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FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3230
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000139 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PREL IT IR IS
SUBJECT: ITALY-IRAN: AMB. THORNE'S CONVERSATION WITH FM 
FRATTINI 
 
REF: A. REF A: SECSTATE 9124 
     ¶B. REF B: SECSTATE 7935 
 
Classified By: Classified by Ambassador David H. Thorne.  Reasons 1.4 ( 
b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C)  Summary:  Foreign Minister Frattini assured the 
Ambassador that Italy was ready to back new stronger 
sanctions against Iran and that Prime Minister Berlusconi was 
"now convinced" of the need for Italy to be part of a strong 
unified position in concert with the U.S.  Frattini stressed 
that the "like-minded states" mechanism was critical to 
building the impetus behind new sanctions and cautioned about 
the need to carefully cultivate consensus behind a tougher 
position, both at the Security Council and within the 
European Union.  Frattini said that Italy was pleased with 
the current close coordination with the U.S and that the GOI 
would work skeptics in the EU and reach out to Russia to 
forge unity behind stronger measures.  End Summary. 
 
Berlusconi: Convinced about Unified Action 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C)  Per ref A demarche, the Ambassador met with Italian 
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on January 3 to brief him on 
the U.S. strategy on Iran and ask for Italian support. 
Frattini told the Ambassador that he had briefed Prime 
Minister Berlusconi on his meetings with Secretary Clinton in 
Washington on January 25 (ref b) and his meetings on the 
margins of the London Conference.  Berlusconi is now 
convinced of "the necessity to support" a unified approach 
with the U.S., Frattini reported, and also recognizes that 
there is a US expectation of Italian support.  The Foreign 
Minister assured the Ambassador the Italy was now ready to 
proceed with strengthened sanctions, but that it was still 
unclear what sort of sanctions were most effective and were 
possible. 
 
¶3. (C)  Frattini underscored the challenges ahead in getting 
the right language in a UN Security Council resolution.  He 
cautioned that China would be a potential key spoiler in 
developing an effective resolution.  He believes it is 
essential to have at least one Arab state -- he feels United 
Arab Emirates would be the best choice -- to join the group 
of France, UK, U.S., and Germany in offering strengthened 
measures against Iran to complement action in New York.  At 
the same time, it will be necessary for key EU members to 
work toward the development of a strong EU position.  Because 
imposing stronger sanctions will require consensus in the EU, 
it would be important to lobby member states including 
Belgium, Sweden, and Austria that were reluctant to impose 
tough new measures.  For all these reasons, Frattini believes 
that it is important to work quickly through the 
"like-minded" states mechanism to float strong proposals. 
 
¶4. (C)  Recapping GOI points raised during the February 2 
Rome visit of Treasury U/S Stuart Levey (reported septel), 
Frattini raised obstacles in imposing effective sanctions 
against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  Citing 
the case of Hizbollah, EU requirements of unanimity would 
make the process of getting the entire organization and 
affiliated companies added to the list would be tedious with 
no guarantee of success.  He proposed immediate, targeted 
measures against individuals  -- against their travel, 
financial transfers, and property -- as initial steps against 
the IRGC.  Frattini thought that the "like-minded states" 
mechanism again offered the right forum for developing these 
measures. 
 
¶5. (C)  On financial measures, Frattini said the Finance 
Ministry was looking at the UBAE Bank case.  He believes that 
India, China, and Turkey were the weak links on financial 
sanctions.  Frattini told the Ambassador that Prime Minister 
Berlusconi had promised the Israelis he would call Putin and 
Medvedev to encourage their cooperation on Iran. 
 
¶6. (C)  In conclusion, Frattini said that the GOI was very 
pleased with the current close cooperation with the U.S. on 
Iran and appreciated U/S Burns' personal efforts to keep them 
in the loop.  He stressed that the Quint meetings were 
particularly useful because it put the GOI in a stronger 
position to rein in Italian companies with interests in Iran. 
 
The Mystery of the Centrifuges 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C)  As an aside, Frattini noted that during the PM 
Berluscon's February 1-3 visit to Israel, the Israelis had 
provided Prime Minister with their explanation as to why the 
Iranians were running their 15,000 centrifuges at only 30 
 
ROME 00000139  002 OF 002 
 
 
percent capacity.  According to Israeli officials, the 
Iranians know that it would be extremely difficult to replace 
these centrifuges if they are damaged, so they are being 
careful not to stress the systems. 
 
ENI and Iran 
---------------- 
 
¶8. (C)  The Ambassador also raised the issue of Eni's 
continuing activities in Iran, cautioning that those 
activities are receiving close scrutiny in Washington.  He 
also warned that pending legislation currently before 
Congress could affect Eni's ability to do business with the 
U.S.  Frattini was clearly uncomfortable with this topic, as 
evidenced by his body language. 
 
¶9. (C)  Comment:  Our continuing, multipronged effort to 
persuade Italy that now is the time to toughen the 
international community,s stance on Iran (aided in no small 
part by Iran,s missteps) is having an effect and the GOI is 
moving decidedly into line on new sanctions.  Recent 
legislation introduced in Congress, Secretary Clinton,s 
strong push in her meetings with Frattini, and Israeli 
appeals during Berlusconi,s just completed visit there have 
had a cumulative effect, particularly now that Berlusconi no 
longer would have to choose between the U.S. and Russia as we 
embark on a tougher path. 
 
 
THORNE