Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 64621 / 251,287

Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden 00. Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Jordan Yemen Thailand

Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05 2011/06 2011/07 2011/08

Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 08ROME1143, AFGHANISTAN: ITALY STILL SUPPORTIVE OF ANA

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08ROME1143.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08ROME1143 2008-09-12 08:26 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Rome 
VZCZCXRO1290
PP RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHYG
DE RUEHRO #1143 2560826
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 120826Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0886
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0426
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1947
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0818
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0893
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1310
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0482
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 4448
RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 9555
RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 3200
RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 3352
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 4659
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 2964
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
 
UNCLAS ROME 001143 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
SCA/A FOR NISHA SINGH, EUR/RPM FOR RAPHAEL CARLAND 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR NATO IT AF
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: ITALY STILL SUPPORTIVE OF ANA 
EXPANSION IN PRINCIPLE, AWAITS DETAILS 
 
REF: A. STATE 93225 
     B. ROME 835 
 
1. Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
2. (SBU)  Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Italian MFA 
Coordinator for Afghanistan Sergio Mercuri and MFA 
Political-Military Office Deputy Director Carlo Batori on 
September 3.  Mercuri and Batori both reiterated Italian 
support for ANA expansion in principle (Ref B), but stressed 
that the GOI will need more details on the proposal before 
committing funds.  In a subsequent discussion on September 8 
Batori said that MOD Wardak had made an excellent case for 
ANA expansion at the NAC on September 3 but that many 
questions still remain.  The ANA already has difficulties 
with recruitment and desertions, Batori said; can it 
effectively grow to the 134,000-troop level?  A larger ANA 
would, he agreed, help address some of the current CJSOR 
shortfalls, but it would also create a need for additional 
OMLTs and possibly divert scarce training resources away from 
the "underprioritized" Afghan National Police. 
 
2. (SBU) Batori also cautioned that all of Italy's foreign 
aid and defense programs are facing the possibility of deep 
budget cuts under the current government.  (Note: Budget cuts 
in defense spending alone are projected to total USD 2.5 
billion over the next three years.)  Although Afghanistan 
will remain a top priority for the GOI, he said, large new 
outlays of donor assistance are unlikely beyond the Euro 50 
million/year commitment Italy made at the June 2008 Paris 
Conference. 
SPOGLI