NEW ARCHBISHOP: WITH THRONE SECURED, MORE TOLERANT?

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NICOSIA 002055

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/SE FOR MCLEGG-TRIPP AND EMELLINGER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM CY GR
SUBJECT: NEW ARCHBISHOP: WITH THRONE SECURED, MORE TOLERANT?

REF: A. NICOSIA 1906


B. NICOSIA 1592

C. NICOSIA 2051

Classified By: Ambassador Ronald Schlicher, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In his December 20 courtesy call on new
Church of Cyprus Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the Ambassador
was pleased to see the hard-line leader adopting a softer
stance. Particularly noteworthy was the Archbishop's pledge
to roll out the red carpet for his Turkish Cypriot
counterpart, Mufti Ahmet Yonluer. Confident and secure --
with contentious Church elections well behind him (Refs A, B)
-- the previously hard-line Chrysostomos several times
declared he would "tell" the government to enact confidence
building measures intended to lower tensions on the island.
Additionally, he appeared willing to cooperate with the
Embassy on cultural heritage preservation and anti-TIP
initiatives. We intend to test his newfound "religion" soon.
END SUMMARY.

--------------
Turning over a New Leaf?
--------------


2. (SBU) The Ambassador December 20 paid a courtesy call on
Chrysostomos II, the Church of Cyprus's newly-enthroned
(November 12) Archbishop. He last had called on Chrysostomos
in his earlier role as Bishop of Paphos; then, the churchman
had exhibited a hard-line vis-a-vis relations and
rapprochement with Turkish Cypriots. In this latest call,
Chrysostomos appeared to have undergone a minor
metamorphosis. Turning first to his public invitation to T/C
religious leader Mufti Ahmet Yonluer for increased dialogue,
the Archbishop revealed the two would meet sooner than many
may have expected. Yonluer would cross the Green Line
December 27 for lunch at the Archbishopric and a joint visit
to the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque in Larnaca (the burial site,
recently restored with USAID help, of a favored aunt of the
Prophet Mohammed).


3. (SBU) "I have accepted in principle," Chrysostomos
continued, "a reciprocal invitation to tour the 'occupied
areas.'" The highlight would be a joint visit to the Saint
Barnabas monastery near Famagusta (the burial site of the
apostolic founder of the Cyprus Church). Chrysostomos
admitted he had adopted a new position on travel to the north
since becoming Archbishop; as Paphos Bishop, he had declared
he would "never" cross the Green Line and railed against
other priests who performed liturgies there. "The Mufti
personally guaranteed," Chrysostomos claimed, "that I would
not have to show my passport or ID to any authorities," a
condition for his first post-1974 visit north, and a point he
would make publicly to justify his change in position.

--------------
"I will TELL the government...."
--------------


4. (SBU) Chrysostomos promised to "tell" (not ask) the
government to encourage free movement from one community to
the other, to complete de-mining in and adjacent to the
buffer zone, and to remove customs and immigration operations
from the checkpoints. Likewise, he declared his intention to
sponsor bi-communal dialogue, looked forward to seeing T/C
party leaders and "possibly even Talat," and hoped to host
meetings of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots at
Church-owned hotels. The Archbishop noted he had made the
same points in earlier meetings with UNSYG Special
Representative Michael Moller and British High Commissioner
Peter Millet, who had urged him to adopt a tolerant and
reconciliatory position regarding the Cyprus problem.

--------------
Not Averse to Seeking Help
--------------


5. (SBU) Surprisingly, considering Chrysostomos's earlier
anti-USG bent and his efforts to maintain his distance from
the Embassy, the Archbishop actively sought U.S. assistance
in the meeting. Chrysostomos aimed to appoint an Assistant
Bishop to attend to "enclaved" Greek Cypriots in Karpass (Ref
C). He wanted the appointee-priest to spend several days
with the isolated peninsula community and requested the
Ambassador to help convince Turkish Cypriot authorities to
allow the Assistant Bishop to pass freely. Further, the
Archbishop seemed very open to UN and USAID assistance in
renovating cultural heritage and religious sites, and even

NICOSIA 00002055 002 OF 002


sought Embassy support for Church plans to renovate the
Apostolos Andreas monastery in Karpass. He agreed with the
Ambassador's recommendation to keep their joint efforts
"under the radar," to avoid unhelpful media meddling and
political posturing.


6. (SBU) Turning to other human rights issues on the island,
the Ambassador raised USG concerns over trafficking in
persons (TIP). Not particularly well-briefed on the problem,
Chrysostomos seemed interested in getting up to speed, and
open to further Church-Embassy cooperation. The Archbishop
also was troubled by increasing inter-communal and
inter-faith tensions on Cyprus, evinced best by the November
22 incident at the Nicosia English School, in which
ultra-nationalist Greek Cypriot youths beat up five Turkish
Cypriot students.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


7. (C) Chrysostomos's views on the Cyprus problem had
mirrored his conservative, mainly refugee flock's since he
became Bishop of Paphos in 1978. With the Archbishop secure
in his new position, representing the entire Church, and
having made electoral deals with more compromise-minded
bishops, we hope this newfound willingness to cooperate with
Turkish Cypriots and the Embassy is honest-to-God. Should
his actions match his private promises, they would show Greek
Cypriots that greater inter-communal dialogue, not property
lawsuits and frozen EU accession chapters, is the key to
reaching a lasting settlement. We intend to test the extent
of Chrysostomos's conversion soon, specifically on TIP issues
and cultural heritage preservation efforts in the north.
Schlicher