAT THE EU NEEDED TO 
TAKE THE POLITICAL DECISION TO ABANDON THE IDEA OF FREQUENCY 
OVERLAYS.  HE CONCLUDED BY POINTING TO OUR LONG STANDING 
POLITICAL AND INDUSTRIAL BILATERAL COOPERATION AS AN 
INDICATION THAT A SOLUTION COULD BE FOUND. 
 
4. (SBU) MARAINI-- IN HIS JOB JUST A FEW MONTHS--WAS AWARE OF 
USG VIEWS, BUT SAID THAT THE TRANPORT MINISTERS LACKED THE 
COMPETENCE TO ENTER INTO THE MILITARY ASPECTS OF GALILEO, 
SINCE THE COMMISSION MANDATE WAS CIVILIAN AND COMMERCIAL.  HE 
EXPECTED THE MINISTERS TO INDICATED THE NEED FOR THE 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  06059  191120Z 
COMMISSION TO STUDY SERIOUSLY POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS IN CLOSE 
COOPERATION WITH THE U.S. HE PROMISED TO DELIVER THE 
AMBASSADOR'S LETTER TO MINISTER LUNARDI, AND TO DISCUSS THE 
ISSUES WITH THE MINISTER EN ROUTE TO BRUSSELS. 
 
5. (C) POST LEARNED ON DECEMBER 12 FROM MARAINI THAT MINISTER 
LUNARDI HAD RAISED USG CONCERNS WITH TRANSPORT COMMISSIONER 
DE PALACIO ON THE MARGINS OF THE COUNCIL.  ACCORDING TO 
MARAINI, LUNARDI STRESSED THE NEED TO ADDRESS USG SECURITY 
CONCERNS RESPONSIVELY. IN HER REPLY THE COMMISSIONER CALLED 
ON HER ASSISTANT ILBRECHT, WHO ARGUED THAT THE OVERLAY 
PROBLEMS RAISED BY THE THE U.S. COULD BE RESOLVED BY 
MODULATION OF PRS SIGNAL WITHOUT THE NEED TO MOVE PRS TO A 
SEPARTE FREQUENCY. 
 
6. (C) COMMENT. EMBASSY BELIEVES THAT ITALY, BECAUSE OF ITS 
HIGH POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STAKES IN GALILEO, WILL SUPPORT A 
RESOLUTION OF THE OVERLAY ISSUE IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH 
TENDERING THE PROJECT, WHICH COULD HAPPEN AS EARLY AS NEXT 
JUNE. HOWEVER, THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT IS NOT FULLY 
CONVINCED THAT THE TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS OFFERED UP BY THE 
COMMISSION ARE INFEASIBLE.  INDEED, MARAINI TOLD US THAT THE 
U.S. STYLE-- IN HIS WORDS, NEGOTIATING BY ULTIMATUM--DID NOT 
SIT WELL WITH EITHER ITALY OR THE COMMISSION. WE EXPECT THE 
ITALIANS WILL WANT A CLEAR TECHNICAL EXPLANATION OF WHY 
SOLUTIONS PROPOSED BY THE COMMISSION WILL NOT WORK. 
 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2002ROME06059 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL