US embassy cable - 02ROME6094

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 006094 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2012 
TAGS: IS, IT, PREL, KPAL, UN 
SUBJECT: NETANYAHU IN ROME: SUCCESSFUL FIRST TRIP AS FM 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 7148 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POL MC THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: ROME WAS ISRAEL FM NETANYAHU'S FIRST STOP IN 
HIS FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR SINCE HE ASSUMED THE FUNCTIONS OF FM. 
 BOTH SIDES PLACED EMPHASIS ON THE GREATER BALANCE IN ITALY'S 
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APPROACH TO THE MIDDLE EAST SINCE BERLUSCONI TOOK OFFICE, 
THOUGH THE ITALIANS MADE CLEAR TO NETANYAHU THAT THEY WILL 
NOT SEVER ALL CONTACT WITH ARAFAT.  NETANYAHU BELIEVES THAT 
THE EU'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON THE CONFLICT WILL BE MORE 
EVENHANDED DURING ITALY'S EU PRESIDENCY THE SECOND HALF OF 
2003, THOUGH HE HAD NO ENTHUSIASM FOR THE EU ROLE WITHIN THE 
QUARTET. SENIOR ITALIAN OFFICIALS REITERATED THEIR BELIEF IN 
THE ROLE OF THE QUARTET AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE "ROAD 
MAP" LEADING TO THE CREATION OF A PALESTINIAN STATE EXISTING 
IN PEACE AND SECURITY NEXT TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U) NETANYAHU HAD A BUSY TWO-DAY VISIT TO ROME DEC 18-19 
WHERE HE MET WITH PM BERLUSCONI, FM FRATTINI, MOD MARTINO, 
DEPUTY PM FINI, PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE PERA, AND PRESIDENT 
OF THE HOUSE CASINI.  AMBASSADOR SEMBLER HOSTED A DINNER FOR 
NETANYAHU, A LONG TIME ACQUAINTANCE, DEC 18. AT ALL THESE 
EVENTS, AND IN HIS PUBLIC COMMENTS, NETANYAHU'S CORE TALKING 
POINTS TRACKED CLOSELY WITH HIS RECENT CAMPAIGN SPEECHES AND 
WITH THE PRESENTATION HE GAVE TO CODEL PRICE/DAVIS (REFTEL): 
THE ISSUE IS NOT ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION, BUT THE WORLDWIDE 
ISLAMIC TERRORISM; ISRAEL HAS BEEN TOO RESTRAINED IN NOT 
EXILING ARAFAT; PALESTINIANS CAN HAVE SELF-GOVERNMENT, BUT 
NEVER A STATE, ETC. 
 
3. (C)  OUR ITALIAN AND ISRAELI SOURCES TOLD US THAT LITTLE 
NEW INFORMATION WAS DISCUSSED IN THE MEETINGS WHICH THEY 
DESCRIBED NONETHELESS AS "USEFUL" FOR BOTH SIDES.  LUCA 
FERRARI, THE MFA'S OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN 
TERRITORIES WHO ATTENDED THE MEETING WITH FM FRATTINI, 
DESCRIBED NETANYAHU'S SPEECH AS "A LECTURE AT THE AMERICAN 
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ENTREPRISE INSTITUTE," FULL OF HIS USUAL "CAMPAIGN PITCH" AND 
A CLEARLY STATED POSITION THAT ISRAEL'S PROBLEM IS PART OF A 
WORLDWIDE MUSLIM TERRORISM PROBLEM. 
 
4. (C) NETANYAHU TOLD AMB. SEMBLER THAT ISRAEL DEEPLY 
APPRECIATED THE DRAMATIC CHANGE IN ITALY'S RELATIONS WITH 
ISRAEL SINCE BERLUSCONI TOOK OFFICE, AND THE MAJOR REDUCTION 
IN ARAFAT'S STANDING WITH ITALY IN THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS.  TO 
ALL HIS ITALIAN INTERLOCUTORS, NETANYAHU SAID THAT, IN THE 
MIDDLE EAST, ISRAEL IS THOUGHT OF AS THE "SMALL SATAN", THE 
U.S. BEING THE "BIG SATAN."  NOW, ADDED NETANYAHU, ITALY IS 
BECOMING THE "MEDIUM SATAN."  FERRARI SAID THE NEXT DAY THAT 
THIS REMARK OF NETANYAHU'S HAD HIT THE RIGHT CHORD WITH 
ITALIAN OFFICIALS, WHO ARE AWARE OF THE RISKS BEING RUN BY 
ITALY'S ACTIVITIES TO DISRUPT TERRORIST OPERATIONS.  FERRARI 
ADDED THAT NETANYAHU TOLD FRATTINI THAT ITALY IS ONE OF THE 
FEW RELIABLE PARTNERS ISRAEL HAS WITHIN THE EU.  NETANYAHU 
WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED WITH MOD MARTINO FOR HIS PROFOUND 
KNOWLEDGE OF THE WHOLE WORLD AND HIS COMMITMENT TO ACTIVELY 
COMBAT TERRORISM. 
 
5. (C) THE ISRAELIS ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY 
OF THE EU, DURING THE SECOND HALF OF 2003, WILL BE FAR MORE 
BALANCED THAN THE CURRENT DANISH PRESIDENCY.  IN FACT, EHUD 
GOL, THE AMBASSADOR OF ISRAEL IN ROME, HAS BEEN LOBBYING THE 
MFA AND WRITING OP-EDS AFTER EVERY SINGLE DANISH STATEMENT ON 
THE MIDDLE EAST.  FERRARI HOWEVER DID NOT HIDE HIS ANGER AT 
THE "UTTERLY NONPROFESSIONAL" BEHAVIOR OF THE ISRAELI EMBASSY 
EARLIER THIS MONTH WHEN IT QUOTED VERBATIM BERLUSCONI'S 
STATEMENT, IN A PRIVATE MEETING WITH ISRAELI PRESIDENT KATSAV 
DEC 11, THAT THE CHIGI (ITALY'S PRIME MINISTERIAL PALACE) HAD 
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"CUT OFF ALL CONTACT WITH ARAFAT AND HIS REPRESENTATIVES" 
AFTER THE KILLINGS OF 29 ISRAELIS ON MARCH 27. (IN FACT, 
NABIL SHA'ATH HAD BEEN IN THE CHIGI JUST DAYS BEFORE KATSAV). 
FERRARI SAID THE ISRAELIS HAD SCORED A TEMPORARY PROPAGANDA 
POINT, UNTIL THE PM'S OFFICE WAS FORCED TO DENY THE 
STATEMENT.  BUT THE RESULTING FUROR IN THE ITALIAN PRESS 
WOULD NOW CONSTRAIN THE ITALIAN MFA'S ABILITY TO STEER A MORE 
BALANCED COURSE; ITS EVERY MOVE AND STATEMENT WOULD NOW BE 
SCRUTINIZED MORE CLOSELY BY THE ARAFAT SYMPATHIZERS, WHO WERE 
NUMEROUS NOT ONLY IN THE OPPOSITION, BUT WITHIN BERLUSCONI'S 
CENTER-RIGHT COALITION.  POL MC SHARED FERRARI'S ASTONISHMENT 
THAT THE ISRAELIS NEVER EVEN APOLOGIZED FOR THE GAFFE. 
 
SEMBLER 
 
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 2002ROME06094 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL