This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 001134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PGOV IT ITPHUM
SUBJECT: INTERIOR MINISTER ADVOCATES FORMAL RELATIONSHIP 
WITH ISLAM IN ITALY 
 
 
¶1.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶2. (SBU) IN THE PAST MONTH, BOTH INTERIOR MINISTER PISANU 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  01134  01 OF 02  191345Z 
AND SENATE PRESIDENT PERA PUBLICLY HAVE URGED ACCELERATED 
NEGOTIATION OF A STATE ACCORD WITH ITALY'S GROWING ISLAMIC 
COMMUNITY.  THE CALLS ELICITED FAVORABLE PRESS COVERAGE AND 
MODEST PROTESTS FROM THE GENERALLY ANTI-IMMIGRANT NORTHERN 
LEAGUE (PART OF PM BERLUSCONI'S GOVERNING COALITION).  THE 
RECENT SPEECHES ARE ENCOURAGING AND MAY PRESAGE A RENEWED 
GOVERNMENT PUSH TO CONCLUDE AN ACCORD.  THEY DO LITTLE, 
THOUGH, TO ADDRESS THE PRINCIPAL OBSTACLE TO AN ACCORD - THE 
LACK OF CONSENSUS WITHIN ITALY'S COLLECTION OF FRACTIOUS 
ISLAMIC COMMUNITIES. 
 
¶3.  (U) FORMAL STATE ACCORDS (CALLED "INTESE") WERE 
CONCEIVED TO PROVIDE MINORITY FAITHS TREATMENT EQUAL TO THAT 
ENJOYED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. (ITALY PROVIDES FINANCIAL 
SUPPORT TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, PARTLY AS 
COMPENSATION FOR EXPROPRIATED PROPERTY, UNDER THE 1929 
LATERAN ACCORDS RESOLVING THE DIPLOMATIC AND LEGAL 
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND STATE FOLLOWING CREATION 
OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC).  THE ACCORDS PROVIDE MODEST 
FINANCIAL BENEFITS AND HELP SMOOTH ADMINISTRATIVE DEALINGS 
WITH THE OFTEN LABYRINTHINE ITALIAN BUREAUCRACIES BY 
NORMALIZING SUCH MATTERS AS A FAITH'S REPRESENTATION IN 
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS PRISONS AND HOSPITALS AND ITS 
LEGAL CHARACTER WITH RESPECT TO PROPERTY.  SINCE THE 
PROVISION'S INCEPTION, SIX FAITHS HAVE CONCLUDED FORMAL 
AGREEMENTS; TWO OTHERS AWAIT PARLIAMENTARY RATIFICATION.  AN 
ACCORD IS NOT REQUIRED FOR FAITHS TO WORSHIP IN ITALY. 
INDEED, ITALY'S MUSLIM COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN WORSHIPPING 
FREELY IN OVER 200 MOSQUES AND PRAYER CENTERS. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) WITHIN THE SPACE OF THREE WEEKS, BOTH PISANU AND 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  01134  01 OF 02  191345Z 
PERA FOUND PUBLIC PLATFORMS TO ADVOCATE RAPID CONCLUSION OF 
AN ACCORD WITH THE ISLAMIC FAITH.  THEIR MOTIVE IS A FAIRLY 
CLEAR, SIMPLE ONE: SOCIAL PEACE.  MAINSTREAM ITALIANS HAVE 
BEEN RATTLED BY THE PERIODIC DISCOVERY OF RADICAL ISLAMIST 
TERRORIST CELLS.  COUPLED WITH PERCEPTIONS OF RAPIDLY 
ESCALATING IMMIGRATION, MUCH OF IT FROM ISLAMIC COUNTRIES, 
THESE TERROR PLOTS HAVE LEFT COMMENTATORS, POLITICIANS AND 
MANY CITIZENS ALARMED OVER THE DEVELOPMENT OF PARALLEL MINI- 
SOCIETIES THAT SHARE FEW OF ITALY'S COMMONLY ACCEPTED NORMS 
AND VALUES.  WHILE PLEASED WITH THE DISRUPTION AND ARREST OF 
SUSPECTED ISLAMIC TERRORIST GROUPS IN ITALY, PISANU 
REPORTEDLY VIEWS THOSE RESULTS AS SYMPTOMATIC OF A WORRYING 
UNDERLYING PHENOMENON.  IN WHAT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN 
UNCOORDINATED INITIATIVES, BOTH PISANU AND PERA DECIDED TO 
PUSH A POSITIVE ALTERNATIVE TO THE REACTIONARY FEARMONGERING 
ESPOUSED BY THE NORTHERN LEAGUE AND CULTURAL TRADITIONALISTS 
OPPOSED TO A MORE MULTICULTURAL ITALY. 
 
¶5.  (U) DECLARING HIS SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN 
"ITALIAN ISLAM COMPATIBLE WITH OUR LAWS AND VALUES," PISANU 
JANUARY 21 ANNOUNCED HE WAS READY TO SIT DOWN WITH THE 
LEADERS OF MODERATE ISLAM IN ITALY TO CONCLUDE A FORMAL 
ACCORD. MEANWHILE, THE STATE WOULD MEET ISLAMIC EXTREMISM 
WITH ALL NECESSARY FIRMNESS.  "THE MOSQUES MUST NOT BE 
SOURCES OF POLITICAL PROPAGANDA OR, AS HAS HAPPENED, 
TERRORIST FINANCING," PISANU ASSERTED.  THREE WEEKS LATER, 
SENATE PRESIDENT PERA ECHOED PISANU'S BROAD CALL, SAYING 
THAT IT WAS TIME FOR AN ACCORD - PROVIDED ITALY'S MUSLIMS 
RESPECTED RECIPROCALLY ITALIAN SOCIETY. 
 
¶6. (SBU) THE REMARKS REFLECT INTER ALIA PISANU'S STRATEGY OF 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  01134  01 OF 02  191345Z 
ENCOURAGING THE ASCENDANCY WITHIN ITALIAN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES 
OF A TOLERANT, MODERATE FORM OF ISLAM COMPATIBLE WITH 
ITALIAN LAW AND SOCIETAL NORMS.  PISANU HAS SAID HE WOULD 
LIKE TO DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH A SMALL GROUP OF 
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FAITH WHO COULD HELP THE GOVERNMENT 
UNDERSTAND THEIR COMMUNITIES, MANAGE PROBLEMS - AND, INTER 
ALIA, IDENTIFY MORE RADICAL ELEMENTS.  IF THIS DIALOGUE 
PROVED SUCCESSFUL, THE GROUP COULD BECOME THE APPROPRIATE 
COUNTERPART TO ESTABLISH A FRAMEWORK INTESA. 
 
¶7. (SBU) IF PISANU'S REMARKS ARE INDICATIVE OF A NEW PUSH BY 
THE BERLUSCONI GOVERNMENT TO CONCLUDE AN ACCORD WITH ITALIAN 
MUSLIMS, THE INTERIOR MINISTER FACES A MAJOR CHALLENGE.  THE 
PRINCIPAL OBSTACLE TO AN AGREEMENT HASN'T BEEN THE LACK OF A 
GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT; INTERIOR MINISTRY CONTACTS TELL US 
THEY'VE HAD A DRAFT ACCORD READY FOR MONTHS.  RATHER, IT'S 
THE ABSENCE OF A REPRESENTATIVE GROUP WITH WHOM MINISTRY 
OFFICIALS CAN NEGOTIATE.   ISLAM IN ITALY IS, TO BORROW A 
PHRASE FROM PISANU, AN "ARCHIPELAGO" OF RELIGIOUS 
ASSOCIATIONS, IMMIGRANT GROUPS AND INDIVIDUAL PRAYER 
CENTERS.  MANY OF THESE GROUPS CLAIM TO REPRESENT THE BULK 
OF THEIR CORELIGIONISTS AND, THEREFORE, TO BE THE 
GOVERNMENT'S NATURAL INTERLOCUTOR. 
 
¶8. (SBU) THIS MOSAIC OF ASSOCIATIONS, DRAWN FROM DIFFERENT 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ0622 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  01134  02 OF 02  191345Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00 
      SRPP-00  DS-00    EB-00    UTED-00  VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00 
      IO-00    LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00 
      OIC-02   OMB-01   DHS-00   OPIC-01  PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00 
      ACE-00   P-00     SCT-00   SP-00    STR-00   TEST-00  TRSE-00 
      USIE-00  PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00   DRL-01   G-00     SAS-00 
        /007W 
                  ------------------46F6CB  191351Z /38 
R 191341Z MAR 03 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8806 
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 001134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PGOV IT ITPHUM
SUBJECT: INTERIOR MINISTER ADVOCATES FORMAL RELATIONSHIP 
WITH ISLAM IN ITALY 
 
CULTURES AND PHILOSOPHIES, AGREES ON LITTLE - INCLUDING THE 
MAIN ELEMENTS OF A FORMAL ACCORD.  RATHER THAN TRY TO SORT 
OUT THEIR DIFFERENCES, THE MAJOR ISLAMIC ASSOCIATIONS ARE 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  01134  02 OF 02  191345Z 
CONTENT TO SUGGEST THAT THE GOVERNMENT CONCLUDE MULTIPLE 
ACCORDS WITH THE VARIOUS GROUPS (BEGINNING FIRST WITH THEIR 
OWN, NATURALLY).  IN THE MEANTIME, THEY POSTURE TO IMPROVE 
THEIR RESPECTIVE CLAIM TO REPRESENT THE BULK OF ITALY'S 
MUSLIMS IN THE EVENT THE GOVERNMENT HOLDS TO ITS CURRENT 
POLICY OF NEGOTIATING A SINGLE AGREEMENT. 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: PISANU'S AND PERA'S SPEECHES ULTIMATELY 
MAY AMOUNT ONLY TO RHETORICAL OUTREACH.  EVEN THE CONCLUSION 
OF AN INTESE WOULD HAVE MORE SYMBOLIC THAN PRACTICAL IMPACT, 
BUT THIS MODEST OUTCOME WOULD STILL REPRESENT AN IMPROVEMENT 
IN THE WARY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ITALIANS AND THE MAJORITY 
OF MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS.  THEIR REMARKS UNDERSCORE THE 
GOVERNMENT'S POSITION THAT ITALY'S "MUSLIM ARCHIPELAGO" IS 
POPULATED PRIMARILY BY REASONABLE PEOPLE WORTHY OF RESPECT 
AND DIALOGUE.  THAT MESSAGE PROVIDES AN IMPORTANT 
COUNTERWEIGHT TO THE ALARMIST, REACTIONARY VIEWS OF THE 
NORTHERN LEAGUE AND OTHERS FEARFUL OF THE EROSION OF 
"TRADITIONAL" ITALIAN SOCIETY THAT, UNTIL NOW, HAVE TENDED 
TO DOMINATE PUBLIC DISCOURSE ON THE SUBJECT. 
 
SEMBLER 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
> 
 2003ROME01134 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED