VZCZCXRO9367
PP RUEHSL
DE RUEHRO #1072/01 2611734
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 181734Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2678
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0528
RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 0227
RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 3799
RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 4008
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 3041
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 001072
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MOPS NATO IT AF
SUBJECT: GOI RESOLVE SHAKEN BUT INTACT AFTER SIX SOLDIERS
KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN
REF: A. ROME DAIL...
SUBJECT: GOI RESOLVE SHAKEN BUT INTACT AFTER SIX SOLDIERS
KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN
REF: A. ROME DAILY REPORT 9/17/09
B. ROME 1040
ROME 00001072 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Elizabeth Dibble for Reasons 1.4
(B) and (D)
1. (C) Summary: The day after an IED attack in Kabul left six
Italian soldiers dead and four wounded, political and public
reaction ranged from strong statements in support of the
mission to outright calls for the troops to come home. While
PM Berlusconi told the Ambassador privately that talk of an
exit strategy was premature, publicly he said that ""we are
all convinced that our boys should be brought home as soon as
possible,"" and that ""we had already planned for a significant
reduction in (election support) forces, and so we will
proceed in that direction."" However, he added, ""this is not
a problem that a country with troops in Afghanistan can
address by itself, because it would betray the trust of the
other countries"" present in ISAF. However, Berlusconi's
coalition partner Umberto Bossi, head of the Northern League,
called openly for Italian troops to be brought home by
Christmas. MOD La Russa, FM Frattini, and most of the
leading figures of Center-Left opposition issued strong
statements supporting the mission, but Frattini echoed
Berlusconi's statement that the 500 Election Support Forces
would return ""soon."" In a September 17 meeting with the
Ambassador, MOD La Russa reaffirmed Italy's commitment to
Afghanistan (noting that the U.S. has lost many more troops
there), but warned that this incident will raise the public
profile of the Afghan mission in unpredictable ways. Italy
will hold funerals for the slain soldiers on September 21,
which has been be declared a Day of National Mourning. End
Summary.
Worst One-Day Death Toll for Italy Since Joining ISAF
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. (C) One day after the most deadly attack on Italian forces
since they deployed to Afghanistan, most mainstream Italian
politicians from both the governing Center Right coalition
and the Center Left opposition reaffirmed the importance of
the mission, while calling for a change in strategy. The
attack, which left six Italian paratroopers dead and four
wounded, raises Italy's overall death toll in Afghanistan to
21 since the start of the conflict. Press coverage of the
incident has been intense, with gruesome photos of the scene
appearing in the newspapers. Italian television talk shows
on September 17 were dominated by coverage of the incident,
with telejournalists staked outside the homes of the slain
soldiers and several pundits calling for Italy's 3,100 ISAF
troops to be brought home. MOD La Russa went immediately to
the Senate on September 17 to reaffirm Italy's strong support
of the mission and to head off accusations of inadequate
protection for Italian troops, saying that no level of
armored protection could have withstood such a powerful
blast. ""The vile and cowardly aggressors that hit in such a
deceitful way,"" he said, must understand that ""we are firmly
convinced of our mission and will not turn back."" After a
September 18 cabinet meeting, La Russa went further,
affirming that any talk of an exit strategy only encourages
terrorists and reiterating the need for Italy to stand by its
international commitments.
3. (C) PM Berlusconi showed somewhat less conviction in
remarks made on the road in Brussels on September 17: ""We are
all convinced that our boys should be brought home as soon as
possible,"" he said; ""we had already planned for a significant
reduction in (election support) forces, and so we will
proceed in that direction"" -- a reference to the 500
temporary Election Support Forces Italy sent prior to the
August 20 elections and for which Parliament has only
approved funding through the end of October. However, he
added, ""this is not a problem that a country with troops in
Afghanistan can address by itself, because it would betray
the trust of the other countries"" present in ISAF.
Berlusconi's coalition partner Umberto Bossi, head of the
Northern League, called openly for Italian troops to be
brought home by Christmas. (Note: Bossi has been sounding
this note for several months, primarily for political effect.
He has never, however, suggested that his support of the
government is contingent on this issue. End note.) Center
ROME 00001072 002.2 OF 002
Left opposition leaders, including Massimo D'Alema, Piero
Fassino, and Francesco Rutelli, all made statements in favor
of continued Italian participation in ISAF.
Ambassador Reassured in Meetings with La Russa, Berlusconi
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
4. (C) MOD La Russa met with the Ambassador on September 17
shortly after his appearance before the Senate. La Russa
thanked the Ambassador for U.S. expressions of condolence and
noted that U.S. forces have made bigger sacrifices. He said
Italy will remain in ISAF despite this incident but cautioned
that Italy is an ""emotional country."" While this factor has
not thus far resulted in significant criticism of the
mission, the loss of six soldiers would raise the profile of
the conflict in public opinion. La Russa also noted that the
U.S. and Italy are closer than ever because the anti-U.S. far
left has been marginalized by its failure to secure seats in
Parliament in the April 2008 elections. MOD Political
Adviser Alessandro Ruben told Pol M/C separately that the
incident underscores the urgent need for a meeting between
Secretary Gates and MOD La Russa as soon as possible, both to
publicly bolster the GOI (especially the Minister who has
been most vocal in supporting Italy's ISAF participation) as
well as to read a key GOI interlocutor into U.S. strategic
planning for the future (Ref B).
5. (C) In his initial call on PM Berlusconi on September 18,
the Ambassador expressed USG condolences. Berlusconi said he
had been up almost the entire night in Cabinet deliberations
dealing with the aftermath of the incident. He reassured
the Ambassador that Italy remained committed to Afghanistan
and that the GOI's position was not that NATO should look for
an exit strategy but rather a ""transition strategy"" that
would lead to a more comprehensive approach reflecting real
needs on the ground.
6. (C//NF) Center Right (PDL) and Center Left (PD) contacts
continue to assure us of the importance and stability of the
mission. In reaction to the bombing, PDL Member of
Parliament Manuela Repetti told us that Italy was committed
to the mission more than ever, and she looked forward to her
next fact-finding trip to Afghanistan. A top PDL
parliamentary aide said that there is no question about
strong and continued PDL and PD support for the mission. He
did, however, express concern about the growing volume of the
Northern League's rhetoric on the mission. He said that Bossi
is playing a double game, in which he is speaking to his
electorate out of one side of his mouth, while Lega will
likely continue to vote for the mission. Still, he expressed
concern about the impact of having a vocal and very effective
communicator like Bossi and other Lega leaders talking about
an exit strategy. PD Member of Parliament Renzo Lusetti
confirmed that his party considers a continued, robust
Afghanistan mission indispensable. He noted that it is much
easier to take strong foreign policy positions now that the
former Communists are no longer in Parliament.
7. (C) Comment: PM Berlusconi was in power during the 2003
bombing in Nassiriya, Iraq, an event that killed nineteen
Italian soldiers and fed a wave of public opposition to the
war that contributed to his eventual electoral defeat in
2006. His vacillating reaction to Thursday's bombing clearly
reflects his this experience, which left him with an
instinctive political aversion to casualties. He is also
feeling the heat of an increasingly emboldened coalition
partner who aims to cut into his voting base in upcoming
regional elections next spring. Unlike Italy's participation
in the Iraq war, the Italian mission in Afghanistan enjoys
strong bipartisan backing and there is little reason to fear
a large-scale Italian pullout. Maintaining or strengthening
current troop levels, however, will likely become
increasingly difficult, as Berlusconi feels the pressure of
Bossi's ""bring the boys home"" rhetoric, as well as Finance
Minister Tremonti's demands for ever more cuts in the defense
and foreign aid budgets. Sustaining Italian commitment in
Afghanistan will require more hand-holding by the U.S. in
months to come, especially at senior levels. End Comment.
THORNE
"