CLUSTER MUNITIONS: GREECE EYE-TO-EYE WITH U.S.

UNCLAS ATHENS 001076 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MOPS NATO PARM PREL GR SUBJECT: CLUSTER MUNITIONS: GREECE EYE-TO-EYE WITH U.S. REF: A. SECSTATE 66596 ¶B. SECSTATE 64981 ¶C. OSLO 298 ¶D. SECSTATE 36940 ¶E. ATHENS 441 ¶1. (U) On May 22, A/Polcouns delivered ref a demarche on cluster munitions to Counselor Dionyssios Kivetos of the MFA D1 Directorate for International Organizations. As Kivetos indicated in past conversations on the subject (ref e), Greece shared the view of the United States regarding the issue of cluster munitions. Indeed, Kivetos said the position of the Greek Ministry of Defense on the issue was "as close as could be with the U.S." The GoG, like the U.S., believed discussions on cluster munitions should take place within the framework of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW),and Greece would promote this position as chairman of the CCW meeting in November. ¶2. (U) Given Greece's overall position on the question of cluster munitions, it also was not in support of the text of the Lima document as a basis for negotiation. Finally, Kivetos noted that while Greece had not been invited to the Oslo meeting on cluster munitions, it had been invited to the Lima meeting. Kivetos attributed this to the organizers' desire to invite as many countries as possible and not to Greece's position on cluster munitions, which was at odds with Norway's position. RIES