ANTI-AMERICANISM PREVAILS AT 2006 CULTURAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001713 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV GR SUBJECT: ANTI-AMERICANISM PREVAILS AT 2006 CULTURAL CONFERENCE IN DELPHI REF: ATHENS 03190 ATHENS 00001713 001.2 OF 002 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (U) Summary: The European Cultural Center in the ancient religious site of Delphi commenced its "Cultural Amphictyony 2006" on June 30. The following day marked the beginning of a two-day international conference entitled "The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century." Greek Minister of Defense Evangelos Meimarakis and former Cyprus Foreign Minister George Iacovou opened the session, and renowned Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis delivered the keynote speech. Theodorakis culminated his speech by characterizing the U.S. as a "demon of war" that has eclipsed the Nazi war machine in terms of atrocities. His speech effectively set the tone for the remainder of the conference, with the conference theme on UN reform becoming lost in a sea of anti-American diatribe. End Summary. ¶2. (U) The European Cultural Center's "Cultural Amphictyony" is a month-long event consisting of international conferences, academic round tables and discussions, and cultural events. (The term amphictyony is an association of neighboring states or tribes in ancient Greece established originally to defend a common religious center.) The Delphi-based event commenced on June 30 and was organized with the support of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Office of the European Parliament in Greece, under the auspices of the President of Greece. The international conference entitled "The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century" convened July 1-2 and was sponsored by a series of Greek and international organizations, represented by prominent participants, and was attended by politicians, academics, diplomats, and artists alike. ¶3. (U) A significant portion of conference participants used their platforms to advance anti-American rhetoric, accompanied by a favorable response from the audience. For example, Cyprus former Foreign Minister George Iacovou opined that the U.S. would like to settle the Cyprus issue "based on Turkish principles;" former UN Assistant Secretary General Sotiris Mousouris declared that the U.S. uses its hegemonic power to control the "undemocratic" WTO, IMF, and World Bank institutions, reducing them to U.S. tools designed to oppress the poorest countries; and a Greek "Ta Nea" newspaper journalist lambasted the U.S. and UK for the Iraq invasion, claiming that our countries remain in Iraq for the purpose of "killing freedom fighters." The most egregious comments emanated from renowned Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, as he labeled the U.S. a "demon of war," claimed the U.S. has surpassed Nazi Germany in terms of atrocities, and that "Bush and his allies will be led unavoidably one day to the use of the absolute pain, the atomic bomb." (This is not the first time Theodorakis has made outrageous statements: the 2005 International Religious Freedom Report cites a November 2003 Theodorakis statement where he said Jews are "the root of evil" (although he later qualified his statement by saying he had meant to criticize the government of Israel (reftel)). ¶4. (U) The premise of Mikis Theodorakis' address was that humankind is inherently bad, and as humankind advances and becomes more civilized, we are inevitably becoming exponentially more violent. As evidence, he cited Nazi Germany and concluded his presentation by proclaiming the United States has eclipsed the Nazi war machine in terms of its brutality and atrocities. Theodorakis further characterized the United States as a miserly country steeped in riches that turns a blind eye to the world's poverty, adding that "one decision could change this suffering." He also referred to Abu Ghraib and the U.S. invasion of Iraq to support his claim that the United States is a "demon of war." Theodorakis' anti-American tirade was followed by resounding audience applause and praise from fellow participants. ¶5. (U) For those who remained focused on the topic of UN reform, the consensus was that the UN is in need of drastic reform and must transform itself into an effective organization to retain its relevance. Several participants felt this would be an impossible task and predicted its eventual lapse into obscurity. However, the participants that felt the UN could survive into the 21st century echoed the need for significant UN Security Council reform, including the elimination of the veto power. In their opinion, such reform would render the institution more democratic and thereby increase its legitimacy. Others criticized the appointment of elite representatives that are constrained by demands from their home countries and by their ATHENS 00001713 002.2 OF 002 home political ambitions, and called for reform to the appointment process. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: It is a sad fact of life here that anti-Americanism, on the political level, continues to permeate and distort public discourse The hijacking of this conference on UN reform is a good example of this phenomenon. As we have stated before, the good news is that Greek governments no longer pander to this feeling, even if they do little to try and combat it directly. COUNTRYMAN