CFE: GREECE EAGER TO KEEP TREATY ALIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 001177 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2017 TAGS: NATO PARM PREL KCFE GR SUBJECT: CFE: GREECE EAGER TO KEEP TREATY ALIVE REF: A. PETERSON E-MAIL 6/5/2007 ¶B. SECSTATE 77371 ¶C. SECSTATE 75293 ¶D. ATHENS 1145 Classified By: POLCOUNS ROBIN QUINVILLE. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) On June 6, DepPolcouns delivered non-paper on U.S. thinking on a final document for the Extraordinary CFE Conference (refs a, b) to Chronis Polychroniou, deputy chief of the MFA D2 Directorate for NATO Policy and Greek HLTF representative. Polychroniou -- who was departing shortly for Brussels -- was grateful for the non-paper, as well as for the demarche materials we provided last week (refs c, d). He said Greece generally agreed with the U.S. position on dealing with Russia and the CFE at the Conference. He said he and his colleagues had been trying to devise a solution to the current problem that would address Russian concerns but not compromise fundamental Alliance positions. He said they were unable thus far to discover what that solution would be. It was crucial, however, to "keep the CFE Treaty alive." RIES