VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRO #1887 2491622
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061622Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8909

UNCLAS ROME 001887 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO USAID HENRIETTA FORE, ALONZO FULGHAM, NORMAN 
NICHOLSON 
PASS TO EUR/FO KURT VOLKER, MATTHEW BRYZA 
DEPT OF COMMERCE PASS TO PAUL DYKES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECIN ECON EIND ETRD ZL IT
SUBJECT: GOI INTEREST IN USAID ADRIATIC SUSTAINABLE TOURISM 
ALLIANCE (ASTA) 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  The Chief of Tourism in the Government of 
Italy's (GOI) Office of the Prime Minister expressed interest 
in supporting and contributing to a proposed Adriatic 
Sustainable Tourism Alliance (ASTA) after meetings with 
USAID.  Our contact requested that a high level USG 
representative write to Ministry of Culture Rutelli seeking 
the GOI's formal views and soliciting means to move the 
project forward.  Meetings with officials in the GOI's 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) were more ambivalent, but 
interest in the PM's office may be sufficient to open the 
possibility of GOI funding for ASTA.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) During a recent visit to Italy Thomas Mefford, the 
USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, 
discussed support for the proposed ASTA with relevant 
officials from the Office of the Prime Minister and MFA.  The 
PM's Chief of Tourism, Angelo Balducci, expressed interest in 
the program and believed it could have a place in Minister 
Rutelli's tourism program (as Minister of Culture, Rutelli 
controls the GOI's tourism and tourism development 
initiatives).  Balducci saw the proposed ASTA project as an 
effective means for developing Balkan economic development 
and increasing Italian presence in tourism in the Balkans. 
He also thought the program had significant potential 
infrastructure and environmental components, again 
heightening its relevance to the GOI. In addition he flagged 
possible EU interest in the project. Balducci proposed that a 
high level USG official, perhaps Mr. Mefford or Ambassador 
Spogli, write Rutelli, referencing Mr. Mefford's meeting with 
Balducci. The letter could explore means to move the project 
forward (Balducci reports to Rutelli).  Balducci offered to 
send the Embassy and USAID a sample request letter in a 
suitable format to obtain maximum attention from Rutelli. 
 
¶3.  In an initial meeting with Alessandro Foschini, a member 
of Balducci's staff, Foschini expressed interest in the ASTA 
program in the context of providing GOI development 
expertise.  He noted that Italy has some experience in 
tourism development through the Barcelona Declaration's Five 
Plus Five process.  Foschini also thought that major Italian 
tourism companies might be interested, especially for skiing 
and coastal-oriented tourism. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Mefford also met with Alain Economides, Director of 
Development, Maria Zappia-Cailluax, Chief of Development, and 
Raffaella Valentini, Deputy Head of Office, Middle East and 
Balkans, at MFA.  While interested, they requested more 
precise details on specific tactics that the ASTA project 
might fund, and more specificity of how funding would be 
deployed before they could commit to the project.  Mefford 
noted that the first part of the actual project, area mapping 
and analysis, would identify more precisely the tactics and 
funding that were necessary. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Zappia-Caillaux identified the expertise that MFA's 
development program offers:  credit lines, infrastructure 
development, technical assistance, and training.  Economides 
suggested that Mefford speak with other EU countries, in 
addition to Italy and Greece, to expand European interest in 
the project.  Economides also suggested that Mefford speak 
with relevant tourism authorities in the Italian regions 
bordering the Adriatic.  He noted that the regions have 
budgets and spending authority allocated to them for tourism 
that may be other sources of support for ASTA. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT: Post believes that Balducci's interest 
signals a credible way forward for ASTA.  Post also views the 
opportunity to deal with the central Italian government as 
more effective than dealing with a number of separate 
regions.  Balducci noted that, contrary to Economides's 
suggestion, the Ministry of Culture would have competence for 
funding ASTA, rather than the Italian regions, since ASTA 
would be a Europe-wide project. Further, since ASTA would 
involve foreign environmental and infrastructure issues, the 
Ministry, rather than the regions, would again have funding 
and management competence. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  We expect to receive the sample/draft letter from 
Balducci's office shortly.  Upon receiving the draft letter, 
we will forward it to Mr. Mefford/USAID for consideration. 
END COMMENT. 
SPOGLI