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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6401
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0510
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0750
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA PRIORITY 0320
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 0508
RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 1850
RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 7826
RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 1975
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0022
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0657

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ROME 002990 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2016 
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC CU VZ GT IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: ON CUBA, DAS MADISON ENCOURAGES ITALY TO 
PLAY A ROLE 
 
ROME 00002990  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Jonathan R. Cohen fo 
r reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  WHA DAS Madison met with Italian officials 
October 23 to discuss the Cuba transition.  Madison shared 
U.S. views and plans in light of the changing situation in 
Cuba.  Stressing the fact that only the Cuban people could 
bring about change, she requested Italian help to open 
political and economic space on the island and 
internationally that could provide a context in which 
democratic change could take place.  MFA U/S Di Santo agreed 
to use his personal relationships with key figures in Latin 
America to urge them to take a leadership role on Cuba.  On 
development assistance, MFA DG Economides noted that Italy 
could provide aid bilaterally and through the EU, once there 
is a political green light.  Madison requested Italian 
support for Guatemala on the UNSC.  Di Santo said Italy was 
working with contacts in Latin America to encourage an 
alternative candidate in the Guatemala-Venezuela race.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere 
Affairs Kirsten Madison October 23 met with Italian MFA Under 
Secretary for Latin America Donato Di Santo, Deputy Director 
 
SIPDIS 
General for the Americas Roberto Spinelli and, separately, 
with Director General for Development Cooperation Alain 
Economides to discuss the Cuba transition. 
 
---------------------------- 
GOI Evaluating Cuba Approach 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) As Cuba moved from a dictatorship headed by a single 
revolutionary leader to some form of powersharing, Madison 
noted this was a time when the international community should 
consider how it could support a process of change in Cuba. 
Stressing that only the Cuban people could lead the process 
of change, Madison highlighted the importance of working to 
help Cubans connect with each other and opening a space to 
facilitate change, including by expressing solidarity with 
the Cuban people and raising activists' profiles.  The United 
States, Madison said, had increased direct assistance to 
democracy activists and information programs. 
 
¶4. (C) Welcoming Madison's visit as an important first 
exchange of views, Di Santo noted that he was requesting a 
meeting with Assistant Secretary Shannon at the beginning of 
December in order to begin a dialogue on Latin America and, 
above all, Cuba.  Since the current Italian government had 
only been in power since the summer, Di Santo explained that 
they were still evaluating their foreign policy.  He expected 
the review process would be completed soon and that he would 
be able to have a productive conversation with Shannon. 
 
¶5. (C) In order to provide a personal context for his 
thoughts on Cuba, Di Santo detailed his several visits to 
Cuba, where he had been subject to an expulsion order on his 
final trip, and was sure he would not be issued another visa 
by the GOC.  Personal experience aside, however, he explained 
that the GOI position on Cuba was fully in line with the EU 
common policy.  Italy wanted to play a positive role in the 
transition, Di Santo said, and not a neutral one.  He 
highlighted as extremely important Madison's comment that 
only the Cuban people can decide their future, noting that it 
takes the wind out of the sails of those who talk about 
interference. 
 
¶6. (C) Madison said that Cuban nationalism would be a very 
important factor in the transition, and would have to be 
recognized and understood by the international community. 
While discussions on Cuba usually framed human rights issues 
in terms of political rights, Madison suggested that it might 
be useful to bring economic rights into the conversation. 
The economic relationship of the Cuban citizen to the state 
was a fundamental element of GOC control, she said.  As the 
Sullivan Principles had been instrumental in using economic 
engagement to create pressure for change in South Africa, 
Madison expressed hope that countries that are economically 
engaged on the island would look for ways to use that 
engagement to create pressure for more economic rights.  She 
noted that there was a document, the Arcos Principles, which 
 
ROME 00002990  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
was drafted by Cuban democratic activists and focuses on 
economic rights, that might be useful in framing an approach. 
 
¶7. (C) Di Santo responded that Italy's position was the EU 
position, and that he would discuss our ideas with EU 
colleagues after meeting with Shannon.  While acknowledging 
that the GOC fears and limits private activity on the island, 
Di Santo noted that he personally believed the U.S. embargo 
provided the GOC with an excuse for every problem.  He asked 
Madison if the United States could look at the policy. 
 
¶8. (C) In the absence of change on the island, Madison 
responded, a change in the embargo would reinforce the 
current situation rather than helping to bring about change. 
However, she stressed, the U.S. did not need to wait until 
Cuba had an established democratic government to engage: U.S. 
policy and law allowed for action as soon as the President 
believed he could certify to Congress that substantive 
progress on a transition had been made.  Madison explained 
that the United States was planning concretely to provide 
humanitarian assistance, support the electoral process, and 
to work with the Cuban military, to the extent that 
institution refrains from human rights abuses.  Our policy, 
she noted, was defined by the concrete signs of change.  Di 
Santo said he would consider our views on the Cuba 
transition, and take the issue to the EU. 
 
¶9. (C) Madison asked Di Santo, with his extensive personal 
contacts in Latin America, to urge key figures in the region 
to think about their role on this important issue, noting 
that we believe Brazil and Mexico are key countries.  Di 
Santo said he was in complete agreement with this request, 
and that he would increase GOI activity in support of Latin 
American leadership on Cuba. 
 
 
--------------------------- 
UNSC GRULAC Vote Abstention 
--------------------------- 
 
¶10. (C) Noting our surprise at the GOI abstention on the UNSC 
Latin America Group (GRULAC) vote, Madison argued that a 
Venezuela seat could make work particularly difficult on the 
Council, and Venezuela lacked the votes to win.  She urged 
Italy to vote for Guatemala, a country that could play a 
constructive role.  Di Santo responded that, as FM D'Alema 
had stated, the GOI's position was based on Italy's 
interest--specifically the Italian community of approximately 
1 million people in Venezuela, roughly 100,000 of whom hold 
an Italian passport.  Acknowledging that the Italo-Venezuelan 
community was, for the most part, wealthy and anti-Chavez, Di 
Santo stressed that they were also affected by the GOV and 
were targets for kidnappings.  He asked us to view Italy's 
abstention as potentially helpful to finding an alternative 
solution that did not include Venezuela or Guatemala.  Di 
Santo said that he had spoken, on behalf of D'Alema, with 
various FMs and DFMs in Latin America to encourage such a 
solution. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Italy Can Provide Aid to Cuba When the Time Comes 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶11. (C) Speaking on development assistance, Madison explained 
to Economides that the United States was looking at 
possibilities for the international community to support the 
process of change in Cuba in more than a rhetorical way. 
Noting U.S. aid to the Cuban populace, she expressed hope 
that others would be willing to provide humanitarian and 
electoral assistance to support a process of transition. 
Economides said that at the moment Cuba was very low on the 
GOI's list of priorities for aid, and that a few years ago 
Italian NGOs had been thrown out of Cuba.  However, he said 
Italy could offer humanitarian and capacity building 
assistance if there was a transition. 
 
¶12. (C) At Economides' request, Madison explained that we 
work through NGOs from the United States and third countries 
to organize conferences, and provide wireless internet and 
library assistance, helping Cubans connect with each other. 
Economides explained that development assistance from Italy 
 
ROME 00002990  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
would only come when his office was given the political 
go-ahead, but that Italy would be willing to work both 
bilaterally and through the EU on aid to Cuba, and could 
provide food aid, reconstruction, and other types of 
assistance. 
 
 
¶13. (U) This message was cleared by DAS Madison. 
SPOGLI