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### Viewing cable 09ROME1072, GOI RESOLVE SHAKEN BUT INTACT AFTER SIX SOLDIERS

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09ROME1072 | 2009-09-18 17:34 | 2011-03-03 11:00 | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | Embassy Rome

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    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
    "

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