Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ATHENS1340
2007-06-29 14:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Athens
Cable title:
FM BAKOYANNIS ON KOSOVO, MACEDONIA, MIDDLE EAST
how-toVZCZCXYZ0025 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHTH #1340/01 1801401 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 291401Z JUN 07 FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9596 INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY 0736 RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE PRIORITY 1045 RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA PRIORITY 0313 RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIKRITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 001340
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV GRQ
SUBJECT: FM BAKOYANNIS ON KOSOVO, MACEDONIA, MIDDLE EAST
REF: ATHENS 1318
Classifie$ By: CHARCE D'AFFAIRES THOMAS COUNTRYMAN. REASONS
1.4 (B) AND (D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 001340
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV GRQ
SUBJECT: FM BAKOYANNIS ON KOSOVO, MACEDONIA, MIDDLE EAST
REF: ATHENS 1318
Classifie$ By: CHARCE D'AFFAIRES THOMAS COUNTRYMAN. REASONS
1.4 (B) AND (D).
1. (C) SUMMARY: In a twenty-minute June 28 conversation,
Charge and FM Bakoyannis discussed the Greek-Russian
handshake on the Blue Stream pipeline deal (reported reftel),
her recent trip to the Middle East and the issues of Kosovo
and Macedonia. She said she intended to call U/S Burns at
the end of this week to update him on the Middle East and
Kosovo, in line with their June 10 Athens agreement to stay
in touch. END SUMMARY.
MIDDLE EAST
--------------
2. (C) At a social event Tuesday night, Charge had an
unscheduled 20-minute one-on-one with FM Bakoyannis. Much of
the conversation focused on the June 25 Greek-Russian
handshake on the Blue Stream pipeline, which was reported in
reftel. Another important topic was the Middle East.
Bakoyannis clearly was continuing to think about her recent
trip (June 10-14). She believed that her interlocutors in
the region find it much easier to talk openly to Greeks,
Italians, and Spaniards than they do to Americans and other
Europeans. She said she was &deeply involved8 in trying to
help the government of Lebanon (no further details) and
wanted to share some ideas with U/S Burns. She remained
concerned about the risk of violence in Lebanon and on
Israel,s north.
KOSOVO
--------------
3. (C) Charge and Bakoyannis also discussed the June 17-19
visit to Athens of Serbian FM Jeremic and Bakoyannis,
conversation in Istanbul with Russian FM Lavrov during the
BSEC Summit. She said that Jeremic had conceded that Serbia
would not gain much more on the ground from an additional 4-6
months of negotiations with Pristina, but it was vital to
make the effort. She agreed strongly, saying the U.S. and EU
should show that we had gone the extra mile. A Russian veto
at this point would simply insert Russia back into the
Balkans in a negative way, she said, rather than in the
positive manner we should all want.
4. (C) She said Lavrov had shown no flexibility on Kosovo in
their June 25 meeting, arguing that the Russian public sees
Kosovo as the standard against which to measure Abkhazia.
Charge acknowledged that giving more time for Kosovo talks
might show our good will and give Belgrade time to reconcile
itself to the inevitable. For the U.S. (and others with
presence in Kosovo, including Greece),however, extending the
time would run a high risk of violence in Kosovo. Bakoyannis
emphasized that she did not discount the risk of violence but
said we had to keep it in perspective. Kosovo would become
more tense than it is today, but that did not mean that the
international community would be unable to control the risk.
Spain had just lost six peacekeepers in Lebanon, but was
staying the course there.
5. (C) Bakoyannis said the idea she wanted to push with U/S
Burns was for an alternative, placeholder UN Resolution, with
only three simple elements:
-- Creating a new negotiation period of four (or six) months
between Belgrade and Pristin but without specifying any
pre-determined or automatic outcome.
-- Calling on the EU to proceed with decision and deployment
of the ESDP mission.
-- Creating a mechanism by which Kosovo could qualify now for
IFI assistance. (Charge commented that he did not think this
last point was so simply accomplished, but she insisted it
could be done and referred to financial agreements she made
with Kosovo authorities while she was still mayor of Athens).
MACEDONIA
--------------
6. (C) Charge noted that the Greek press had been critical of
U/S Burns, advice on Macedonia/FYROM two weeks ago (which
the papers had distilled down to &Burns to Athens: Solve it
Yourself!8). Bakoyannis said only that she was not
dissatisfied with what Burns had said but so far had not seen
any results from Skopje of the U.S. intent to push Macedonia
to calm the rhetoric. She readily agreed to Charge,s
suggestion that we sit down soon to think through the real
sequence of events (Greek elections, NATO accession decision)
and the consequences of various Greek options.
COUNTRYMAN
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV GRQ
SUBJECT: FM BAKOYANNIS ON KOSOVO, MACEDONIA, MIDDLE EAST
REF: ATHENS 1318
Classifie$ By: CHARCE D'AFFAIRES THOMAS COUNTRYMAN. REASONS
1.4 (B) AND (D).
1. (C) SUMMARY: In a twenty-minute June 28 conversation,
Charge and FM Bakoyannis discussed the Greek-Russian
handshake on the Blue Stream pipeline deal (reported reftel),
her recent trip to the Middle East and the issues of Kosovo
and Macedonia. She said she intended to call U/S Burns at
the end of this week to update him on the Middle East and
Kosovo, in line with their June 10 Athens agreement to stay
in touch. END SUMMARY.
MIDDLE EAST
--------------
2. (C) At a social event Tuesday night, Charge had an
unscheduled 20-minute one-on-one with FM Bakoyannis. Much of
the conversation focused on the June 25 Greek-Russian
handshake on the Blue Stream pipeline, which was reported in
reftel. Another important topic was the Middle East.
Bakoyannis clearly was continuing to think about her recent
trip (June 10-14). She believed that her interlocutors in
the region find it much easier to talk openly to Greeks,
Italians, and Spaniards than they do to Americans and other
Europeans. She said she was &deeply involved8 in trying to
help the government of Lebanon (no further details) and
wanted to share some ideas with U/S Burns. She remained
concerned about the risk of violence in Lebanon and on
Israel,s north.
KOSOVO
--------------
3. (C) Charge and Bakoyannis also discussed the June 17-19
visit to Athens of Serbian FM Jeremic and Bakoyannis,
conversation in Istanbul with Russian FM Lavrov during the
BSEC Summit. She said that Jeremic had conceded that Serbia
would not gain much more on the ground from an additional 4-6
months of negotiations with Pristina, but it was vital to
make the effort. She agreed strongly, saying the U.S. and EU
should show that we had gone the extra mile. A Russian veto
at this point would simply insert Russia back into the
Balkans in a negative way, she said, rather than in the
positive manner we should all want.
4. (C) She said Lavrov had shown no flexibility on Kosovo in
their June 25 meeting, arguing that the Russian public sees
Kosovo as the standard against which to measure Abkhazia.
Charge acknowledged that giving more time for Kosovo talks
might show our good will and give Belgrade time to reconcile
itself to the inevitable. For the U.S. (and others with
presence in Kosovo, including Greece),however, extending the
time would run a high risk of violence in Kosovo. Bakoyannis
emphasized that she did not discount the risk of violence but
said we had to keep it in perspective. Kosovo would become
more tense than it is today, but that did not mean that the
international community would be unable to control the risk.
Spain had just lost six peacekeepers in Lebanon, but was
staying the course there.
5. (C) Bakoyannis said the idea she wanted to push with U/S
Burns was for an alternative, placeholder UN Resolution, with
only three simple elements:
-- Creating a new negotiation period of four (or six) months
between Belgrade and Pristin but without specifying any
pre-determined or automatic outcome.
-- Calling on the EU to proceed with decision and deployment
of the ESDP mission.
-- Creating a mechanism by which Kosovo could qualify now for
IFI assistance. (Charge commented that he did not think this
last point was so simply accomplished, but she insisted it
could be done and referred to financial agreements she made
with Kosovo authorities while she was still mayor of Athens).
MACEDONIA
--------------
6. (C) Charge noted that the Greek press had been critical of
U/S Burns, advice on Macedonia/FYROM two weeks ago (which
the papers had distilled down to &Burns to Athens: Solve it
Yourself!8). Bakoyannis said only that she was not
dissatisfied with what Burns had said but so far had not seen
any results from Skopje of the U.S. intent to push Macedonia
to calm the rhetoric. She readily agreed to Charge,s
suggestion that we sit down soon to think through the real
sequence of events (Greek elections, NATO accession decision)
and the consequences of various Greek options.
COUNTRYMAN