GREEK REACTION TO HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000784

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/SE, DRL/CDA FOR DELL, EUR/PPD FOR TEAL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO GR HRIGHTS
SUBJECT: GREEK REACTION TO HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT


ENTIRE TEXT IS UNCLASSIFIED.


1. SUMMARY: The release of the 2005 Human Rights Report
(HRR) received wide coverage in most major Greek media and a
range of reactions from post's human rights contacts. More
than fourteen print articles factually conveyed the report's
account of human rights abuses occurring in Greece, but saved
space to criticize the U.S. as well. A number of stories,
especially broadcast news, noted that the report on Turkey
was more critical than the report on Greece. Two
Slavo-Macedonian minority groups issued press releases
criticizing the terminology used to describe them. A
Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative called the report
"factual and neutral," and one of Greece's most active and
prolific human rights NGOs praised the report as "the most
comprehensive ever." END SUMMARY.

Journalists Grill Poloffs
--------------

2. Shortly after the report was released in Washington on
March 8, poloffs held an on-the-record press briefing
attended by nine journalists from major Greek dailies. The
journalists bluntly questioned the report's criticism of
government policies and actions towards Roma, TIP victims,
asylum seekers, immigrants and Jews, giving poloffs the
opportunity to discuss key issues in detail, as well as
explain how the report is researched and drafted. One
reporter challenged the section of the report that
highlighted desperate housing conditions and inadequate
schooling for Roma -- an issue, she said, that the U.S.
"obviously doesn't understand." She went on to explain how
we misinterpret Greek idioms for anti-Semitism, illustrating
that no harm is meant when "thrifty Greeks" are referred to
as "Jews." Several journalists questioned whether we were
officially "recognizing minorities" (namely the
Slavo-Macedonians) by listing self-identified minorities in
the report. Mentioning both Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib,
reporters questioned U.S. credibility to draft the HRR. PA
guidance left poloffs well positioned to explain how the USG
actively addresses human rights issues at Guantanamo and
share our mutual concern over, and response to, the prison
abuses in Iraq.

Press Focuses Turkey Report Being Worse that Greece Report
-------------- --------------

3. At least 12 major Greek outlets and numerous regional
papers, as well as most evening broadcast news covered the
release of the report. Most print articles detailed the
human rights abuses from the report's summary, mentioned the
self-identified minority groups listed in the report, and
quoted poloff statements on Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Most
print articles had a negative slant; some called the report
"unflattering" and the U.S. "presumptuous" to have written
it. Apoyevmatini, however, spun the story positively in
"Kudos by the U.S. to Greece," citing that the GoG "generally
respected the human rights of its citizens" and detailing
improvements mentioned in the report. The broadcast news
gave short, factual articles of the Greece report, with
nearly equal coverage of the report on Turkey. The report on
Turkey was described as more severe than the one on Greece,
and press highlighted the problems of the Greek minority and
Ecumenical Patriarchate. The ANA Daily News Bulletin carried
side-by-side stories entitled "Greece Respects Human Rights,
US State Dept Says" and "State Dept...Slams Turkey on
Patriarchate."

MFA and NGO Find the Report "Factual" and "Comprehensive"
-------------- --------------

4. Greg Vassiloconstandakis, U.S. desk officer at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told poloff that he and Greek
Ambassador to the U.S. Mallias were "happy" with the content
and tone of the report. Specifically, he commented that the
report was factual and that the inclusion of more statistics
and figures made the report "more vivid, for better or
worse." He thought the word "minority" was used neutrally
and factually and said that the inclusion of improvements in
the country's human rights record were "appreciated." There
was no public mention of the report by any ministry.
Greece's most active and prolific human rights NGO, Greek
Helsinki Monitor, praised the new summary format, called the
report "the most comprehensive ever," and expressed hope that
it would get the attention of the government "for all that it
says."

Macedonian Minority Criticize Terminology, Praise Content
-------------- --------------

5. The Macedonian Human Rights Movement International
(MHRMI),based in Toronto, issued a press release March 10
expressing its "profound disapproval" of the State
Department's "systematic policy of questioning the legitimacy
of the Macedonian minority in Greece" by the report's use of

ATHENS 00000784 002 OF 002


the terms 'Slavophones' to describe the people and
'Slavo-Macedonian' or 'Slavic dialect' to refer to their
language (rather than as 'Macedonian'). The March 16 press
release of the Florina-based Rainbow Party, a minor
Macedonian political party in the Greek province of
Macedonia, praised specific references to human rights
violations against the minority, including European Court of
Human Rights judgments against Greece. However the Rainbow
Party was disappointed that the terms 'Slavo-Macedonian' and
'Slavophone,' were used, which "fully comply with Greece's
official position" and "do not conform to the report's
justified and sharply critical attitude towards Greece."
Their press release called for the 2006 HRR to refer to the
people and their language with their "only acceptable name"
(Macedonian) as both the Council of Europe and European
Bureau for Lesser Used Languages do, "for the sake of
objectivity, human rights, but, most of all, human dignity."


6. COMMENT: Media coverage of the Human Rights Report on
Greece remains largely an exercise in semantics rather than
substance. No media question our information, they simply
question our right to judge other countries on human rights.
With continued, open discussions of the most persistent human
rights problems, we are hopeful more Greek journalists will
increase coverage and sensitivity to these issues without our
prodding. We see eye to eye with the MFA on most human
rights issues, and will continue to push these issues with
our interlocutors there.
Ries