US embassy cable - 03ROME2636

UNCLAS ROME 002636 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IT, PINS, PREL, UNSC 
SUBJECT: FM FRATTINI ON UNSC REFORM 
 
 1.  (U) SUMMARY:  IN A MAY 3 ARTICLE IN THE CENTRIST DAILY 
CORRIERE DELLA SERA, ITALIAN FM FRATTINI LAID OUT IN DETAIL 
    ITALY'S VIEW ON SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM.  END SUMMARY 
 
2.  (U) FRATTINI ARGUED THAT ITALY WANTS UNSC REFORM, NOT 
REORGANIZATION. ITALY REALISTICALLY SUPPORTS, FOR NOW, 
LEAVING CURRENT PERMANENT MEMBERS AND THEIR VETO POWER 
UNTOUCHED, ACCEPTING THAT THE CURRENT PERMANENT MEMBERS ARE 
UNLIKELY TO GIVE UP THEIR RIGHTS.  HOWEVER, THE SECURITY 
COUNCIL DOES NOT REFLECT DECOLONIALIZATION AND OTHER GLOBAL 
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES.  AN UPDATED MEMBERSHIP WOULD 
GIVE THE SECURITY COUNCIL ADDED RELEVANCE AND HELP KEEP ITS 
"CENTRAL ROLE" WITHIN THE SYSTEM OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. 
 
3.  (U) IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, FRATTINI LAID OUT A 
PLAN THE GOI HAS BEEN PUSHING FOR MANY YEARS.  RATHER THAN 
ADDING A LIMITED NUMBER OF ROTATING, GEOGRAPHICALLY 
REPRESENTATIONAL MEMBERS, ITALY PROPOSES TO ADD A "WIDE 
RANGE" OF FREQUENTLY ROTATING MEMBERS CHOSEN ON THE BASIS OF 
THEIR ECONOMIC WEIGHT AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE UN; THIS 
COMMITMENT BEING MEASURED IN TERMS OF PEACEKEEPING AND 
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE.  PREVIOUSLY THE GOI SUPPORTED THE 
ADDITION OF TEN NEW NON-PERMANENT SEATS, DIVIDED 
GEOGRAPHICALLY, AMONG WHICH THIRTY COUNTRIES, CHOSEN BY THE 
GENERAL ASSEMBLY BASED ON "OBJECTIVE CRITERIA," WOULD ROTATE. 
 
4.  (U) ACCEPTING THAT THE CURRENT P-5 WILL NOT RELINQUISH 
THEIR SPECIAL RIGHTS, ITALY NONETHELESS BELIEVES THE "THREAT 
OR USE OF VETO" AGAINST A PREVAILING POSITION WITHIN THE 
SECURITY COUNCIL WOULD BECOME MORE DIFFICULT WERE THE 
SECURITY COUNCIL TO BECOME MORE DEMOCRATIC AND MORE 
REPRESENTATIONAL.  ITALY, FRATTINI SAID, "LOOKS FAR" AND 
ENVISIONS ACHIEVING THIS BY IMPLEMENTING EU COORDINATION IN 
    INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT IS MENTIONED IN THE EU 
TREATIES.  ACCORDING TO FRATTINI, THE TWO EU COUNTRIES 
CURRENTLY IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL, THE U.K. AND FRANCE, 
SHOULD COORDINATE WITH THEIR EU PARTNERS AND REFLECT THEIR 
PARTNERS' INTERESTS WITHIN THE SECURITY COUNCIL.   HE SAID 
ITALY WOULD WORK WITH THIS OBJECTIVE IN MIND DURING ITS 
UPCOMING EU PRESIDENCY AND POSSIBLY IN 2007-2008, WHEN IT 
HOPES TO BE REELECTED TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL AS A ROTATIONAL 
MEMBER. 
 
5.  (U) FRATTINI NOTED THAT THE EU CONVENTION IS ALSO WORKING 
TOWARD THIS END AND WROTE, WITHOUT OFFERING TIME LIMITS, THAT 
A SECOND STEP FORWARD WOULD BE TO EVENTUALLY ADD AN EU SEAT 
WITHIN THE SECURITY COUNCIL: "IN PARTICULAR IF WE CONSIDER 
THAT, IN A REFORMED COUNCIL, THE VOICE OF EUROPE WOULD 
EXPRESS THE INTERESTS AND OBJECTIVES OF A PROSPEROUS AND 
DEMOCRATIC REGION THAT EXTENDS FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE 
BOUNDARIES WITH RUSSIA AND INCLUDES TURKEY."  LOOKING FURTHER 
AHEAD, HE SAID ITALY COULD EVENTUALLY ENVISION A SINGLE EU 
REPRESENTATION WITHIN THE SECURITY COUNCIL -- I.E. WHERE THE 
UK AND FRANCE WOULD GIVE UP THEIR INDIVIDUAL SEATS AND BE 
INCLUDED IN THE EU SEAT. 
 
6. (SBU)  COMMENT:  SINCE THE IDEA OF SECURITY COUNCIL 
EXPANSION WAS FIRST RAISED MORE THAN TEN YEARS AGO, ITALY'S 
MAIN GOAL HAS BEEN TO KEEP GERMANY FROM BECOMING A PERMANENT 
MEMBER, THEREBY PERMANENTLY RELEGATING ITALY TO A "SECOND 
CLASS" EUROPEAN COUNTRY.  SINCE SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM IS 
NOT A HOT TOPIC AT THE MOMENT, IT IS UNCLEAR WHY FRATTINI 
CHOSE THIS TIME TO RE-STATE LONG-STANDING GOI THOUGHTS ON THE 
SUBJECT.  END COMMENT. 
    SKODON 
 
NNNN 
	2003ROME02636 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED