US embassy cable - 03ROME3169

S E C R E T ROME 003169 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR INR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2013 
TAGS: PINR, IT, IZ, FAO 
SUBJECT: IRAQI REP STILL ACCREDITED TO ROME 
 
REF: ROME 3050 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: EMIL M. SKODON  DCM  FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) 
 
1. (U) THIS IS A JOINT REPORT OF US MISSION TO FAO AND 
EMBASSY ROME.  SEE ACTION REQUEST PARA 6. 
 
2.  (S)  MUTASIM ARIF AL-FITYAN, LISTED IN THE UN FOOD AND 
     AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) PERMANENT MISSION DIRECTORY 
AS "ALTERNATE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE" (THE PERMANENT 
REPRESENTATIVE POSITION IS HELD BY MUHAMMAD AL-SHEIKH), AND 
IDENTIFIED BY ORCA AND SISMI (THE GOI EXTERNAL SERVICE) 
AS THE IIS STATION CHIEF IN ROME, IS BELIEVED TO BE IN IRAQ. 
HOWEVER, HIS FAMILY MEMBERS ARE STILL IN ROME AND SISMI 
BELIEVES HE INTENDS TO RETURN TO ROME SOON. 
 
3.  (C) FODAG AMBASSADOR HALL RAISED THE ISSUE OF EXPELLING 
AL-FITYAN WITH FAO DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL DAVID HARCHARIK 
IN EARLY MAY 2003. 
FODAG ACTING DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION FOLLOWED UP WITH 
MR. HARCHARIK MAY 20, 2003. 
HARCHARIK STATED THAT "THE BALL IS IN THE COURT OF THE 
ITALIAN MFA"  AND THAT FAO HAD MADE PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT 
IT HAD NO OBJECTION TO THE MFA WITHDRAWING 
AL-FITYAN'S CREDENTIALS. 
 
4. (S) DURING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, EMBASSY ROME 
REPEATEDLY PRESSED THE GOI MFA TO EXPEL AL-FITYAN, AS 
INSTRUCTED, ALONG WITH OTHER IRAQI "DIPLOMATS".  THE 
ITALIAN MFA DID EVENTUALLY EXPEL MOST OF THE IRAQI 
INDIVIDUALS WHOSE EXPULSION WE HAD REQUESTED. THE MFA 
HOWEVER, HAVING NO PRECEDENT FOR EXPELLING SOMEONE 
ACCREDITED TO FAO ON ESPIONAGE GROUNDS, DRAGGED ITS 
FEET UNTIL SADDAM HAD FALLEN AND HAS SINCE TAKEN NO ACTION. 
 
5. (S) SISMI TELLS ORCA IT TOLD THE ITALIAN MFA THAT IT HAD 
NO OBJECTION TO THE MFA EXPELLING AL-FITYAN. ACCORDING TO 
SISMI, WHICH HAS HAD CONTACT WITH AL-FITYAN SINCE, 
HE CLAIMED NOT TO BE CONNECTED TO THE FORMER REGIME'S 
    INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, AND MADE VAGUE PROMISES OF 
COOPERATION.  SISMI SEEMS DISINCLINED TO MOVE AGAINST HIM 
NOW, SHOULD HE RETURN TO ROME  PRESUMABLY BECAUSE HE MAY BE 
IN A POSITION TO PROVIDE SOMETHING VALUABLE.  SISMI 
MONITORED AL-FITYAN CLOSELY BEFORE HE LEFT ROME, AND TELLS 
ORCA THAT IT HAS NOT SEEN AL-FITYAN INVOLVED IN ANY 
INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITY SINCE THE REGIME FELL. 
 
6. (S) ACTION REQUEST: EMBASSY WOULD APPRECIATE 
RE-AFFIRMATION OF EARLIER INSTRUCTION 
TO PRESS FIRST SISMI, THEN MFA, FOR EXPULSION OF 
AL-FITYAN.  THIS PROCESS WOULD ALSO 
BE SMOOTHED IF THE NEW IRAQI MFA ORDERED HIM RECALLED TO 
BAGHDAD; IF CPA IS IN A POSITION 
TO ENCOURAGE THIS ACTION, IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED.  END 
ACTION REQUEST. 
 
7. (C) ON A RELATED ISSUE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHARGE AT 
IRAQ'S BILATERAL MISSION TO 
ITALY, FARRIS AL-SHOQER (WHO HAPPENS TO BE AL-FITYAN'S 
BROTHER-IN-LAW), WILL BE RECALLED 
BY THE IRAQI MFA.  WE WILL ENCOURAGE THE ITALIAN MFA, 
HAS PREVIOUSLY DOWNPLAYED OUR 
CONCERNS ABOUT AL-SHOQER'S OWN INTELLIGENCE CONNECTION 
(REFTEL), TO MOVE TO EFFECT HIS 
DEPARTURE. 
 
8. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
SEMBLER 
 
 

 
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	2003ROME03169 - Classification: SECRET