US embassy cable - 02ROME6134

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 006134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2007 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, KPAO, IT, UNHRC-1 
SUBJECT: UNHCR PROFILE: ITALY 
 
REF: STATE 252917 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: A/POL MC GARY ROBBINS, REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1. (C) FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS KEYED TO REFTEL QUESTIONS TO 
ASSIST IN PREPARATION OF CHR COUNTRY PROFILE FOR ITALY. 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  06134  241147Z 
2. (C) THE MFA WILL DEVELOP AND COORDINATE ITALY'S POSITIONS 
ON CHR RESOLUTIONS AND RELATED ISSUES; BUT IT WILL FOLLOW 
OVERARCHING PARAMETERS AND, IN SOME CASES, SPECIFIC POSITIONS 
FORMULATED BY PRIME MINISTER BERLUSCONI AND HIS ADVISORS. 
BERLUSCONI RECENTLY NAMED A NEW FOREIGN MINISTER, FRANCO 
FRATTINI, AFTER DUAL-HATTING HIMSELF AS ACTING FOREIGN 
MINISTER FOR ELEVEN MONTHS, BUT HE CLEARLY INTENDS TO KEEP AN 
ACTIVE HAND IN FOREIGN POLICY.  WITHIN THE MFA, HUMAN RIGHTS 
OFFICE DIRECTOR COUNSELOR GIUSEPPE CALVETTA AND HIS STAFF 
COORDINATE ITALIAN POSITIONS AND SHOULD SERVE AS TRAFFIC COPS 
BETWEEN ROME AND THE ITALIAN DELEGATIONS IN BRUSSELS AND 
GENEVA.  THE COUNTRY DESKS AND DIRECTORATES ARE EXPECTED TO 
TAKE THE LEAD IN DEVELOPING POSITIONS ON KEY COUNTRY 
RESOLUTIONS.  MULTILATERAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR GENERAL 
(A/S-EQUIVALENT) GIANCARLO ARAGONA HAS SHOWN A PROPENSITY 
(MOST RECENTLY REGARDING LIBYA'S NOMINATION AS CHR-59 CHAIR) 
TO WADE INTO KEY ISSUES AND CALL COUNTERPARTS DIRECTLY. 
 
3. CONTACT INFO: DIRECTOR GENERAL (PERSONAL RANK OF MINISTER) 
GIANCARLO ARAGONA: 39-06-3691-2174 
DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL (PERSONAL RANK OF MINISTER) CLAUDIO 
BISOGNIERO: 39-06-3691-2222 
COUNSELOR GIUSEPPE CALVETTA: 39-06-3691-2240 
 
4. ITALY IS NOT A MEMBER OF CHR-59, BUT ITS MEMBERSHIP ON THE 
EU TROIKA (AS THE NEXT EU PRESIDENT FOLLOWING GREECE) SHOULD 
GIVE IT SUBSTANTIAL, IF INDIRECT, INFLUENCE OVER COMMON EU 
POSITIONS ON SPECIFIC CHR TOPICS THAT WOULD THEN BE DEPLOYED 
BY THOSE MEMBER-STATES SERVING ON THE COMMISSION.  ITALY'S 
PRINCIPAL GOALS FOR THE 2003 COMMISSION ARE TO MAINTAIN AND 
IMPROVE THE COMMISSION'S EFFECTIVENESS AND TO REINFORCE FOR 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  06134  241147Z 
ITS OWN PROSPECTS FOR RETURNING TO THE COMMISSION IN 2004. 
(ITALY WITHDREW ITS CANDIDACY WITHIN THE WEOG FOR CHR-59 IN 
ORDER TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR RENEWED U.S. MEMBERSHIP.) 
 
5. POSSIBLE LEVERAGE: IN EXCHANGE FOR POSTPONING THEIR OWN 
RETURN TO THE CHR, THE ITALIANS EXPECTED ENHANCED 
CONSULTATIONS WITH THE U.S. ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES.  COUCHED 
UNDER THIS RUBRIC, ADDITIONAL BILATERAL EXCHANGES COULD BE AN 
ESPECIALLY USEFUL MECHANISM TO INFLUENCE THEIR THINKING IN 
ADVANCE OF INTERNAL EU DELIBERATIONS.  THE ITALIANS ARE 
FAITHFUL, GENERALLY ENTHUSIASTIC PARTICIPANTS IN THE EU'S 
COORDINATION PROCESS THAT PRODUCES COMMON UNION-WIDE 
POSITIONS.  HOWEVER, THE BERLUSCONI GOVERNMENT HAS SHOWN AN 
INCREASED WILLINGNESS TO RESIST REFLEXIVELY ACCEPTING AN EU 
CONSENSUS POSITION TO THE DETRIMENT OF ITS NATIONAL INTERESTS 
(AN APPROACH THAT UNFORTUNATELY HAS NOT WORKED TO OUR 
ADVANTAGE IN THE LIBYAN CHAIRMANSHIP DEBATE).  WE MAY BE ABLE 
TO USE THIS WILLINGNESS TO INFLUENCE THE ITALIAN POSITION ON 
SPECIFIC CHR TOPICS OF ESPECIALLY HIGH IMPORTANCE -- BUT WE 
WOULD NEED TO CHOOSE CAREFULLY.  LIKE OUR EMBASSIES IN OTHER 
EU CAPITALS, WE CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY 
ENGAGEMENT, BEFORE EU DELIBERATIONS BEGIN TO COALESCE AROUND 
A COMMON POSITION.  AS THE DISCUSSIONS OVER LIBYAN 
CHAIRMANSHIP HAVE SHOWN, ITALY HAS A FAIRLY UNIQUE POSITION 
ON LIBYA GIVEN THE HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP, COMMERCIAL TIES 
AND GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF ENGAGEMENT.  PM BERLUSCONI'S 
OCTOBER VISIT TO TRIPOLI REINFORCED THEIR INVESTMENT IN 
"REHABILITATING" AND LEFT THE MFA WITH LITTLE ROOM FOR 
MANEUVER. LIKE MANY EUROPEAN FOREIGN MINISTRIES, THE ITALIANS 
ARE IN MANY CASES SPREAD FAIRLY THIN.  THE MFA WELCOMES 
DETAILED U.S. ASSESSMENTS AND INPUT ON INDIVIDUAL ISSUES. 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  06134  241147Z 
 
6. ITALIAN MEDIA ARE GENERALLY INTERESTED IN SENIOR-LEVEL USG 
OP-EDS OR SPEECHES IF EMPLOYED JUDICIOUSLY (I.E., NOT 
WEEKLY).  APPEARANCES AND PRESENTATIONS BY A/S OR HIGHER 
OFFICIALS, EITHER IN PERSON OR VIA DVC, WOULD ALSO BE 
WELL-RECEIVED. 
 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
> 
 2002ROME06134 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL