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DE RUEHRO #0152/01 0400838
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FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3244
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE 4022
RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN 0465
RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES 4250

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000152 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2040 
TAGS: PGOV PREL IT
SUBJECT: TOUR D'HORIZON WITH CENTER-LEFT FOREIGN POLICY 
CHIEF PIERO FASSINO 
 
ROME 00000152  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Elizabeth L. Dibble for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary 
- - - - 
¶1. (C/NF) On February 4, Democratic Party foreign policy 
chief Piero Fassino met with the Ambassador to discuss 
foreign and domestic policy issues, particularly focusing on 
Burma and Middle East, on which he has special envoy roles 
for the European Union and the Council of Europe 
respectively. Fassino reported that the opposition largely 
backed GOI's foreign policy initiatives, although he did say 
that the government should be "more balanced" in its approach 
to Middle East issues. He called Iran and Afghanistan 
long-term challenges that require international unity. On the 
Middle East, he saw an opportunity for a compromise that 
would grant the nascent Palestinian state a part of Jerusalem 
in return for renouncing the right of return for Palestinian 
refugees. And on Burma, Fassino told the Ambassador that a 
small "window of opportunity" has opened to push the military 
regime to open up. End summary. 
 
Middle East: A Deal on Jerusalem in Exchange for No Right of 
Return 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
- - - - 
¶2. (C/NF) A regular visitor to the Middle East, Fassino 
called the issue of settlements and borders resolvable, given 
that both sides had agreed in principle to a land swap. The 
issues of refugee resettlement and Jerusalem are hairier, he 
noted, although Fassino saw an opportunity to link the issues 
in a compromise--the Palestinians could forego the right of 
return within Israel in exchange for part of Jerusalem as the 
capital of a future Palestinian state. Fassino told the 
Ambassador that he agreed with most of Prime Minister 
Berlusconi's comments at the Knesset on February 3. However, 
he criticized Berlusconi for sending a contradictory message 
to Abu Mazen over the war in Gaza, making an ill-suited 
comparison with the Holocaust. (Note: Asked about Operation 
Cast Lead during his February 3 visit to Bethlehem, 
Berlusconi said that "just as it was right to cry for the 
victims of the Holocaust, so it is right to grieve for what 
happened in Gaza." End note.) Berlusconi "wants to be loved, 
and so he tailors his message to the audience," Fassino told 
the Ambassador. Beyond the recent trip, Fassino said that the 
Berlusconi government had tilted its approach too far towards 
Israel, and as a result had lost influence with the 
Palestinians. 
 
Iran: More Focus on Human Rights Needed 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶3. (C/NF) Tougher sanctions on Iran would be painful for 
Italy, Fassino told the Ambassador, though he agreed that 
western unity is critical, and commented "sanctions are 
better than war." He also called for the west to press Iran 
harder on human rights, stating that many Iranians are deeply 
skeptical of their government. Moreover, he reasoned, nuclear 
weapons in the hands of a moderate democratic regime, would 
be far less dangerous. By focusing exclusively on the nuclear 
issue, the west risked looking hypocritical given that 
Pakistan and India, for example, both have nuclear weapons. 
 
Afghanistan: West Must be United, Work with Pakistan 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶4. (C/NF) Calling Afghanistan a very difficult challenge, 
Fassino said the key to resolving Afghanistan is finding a 
solution to the conflict between India and Pakistan. He said 
that 50 percent of the problem with Afghanistan lies in 
Pakistan. Fassino agreed on the importance of western unity, 
and said that a continued robust Italian contribution was 
beyond discussion. Fassino noted that he and his party have 
consistently backed Italian deployments to Afghanistan, 
Lebanon, and the Balkans. Only on Iraq did the PD dissent in 
recent years. 
 
Burma: Keep Sanctions, Push for Democracy 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶5. (C/NF) With elections scheduled for 2011, and the regime 
interested in greater dialogue, the west should push Burma to 
open up the political process and relax some of the 
restrictions on the opposition leader, Fassino told the 
Ambassador. Fassino conceded that truly democratic elections 
might be impossible, but the 2011 elections could be a first 
step to be built upon. He saw an opening in Burma as a 
long-term project that in a best-case scenario could mirror 
Indonesia's transformation from a military regime to a 
democracy. While advocating the retention of sanctions 
because of the message that they send, Fassino was 
 
ROME 00000152  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
pessimistic about their practical utility given the 
non-participation of Burma's key Asian trading partners. 
Fassino is planning an April trip to Burma as part of his EU 
Special Envoy role. 
 
PD Is Stronger than it Appears in the Regional Races 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶6. (C/NF) Turning to domestic politics, Fassino acknowledged 
that it is a very challenging climate for the PD, but he said 
that the media and political analysts are underestimating the 
party. Of the 13 regional contests at the end of March, 
Fassino said that PD would win seven or eight of them. 
Fassino predicted that PD would win two of the four close 
contests--Lazio, Puglia, Piemonte, and Campania. Such a 
result would be read as a relatively strong performance for a 
party that most observers have judged to be in a downward 
spiral. 
 
Comment 
- - - - 
¶7. (C/NF) Fassino is an intelligent interlocutor with a 
strong grasp of the range of foreign policy issues. With the 
PD weak and divided, its foreign policy influence is minimal, 
and as a result Fassino has increased his roles in 
international organizations. A Fassino aide explained this by 
saying that Fassino dreams of being foreign minister and 
enjoys shuttle diplomacy. The PD has a fairly deep bench of 
foreign policy thinkers, though Fassino is clearly the point 
of reference for the party, along with former Prime Minister 
Massimo D'Alema. Fassino speaks English, though he is much 
more comfortable in Italian. Fassino has just returned from 
meetings in Washington with State Department officials 
including A/S Campbell and meetings on Capitol Hill, 
including with Sen. Jim Webb. 
THORNE