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

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ROME 000902 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2019 
TAGS: EG IT PREL XE ITALIAN POLITICS
SUBJECT: MUBARAK IN ITALY: GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE 
AT CENTER OF DISCUSSIONS 
 
REF: FBIS EUR20040305000019 
 
Classified By: POL MINCOUNS THOMAS COUNTRYMAN, REASONS 1.5 (b) & (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: The Italian PM and President urged Mubarak to 
take a more open stance towards the Greater Middle East 
Initiative, noting Italy's support and the likely endorsement 
of the EU and NATO for the concept.  Mubarak was careful not 
to rule out Arab participation in the initiative, but argued 
that Egypt, Iraq and other Arab states would elect extremist 
governments if they moved too rapidly to democratic 
elections.  Mubarak also linked the success of any initiative 
to a prior resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, and 
spoke of only limited hopes for a breakthrough in the peace 
process.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. (U) Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited Rome March 
4-5.  He met Prime Minister Berlusconi and FM Frattini for 
dinner Thursday, then met with President Ciampi and MFA U/S 
Mantica on Friday.  Press coverage was limited, overshadowed 
by the same-day visit of UK PM Blair.  Mubarak gave an 
interview to daily La Repubblica (FBIS reftel), in which he 
struck many of the same themes as in his private meetings. 
The Italian government official statement following the visit 
is contained in para 11 below. 
 
¶3. (C) According to Berlusconi's deputy diplomatic advisor, 
Francesco Talo, Mubarak was talkative and frank during his 
dinner with the PM.  Talo said that Mubarak came in a 
skeptical mood on the GME initiative and the Peace Process, 
but seemed to relax as he listened to Berlusconi.  The PM 
told Mubarak that Italy shares the US determination to make 
the GME initiative into an inclusive, bottom-up process. 
Neither the US nor Europe want to dictate reform from 
outside, nor to impose a single model on such a diverse group 
of countries.  Most importantly, nobody wants to sideline the 
peace process. 
 
¶4. (C) Mubarak told Berlusconi that Egypt, like other Arab 
countries, faces a difficult situation from domestic public 
opinion.  For Egypt, Iraq or other countries to move 
immediately to completely open elections would only result in 
an extremist government coming to power.  Mubarak said he 
wanted the Arab League to address the issue at its summit 
this month, but that he was willing to discuss the initiative 
with the US and Europe.  Talo said Mubarak left the 
impression he was definitely ""not closed"" to the US 
initiative. 
 
¶5. (C) Frattini then elaborated on the speech he had given at 
NATO the previous day on a political role for NATO in the 
Middle East.  He described NATO's Euro-Med Dialogue as one 
contribution to the broader GME initiative.  Mubarak listened 
with interest and with positive words about the Euro-Med 
process. 
 
¶6. (C) On the peace process, Mubarak said there were only a 
few hopeful signs.  Sharon's willingness to pull out of Gaza 
was positive and may lead to Israel taking additional forward 
steps under the Roadmap.  Mubarak said he would discuss, 
during his Washington visit later this month, how to get 
Israel to do more.  Berlusconi replied that we need BOTH 
sides to take more steps under the Roadmap.  There was no 
discussion of a new European or Arab initiative on the peace 
process. 
 
¶7. (C) There was a true meeting of the minds on Libya.  Both 
leaders agreed that Libya's recent steps were positive, and 
that Italy and Egypt deserved the greatest credit for 
softening up Qadhafi.  They then got a few laughs from 
swapping stories of their meetings with that wacky Qadhafi. 
 
¶8. (C) President Ciampi's deputy dip advisor, Giuseppe 
Peroni, gave POLMC a similar readout of the Ciampi meeting. 
Mubarak started with absolutes: no reform without the 
involvement of the Arabs themselves, and no reform with the 
Palestinian issue still unresolved.  Mubarak listed reforms 
in education and human rights already undertaken by Egypt and 
said he doesn't need outside advice.  Fundamentalism is a 
great risk for Egypt, and would be exacerbated if extremists 
could claim that the Egyptian government was bowing to 
foreign pressure.  In reply, Ciampi noted that he had spoken 
of the need for democratic and economic reform in every one 
of his state visits to Arab countries (Tunisia, Morocco, 
Algeria) in the last year.  He agreed that there could be no 
permanent stability in the region until the Palestinian issue 
was resolved.  Peroni said that Mubarak had not been terribly 
agressive or closed-minded in discussing the GME. 
 
 
¶9. (C) On the peace process, Mubarak was more skeptical than 
optimistic, though he said the same positive words about a 
potential withdrawal from Gaza.  He went on at length about 
the important role played by Arafat and claimed that Arafat 
is fully supporting Abu Alaa. 
 
¶10. (C) The same day that Mubarak was in Rome, Italian Senate 
President Marcello Pera gave Ambassador Sembler a readout of 
his just-completed visit to Cairo.  (Prior to his trip, Pera 
had solicited from the Ambassador points to use to persuade 
Mubarak on the GME).  Pera said his scheduled twenty-minute 
visit with Mubarak March 3 went on for 55 minutes (leaving 
Javier Solana to wait outside).  Mubarak again made the point 
to Pera that free elections would only cause terrorists and 
fundamentalists to come to power.  He wanted the US to be 
more specific about its GME proposal, and not seek to impose 
it on the Arab world.  Pera said he gave Mubarak a copy of 
President Bush's November speech, saying it was clear that 
the US was not seeking to impose anything.  Mubarak said the 
mood in Egypt today is very anti-American (Pera told the 
Ambassador he felt the same after his meetings in Cairo). 
Mubarak said he is interested in the initiative, but fears 
the consequences of its current direction.  The US should 
take a step back, and allow the Arabs themselves to be the 
protagonists in reform.  Pera pressed Mubarak to keep the 
door open on the initiative, and seek to shape it by engaging 
now on its content.  To the Ambassador, Pera commented that 
Mubarak is one of the Arab world's most pragmatic leaders, 
and his concern about the GME initiative undermining regional 
stability should at least be taken into account. 
 
¶11. (U) ABRIDGED TRANSLATION OF ITALIAN GOVERNMENT STATEMENT: 
During the long and cordial conversation, Mubarak illustrated 
Egypt's assessment of the situation in the Middle East.  He 
expressed the hope in a strong European action to promote the 
resumption of dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian 
Authority and, expressing concern with the deteriorating 
economic conditions in the territories, hope, together with 
Berlusconi, in innovative proposals from both sides. 
Berlusconi, underscording the importance of Egypt's role in 
searching for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, agreed 
on the importance of relaunching the Palestinian economy and 
confirmed Italy's commitment, both within the EU and the G8, 
for a Plan for Palestinian Economic Reconstruction.  He 
underscored the importance of promoting a reform process to 
modernize and develop countries in the ""Greater Middle East"", 
noting that this process must use to advantage those process 
that have already been promoted with the EU's involvement, 
such as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.  Berlusconi 
agreed with Mubarak that all developments in this sector must 
directly involve the countries that are involved in this 
process. 
Both Mubarak and Berlusconi believe the solution of the 
Palestinian-Israeli conflict is crucial to the security and 
stability of the entire region. 
In conclusion, both Berlusconi and Mubarak expressed their 
mutual satisfaction with the excellent progress of 
Italo-Egyptian economic and trade relations and stated their 
wish to consolidate and enhance those relations further. 
END TEXT 
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