GREECE AGREES UNSC ISRAEL/LEBANON STATEMENTS

S E C R E T ATHENS 001908 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2016 TAGS: PREL UNSC IS LE GR SUBJECT: GREECE AGREES UNSC ISRAEL/LEBANON STATEMENTS SHOULD HAVE BROADEST POSSIBLE CONSENSUS REF: A. STATE 119441 ¶B. ATHENS 1892 Classified By: CDA Jeff Olesen for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: MFA Secretary General Haralambos Rocanas agreed with CDA on July 21 that all UNSC statements on Lebanon/Israel should have the broadest possible consensus. In that spirit, he read to us Greece's draft statement, which he intended to pass shortly to the Greek delegation in NY. Rocanas agreed to carefully review our points and the G8 text for consistency with the Greek text, and agreed to "try to include phraseology compatible with (the U.S.) request." Finally, Rocanas asked that we share any information we had on intentions of the U.S. or Israeli militaries in Lebanon. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (S) CDA shared Ref A points with MFA Secretary General Haralambos Rocanas on July 20. Rocanas read Greece's statement (which he did not pass),and emphasized that the statement recognizes Israel's right to defend itself, firmly supports the position of the Quartet, supports the statement of the UNSYG, and calls for implementation of the relevant UNSCRs. We recognized that much of the draft Greek statement was taken from Prime Minister Karamanlis' statement of July 19 (Ref B),which begins, "During the last few days in Lebanon and Israel, the use of violence has harmed the ultimate right of human life and human dignity, tested the principles and values of the international community, exhausted the limits of international legality and international law, enlarged the problems and impasses, and attacked the stability and peace of the region." ¶3. (S) When CDA emphasized that the statement must address the underlying causes of the conflict and not call for an unconditional ceasefire, Rocanas read us the portion of their statement calling for "an immediate and unconditional release of prisoners and immediate cessation of hostilities," explaining that Greece also does not accept calling for an unconditional ceasefire -- rather that condition is the release of the prisoners. CDA and Rocanas agreed that the most important goal was a unified position in all statements. With that in mind, Rocanas agreed to closely review our points and the G8 statement. ¶4. (S) Rocanas mentioned that he would appreciate knowing of any military plans, including Israel's plans for ongoing military actions, as well as possible involvement by U.S. forces, especially by forces from 5th Fleet. CDA told Rocanas that the role of U.S. forces in Lebanon did not extend beyond its humanitarian mission of assisting in the safe evacuation of American citizens, and that he was unaware of the Israeli military's next steps. OLESEN