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### Viewing cable 10ROME173, SECDEF MEETING WITH ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
10ROME173 | 2010-02-12 13:18 | 2010-11-28 18:00 | SECRET//NOFORN | Embassy Rome

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    VZCZCXRO2504
    PP RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL
    RUEHTRO
    DE RUEHRO #0173/01 0431318
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    P 121318Z FEB 10
    FM AMEMBASSY ROME
    TO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
    INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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    RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 0479
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    RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3270
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    RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1068
    RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
    RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY

` `

    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ROME 000173

    NOFORN
    SIPDIS

    SECDEF FOR USDP, ISA, ISA/EURNATO

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2020
    TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS NATO IT AF IR
    SUBJECT: SECDEF MEETING WITH ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
    FRANCO FRATTINI, FEBRUARY 8, 2010

    ROME 00000173  001.2 OF 003

    Classified By: Ambassador Alexander Vershbow for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D
    )

    ¶1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (SecDef)
    met with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini
    during an official visit to Rome on February 8.  On
    Afghanistan, Frattini was eager to move beyond the London
    Conference and work to produce practical results for the
    Afghan people.  He proposed better civil-military
    coordination at senior levels in NATO, and raised the
    prospect of coordination on local projects across the
    Afghanistan-Iran border.  SecDef thanked Frattini for Italy's
    pledge of more troops for operations in Afghanistan and
    explained where gaps in civil-military cooperation existed.
    Frattini believed the international community was lining up
    against Iran, and encouraged better coordination with
    countries outside the P5-plus-1.  SecDef warned that a
    nuclear Iran would lead to greater proliferation in the
    Middle East, war, or both.  SecDef agreed with Frattini that
    a United Nations conference highlighting security challenges
    in the Horn of Africa was a good idea.  END SUMMARY.

    ------------
    Afghanistan
    ------------

    ¶2. (S/NF) Frattini opened by telling SecDef that the U.S. can
    count on Italy's full support on Afghanistan, Iran and
    fighting terror.  He had recently talked with General Jones
    and Secretary Clinton and relayed the same message.  He
    expressed a desire to focus on the comprehensive approach in
    such a way to improve the daily lives of Afghans.  He
    asserted a need to press President Karzai on delivering
    improved governance or risk losing support for the mission in
    coalition Parliaments.  Frattini wanted to get beyond "just
    talking" -- referencing the London conference -- and noted
    concrete Italian projects to convert poppy cultivation to
    olive oil production and to create a national high school for
    public administration.

    ¶3. (S/NF) SecDef commended Rome's efforts to increase Italian
    contributions, asking whether even more Carabinieri might be
    available for training the Afghan security forces.  He
    observed that General McChrystal's emphasis on protecting
    Afghan civilians has changed attitudes among Allied publics.
    SecDef said he is pushing the comprehensive approach, noting
    a need for all stakeholders in Afghanistan to share
    information effectively.  He said he hoped that NATO's new
    Senior Civilian Representative, Ambassador Mark Sedwill,
    could facilitate this.  SecDef recommended a focus on better
    governance below the level of the national government --
    which would take decades to turn into a modern government )
    taking advantage of traditional institutions and competent
    governors at the regional and sub-regional levels and
    leveraging them into local success stories.  At the national
    level, however, our priority should be to develop those
    ministries most critical to our success, such as Defense,
    Interior, Finance, Agriculture, and Health.  Noting Gen.
    McChrystal's recent statement that the situation in
    Afghanistan is no longer deteriorating, SecDef said that much
    of the challenge is psychological -- convincing Afghans that
    we can win and that we will not abandon them.

    ¶4.  (S/NF) Frattini agreed that civilian-military integration
    is the weakest part of the Afghan strategy.  He expressed
    frustration that NATO foreign ministers only discuss issues
    like agriculture and education while defense ministers only
    discuss security.  The problem, Frattini suggested, is that
    they don't talk to each other.  He proposed a joint meeting
    of foreign and defense ministers, beginning with talks at the
    expert level.  SecDef responded that Gen. McChrystal and
    Ambassador Eikenberry do civilian-military collaboration at
    the national level on the basis of a Joint Campaign Plan, as
    do local ground commanders with leaders of PRTs.  What is
    missing is the level in between -- the regional commands --
    and SecDef expressed a desire for Sedwill to appoint
    subordinates to address this in each RC, building on the

    ROME 00000173  002.2 OF 003

    example of the civ-mil cell in RC-South.  The effect would be
    cascading civil-military coordination at the national,
    regional, and local levels.  SecDef noted that similar
    efforts by UNSRSG Kai Eide had been hamstrung by resourcing
    and the UN's aversion to working with the military.  As a
    NATO representative, Sedwill should not have these problems.

    ¶5. (S/NF) Frattini also asked about practical cooperation
    across the Afghan-Iranian border.  Local incentives for
    cooperation might undermine weapons and drug trafficking and
    help co-opt reconcilable Taliban.  SecDef noted that Iran is
    playing both sides of the street -- trying to be friendly
    with the Afghanistan government while trying to undermine
    ISAF efforts.  He noted that intelligence indicated there was
    little lethal material crossing the Afghanistan-Iran border.
    SecDef suggested that trade route protection from Afghanistan
    into Eastern Iran, which is important for local economies on
    both sides of the border, might be a place to start.  SecDef
    noted that any effort will need to be coordinated with Kabul.
     Frattini agreed this would be a good starting point.

    ----
    Iran
    ----

    ¶6. (S/NF) Frattini supported recent public statements by
    SecDef raising the pressure on Iran.  He declared that
    Ahmadinejad cannot be trusted, especially after contradicting
    recent constructive statements by his own government.
    Frattini, citing a recent conversation with Russian Foreign
    Minister Lavrov, said he believed Russia would support the
    sanctions track.  The challenge was to bring China on board;
    China and India, in Frattini's view, were critical to the
    adoption of measures that would affect the government without
    hurting Iranian civil society.  He also specifically proposed
    including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil, Venezuela and Egypt
    in the conversation.  He expressed particular frustration
    with Ankara's "double game" of outreach to both Europe and
    Iran.  Frattini proposed an informal meeting of Middle East
    countries, who were keen to be consulted on Iran, and noted
    that Secretary Clinton was in agreement.

    ¶7. (S/NF) SecDef emphasized that a UNSC resolution was
    important because it would give the European Union and
    nations a legal platform on which to impose even harsher
    sanctions against Iran.  SecDef pointedly warned that urgent
    action is required.  Without progress in the next few months,
    we risk nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, war
    prompted by an Israeli strike, or both.  SecDef predicted "a
    different world" in 4-5 years if Iran developed nuclear
    weapons.  SecDef stated that he recently delivered the same
    warning to PM Erdogan, and he agreed with Frattini's
    assessment on Saudi Arabia and China, noting that Saudi
    Arabia is more important to both Beijing and Moscow than
    Iran.

    ¶8.  (S/NF) SecDef urged Frattini to reconsider a planned
    visit to Italy by a prominent Iranian Parliamentarian in the
    wake of recent executions of students in opposition to the
    government. At the same time, we needed to ensure we did not
    discredit the opposition by creating the impression that they
    are the tools of foreign partners.

    --------------
    Horn of Africa
    --------------

    ¶9. (C) Frattini expressed concern about deteriorating
    conditions in Somalia and Yemen.  He noted a recent
    conversation with President Sharif of Somalia's Transitional
    Federal Government (TFG), in which Sharif said that he would
    be unable to pay his security forces by the end of February.
    Frattini said that Italy was encouraging the EU Presidency to
    focus on Somalia and Yemen, and had proposed a United Nations
    conference addressing Horn of Africa security issues.  Italy
    was providing funding to the TFG's national budget. SecDef
    concurred that the region deserved more focus.

    ROME 00000173  003.2 OF 003

    ¶10. (U)  SecDef has cleared this cable.  Drafted by OSD staff.
    DIBBLE

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