US embassy cable - 03ROME1665

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 001665 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2013 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, IT, IS, EAID, IT, IS, KPAL, KPALPREL 
SUBJECT: ITALY ON ISRAEL, THE PA, AND THE MEPP BEFORE ITS 
EU PRESIDENCY 
 
REF: ROME 1647 
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PAGE 02        ROME  01665  01 OF 02  171655Z 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL MC THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND ( 
D) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: TEN WEEKS BEFORE ASSUMING THE EU PRESIDENCY, 
ITALIAN MFA INDICATED THAT A VISIT BY PM BERLUSCONI TO ISRAEL 
WAS LIKELY TO OCCUR IN EARLY JUNE, EMPHASIZED ITALY'S 
POSITIVE BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL, UNDERLINED THE 
IMPORTANCE OF THE CONFERENCE ON PALESTINIAN REFORM AND 
ECONOMIC RECONSTRUCTION THAT WILL TAKE PLACE IN ROME MAY 
28-29, AND WAS PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE EU 
ENDORSING BERLUSCONI'S MARSHALL PLAN FOR THE PALESTINIAN 
ECONOMY.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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POSSIBLE VISITS TO ISRAEL AND THE REGION 
---------------------------------------- 
 
2. (C) ON APRIL 15, POL MC MET WITH LUCA FERRARI, THE MFA'S 
OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS.  FERRARI 
SAID THAT BERLUSCONI AND SHARON ENJOYED WARM PERSONAL 
RELATIONS AND WERE IN REGULAR TELEPHONE CONTACT.  BERLUSCONI 
WANTED TO VISIT ISRAEL BEFORE ITALY ASSUMED THE EU 
PRESIDENCY, PROBABLY IN THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF JUNE, SAID 
FERRARI.  ARRANGING THIS TRIP, HE ADDED HOWEVER, DEPENDED ON 
BEING ABLE TO SET UP A MEANINGFUL MEETING WITH ABU MAZEN 
"WHILE AVOIDING ANYTHING MORE THAN A HANDSHAKE WITH ARAFAT." 
IF THAT PROVED TOO DIFFICULT, THE ALTERNATIVES WOULD BE 
EITHER FOR SHARON TO COME TO ITALY OR FOR BERLUSCONI TO GO TO 
JERUSALEM AND AVOID MEETING PALESTINIANS ALTOGETHER. 
BERLUSCONI WOULD LIKE TO VISIT JORDAN, EGYPT, AND POSSIBLY 
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PAGE 03        ROME  01665  01 OF 02  171655Z 
SAUDI ARABIA ON THE SAME TRIP, SAID FERRARI.  HE ADDED THAT 
SEPARATE GOI PLANS INVOLVED SENDING MANTICA, THE MFA'S UNDER 
SECRETARY FOR MIDDLE EASTERN AND AFRICAN AFFAIRS, TO LEBANON, 
 
SIPDIS 
SYRIA, AND PROBABLY ALSO JORDAN AND SAUDI ARABIA BEFORE ITALY 
ASSUMED THE EU PRESIDENCY ON JULY 1.  THERE WAS NO PLAN FOR 
FM FRATTINI TO VISIT ANY OF THESE COUNTRIES, SAID FERRARI. 
POL MC ASKED THAT THE GOI CONSULT WITH US CLOSELY ON ANY 
POSSIBLE MEETING OF SENIOR GOI OFFICIALS WITH ABU MAZEN 
AND/OR ARAFAT. 
 
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BILATERAL RELATIONS 
------------------- 
 
3. (C) MANY EU COUNTRIES HAVE OFTEN "MADE THE MISTAKE OF 
KEEPING ISRAEL AT ARM'S LENGTH," LAMENTED FERRARI, THUS 
MINIMIZING THE EU'S INFLUENCE ON THE MEPP.  THE GOI, ON THE 
OTHER HAND, HAS BEEN TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE TO ISRAEL THAT ITS 
INTEREST IS NOT LIMITED ONLY TO THE MEPP BUT EXTENDED TO 
BILATERAL TECHNICAL COOPERATION WITH ISRAEL, AS MANIFESTED BY 
VISITS IN RECENT MONTHS TO ISRAEL BY THE ITALIAN MINISTER OF 
COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ITALIAN MINISTER OF PRODUCTIVE 
ACTIVITIES AND VICE MINISTER OF FOREIGN TRADE. 
 
-------------------------------- 
CONFERENCE ON PALESTINIAN REFORM 
-------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) FERRARI UNDERLINED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CONFERENCE 
THE GOI IS ORGANIZING IN ROME MAY 28-29 ON PALESTINIAN REFORM 
AND ECONOMIC RECONSTRUCTION.  HE SAID THAT THE GOI HAS 
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PAGE 04        ROME  01665  01 OF 02  171655Z 
CAREFULLY COORDINATED THIS CONFERENCE NOT ONLY WITH THE GREEK 
PRESIDENCY OF THE EU, BUT ALSO WITH THE ISRAELIS AND THE 
PALESTINIANS.  FERRARI WAS VERY HOPEFUL FOR HIGH-LEVEL 
ATTENDANCE AT THIS CONFERENCE, AND EXPRESSED SPECIAL INTEREST 
IN A/S BURNS PARTICIPATING IN IT (REF A).  HE ADDED THAT 
SEPARATE MEETINGS OF THE QUARTET MEMBERS COULD TAKE PLACE 
DURING THE CONFERENCE. 
 
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EUROSMEC 
-------- 
 
5. (C) FERRARI WAS CAUTIOUSLY CONFIDENT THAT THE ITALIAN 
CANDIDATE LAURA MIRACHIAN WOULD REPLACE MIGAEL ANGEL 
MORATINOS AS THE EUROSMEC (EUROPEAN SPECIAL MIDDLE EAST 
COORDINATOR).  FERRARI WAS HOPEFUL THAT MIRACHIAN WOULD BE 
INFORMALLY APPROVED BY THE EU FMS IN THEIR MAY 2 GYMNICH 
MEETING.  HE FELT THE ITALIAN CANDIDATE HAD THE BACKING OF 
THE U.K., PORTUGAL, SPAIN, AND GREECE.  THE FRENCH, SAID 
FERRARI, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OPPOSED TO AN ITALIAN CANDIDATE FOR 
THIS POSITION.  THE FRENCH POSITION WAS NOW MORE UNYIELDING, 
GIVEN THE FRANCO-ITALIAN DIPLOMATIC AND POLITICAL DIFFERENCES 
ON IRAQ, BUT THE FRENCH WERE UNABLE TO PROMOTE ANY CREDIBLE 
ALTERNATIVE TO MIRACHIAN.  ONCE AGAIN, SPEAKING CAUTIOUSLY, 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ9628 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  01665  02 OF 02  171655Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00  DOEE-00 
      SRPP-00  DS-00    EAP-00   EB-00    OIGO-00  VC-00    TEDE-00 
      INR-00   LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01    NEA-00   NSAE-00 
      NSCE-00  OMB-01   DHS-00   PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00 
      P-00     SCT-00   SP-00    SSO-00   TRSE-00  USIE-00  PMB-00 
      DSCC-00  PRM-00   DRL-01   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /004W 
                  ------------------578AB1  171656Z /38 
O 171658Z APR 03 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9337 
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 001665 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2013 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, IT, IS, KPAL 
SUBJECT: ITALY ON ISRAEL, THE PA, AND THE MEPP BEFORE ITS 
EU PRESIDENCY 
 
FERRARI SAID THAT, IF MIRACHIAN WERE TO OFFICIALLY BECOME THE 
EUROSMEC, SHE COULD ASSUME HER DUTIES THE SAME DAY ITALY 
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PAGE 02        ROME  01665  02 OF 02  171655Z 
ASSUMES THE PRESIDENCY OF THE EU, ON JULY 1. 
 
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THE "MARSHALL PLAN" 
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6. (C) ITALY WAS NOT GOING TO GIVE UP ON BERLUSCONI'S IDEA 
FOR A "MARSHALL PLAN" FOR THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY.  HOWEVER, 
FERRARI WAS PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE EU 
ENDORSING THE MARSHALL PLAN IDEA.  FIRST, MANY MEMBERS OF THE 
EU WOULD BE RELUCTANT TO GIVE ITALY, AND SPECIFICALLY 
BERLUSCONI, CREDIT FOR SUCH A PROGRAM.  MORE IMPORTANTLY, 
MOST EU MEMBERS WERE NOT INTERESTED IN POOLING THEIR 
BILATERAL DONATIONS TO THE PALESTINIANS, BEYOND THAT ALREADY 
MANDATED BY THE EU BUDGET. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2003ROME01665 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL