AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON NEW GREEK FM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 000543 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2014 TAGS: PGOV PREL GR CY TU PHUM AMB SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON NEW GREEK FM DORA BAKOYANNIS REF: A. ATHENS 419 ¶B. ATHENS 373 Classified By: Ambassador Charles P. Ries. Reasons 1.4(b/d) Please see para 2 for ACTION REQUEST. ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In their February 23 introductory meeting, newly-appointed Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Ambassador reviewed Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue, with Bakoyannis briefing Ambassador on recent visits to Athens by Turkish Minister of State Babacan and Cypriot FM Iacovou. Ambassador briefed FM Bakoyannis on efforts to find a date for a joint meeting of the SEECP and the Contact Group on Kosovo, as well as on efforts to involve Athens in Middle East democratization projects. FM Bakoyannis stated her intention to visit Washington early in her tenure (see para 2) and the high priority she placed on Greece's entry into the Visa Waiver Program. Largely in listening mode, Bakoyannis made clear her commitment to working closely with the United States. END SUMMARY. -------------- VISIT TO THE U.S. -------------- ¶2. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: FM Bakoyannis told Ambassador she wants to make an early official visit to Washington to meet the Secretary, proposing early April or early May as possible timeframes. Her Chef d'Cabinet later confirmed windows of April 4-10 and May 5-10. Ambassador promised to relay these options back to Washington. Post requests Washington consideration of these dates and guidance. END ACTION REQUEST. -------------- GREECE/TURKEY/CYPRUS -------------- ¶3. (C) FM Bakoyannis briefed Ambassador on her February 22 meeting with Cypriot FM Iacovou (the first foreign minister to visit Athens since Bakoyannis' appointment on February 15). Bakoyannis said she believed Nicosia was ready to participate in a new UN-led process to resolve the Cyprus issue. "I believe the will is there," she said, "if Annan puts forward a new proposal." Bakoyannis explained her February 22 statement (during a joint press availability with Iacovou) that "the Annan Plan is history." Bakoyannis said "It is history, the Greek Cypriots rejected it." The point now, she continued, was to have a new proposal, at least "on the surface." Since any viable settlement will have to be put to referenda in both communities, to get enough Greek Cypriot votes the plan must look different than the Annan Plan. Even if 80 or 90 percent of the content is the same as the Annan Plan, it had to look "new." Ambassador asked if she was putting in question the bizonal, bicommunal federation. "No, no, of course not," Bakoyannis replied. ¶4. (C) Bakoyannis also met Turkish Minister of State Ali Babacan on Feb 22; Babacan was in Athens for a meeting of SEECP Economy Ministers. Bakoyannis said Babacan was very forthcoming on economic and EU technocratic issues, but more reserved on political issues. On the political issues, she said Babacan deferred to Turkish Ambassador to Greece Burcoglu, who "is very close to the inner AK party circle." Bakoyannis said she emphasized the need for a concrete sign from Turkey that it was committed to improving Greek-Turkish relations and its accession to the EU. In particular, she urged Ankara reopen the Halki Seminary. She pointed out that reopening Halki would be hugely significant in the current environment, and was "much more important for Turkey than it was for Greece or the EU." That is, she explained, with religious unrest between Christians and Muslims spreading thoughout the Arab world, a decision on Halki by Turkey would be a good signal to send to the "Christian West." ¶5. (C) Referring to the February 22 incident in which a Cypriot-flagged ship was refused entry to the Turkish port of Mersin, Bakoyannis expressed frustration that she had not heard of the incident until after her meetings that day with both Iacovou and Babacan, and even then she learned about it from a wire service report, not a cable from either Nicosia or Ankara. When Bakoyannis reached Iacovou at the airport to ask about it, she said he had also been surprised, and had not known of it either. She noted that Iacovou had come to Athens from elsewhere in Europe and could have been out of the loop. Bakoyannis admitted she was still trying to figure out whether the Mersin port approach had been planned by President Papadopoulos (or by those close to him such as National Security Advisor Tsionis) in order to draw attention to Turkey's unwillingness to admit Cypriot-flagged vessels. Alternatively, it "could be the random decision of a vessel owner," she said (although without conviction). Ambassador noted that he had asked former FM Molyviatis in January whether Cyprus would try to bring things to a head by sending a ship to a Turkish port (Ref B, para 9). Molyviatis had responded that this was a card Cyprus could play, but he did not think it was likely to do so until after the European Parliament had ratified the Ankara Protocol. Bakoyannis took that on board but had no substantive comment. ¶6. (C) Ambassador briefed FM Bakoyannis on discussions with the MOD on how to bring the U.S.-origin arms that had been illegally transferred to Cyprus back under Greek control. He urged Bakoyannis to be prepared to discuss this issue when she visits Capitol Hill. Bakoyannis agreed. ¶7. (C) Asked whether PM Karamanlis was reconsidering his twice-postponed trip to Turkey, FM Bakoyannis said that while Greece was committed to improving ties, any trip by the PM to Ankara must be well-prepared and have concrete results. In the meantime the Skopelitis-Tuygen channel to work bilateral Aegean issues would continue unchanged. Bakoyannis expected to see Turkish FM Gul in Brussels next week at the GAERC (she also noted it was "his turn" to come to Athens). She returned to the theme of reopening Halki, pointing out that this would be a very good move in the run-up to a visit by PM Karamanlis. "We need a sign from them," she said, in order to get a visit back on track. Recalling then-FM Molyviatis' May 2005 trip to Ankara which coincided with a Turkish fishing boat incident near the disputed Imia/Kardak islet, Bakoyannis called it embarrassing for Molyviatis -- anything similar during the PM's visit would be a "catastrophe." To have a visit, she concluded, we must be assured there will be a good political atmosphere, no untoward events and tangible results. -------------- BALKANS -------------- ¶8. (C) Ambassador briefed the FM on efforts to find workable dates for a joint meeting of the SEECP and the Contact Group. Bakoyannis agreed that whenever the meeting occurs, UNMIK should be included, with Kosovar Albanian representatives. -------------- BMENA -------------- ¶9. (C) Ambassador referred to former FM Molyviatis' support for the President's BMENA policy initiatives and his offer to use Athens as a venue for democratization efforts in the Middle East. Ambassador said we hoped we could work together on such ideas, noting Greece's financial support for the Foundation for the Future. Bakoyannis was in listening mode, but the former Mayor was clearly positive on the idea of showcasing Athens' democratic heritage in some way. Ambassador also took the opportunity to reiterate how closely Greece and the U.S. will be working on the UNSC and the full range of global issues, such as Hamas, Syria and Iraq. -------------- TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS -------------- ¶10. (C) Explaining that the reporting deadline for the 2006 TIP report was fast approaching (March 1),Ambassador emphasized the central role played by the MFA. In particular, the MFA's National Coordinator was due to depart Athens for a diplomatic assignment, and would need to be replaced. Bakoyannis agreed, and said that she was very involved in the TIP issue since her days as Mayor, and was expecting to have new "good news" for us on this agenda, perhaps even by March 1. -------------- IBB/KAVALA -------------- ¶11. (C) Ambassador told Bakoyannis that the Embassy would soon send a diplomatic note to the MFA conveying the IBB's decision to close the Kavala station. He assured the FM that the USG was committed to taking care of the IBB's Kavala employees, and to make arrangements to protect the environment if the facility is to be deactivated. Ambassador noted he would be meeting next week with state broadcaster ERT to see if it wold be interested in taking over, or adapting, the facility. Bakoyannis said she had already received letters of complaints from the citizens of the area, protesting the rumored closure. NOTE: An IBB delegation will discuss closure with IBB/Kavala staff on February 24. END NOTE. -------------- VISA WAIVER PROGRAM -------------- ¶12. (C) Bakoyannis told Ambassador there was one thing the U.S. could do to have a major impact on anti-Americanism in Greece: include Greece in the Visa Waiver Program. The Government had rolled out a new, high-security, biometric passport, and it had just begun issuing new, equally secure diplomatic passports. With this development, she said, "the last argument" for keeping Greece off the VWP had disappeared. "Everyone you talk to in Greece wants to know why Greeks need a visa," she said, "and we used to be able to say we had not gotten the passport right. Now, this is no longer an excuse we can use." ¶13. (C) Ambassador agreed the new passport was state-of-the-art, and an important milestone in getting Greece's participation in the VWP reviewed. As yet, the Department of Homeland Security had not begun a process to review possible new VWP-participating countries. It would be important to work together on this issue, and to discuss it in Washington with the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and on the Hill. ¶14. (C) COMMENT: "Dora" is an old and close friend of the Embassy and we are optimistic that her transition to the Foreign Ministry will have the kind of results that she herself says she wants. Largely in listening mode at this first meeting, FM Bakoyannis nevertheless expressed enthusiasm for working closely with the USG. She shrugged off accusations by the Greek media that she is "the Americans' choice." Referring to some of the media coverage, she asked "Did you see the front page picture of me coming out through the American flag? That doesn't bother me," she said. Bakoyannis was also comfortable with her lack of diplomatic expertise, although she made clear she was studying briefing papers nonstop. She admitted openly she was not a diplomat -- "I'm a simple politician who will try to be diplomatic." Her style, she said, was to be open and frank and results-oriented. It's a style we should like. END COMMENT. Ries