CYPRUS ARMS: LETTERS EXCHANGED - GREEKS REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 002271 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR MASS NATO CY GR TU SUBJECT: CYPRUS ARMS: LETTERS EXCHANGED - GREEKS REPORT WORK COMPLETED REF: A. STATE 159344 ¶B. ATHENS 2026 Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville for 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Greek MOD officials report that Greece has substantially resolved all remaining issues related to the presence in Cyprus of defense articles provided by the United States to Greece. A few remaining steps will be completed this week -- primarily removal of 5 M88s that were provided to Greece by the United States pursuant to agreements entered into after December 22, 1987 and provision of written material. On the basis of these consultations, Embassy Athens and the Greek MFA have exchanged letters, as instructed ref A. End Summary. -------------- Update on Cyprus Arms Outstanding Issues -------------- ¶2. (C) PolMil Chief met 11/26 with Major General Kanellopoulos, the Greek General Staff officer overseeing Greek compliance with U.S. requirements on this issue, and Ambassador Stoidis, the Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister of Defense. Kanellopoulos, who had just returned from Cyprus, gave the following updates on the outstanding issues (ref A): -- Written Description of Security Regime: They have prepared a draft which should be provided to the USG within the next week. -- Written Description of the Organizational Structure of Greek Units with Access to U.S.-origin Defense Articles in Cyprus: They have prepared a draft which should be provided to the USG within the next week. -- Vehicle Gates: They confirmed all internal vehicle gates between facilities under Greek control and Cypriot National Guard control have been removed. -- Presence of M88 Medium Recovery Vehicles: As requested, the Greeks reviewed their M88 holdings in Cyprus. They determined that, contrary to ref B findings, Greece has 5 (and not 4) U.S.-origin M88s on Cyprus -- 4 in Mathiatis and 1 in Aplanta. Furthermore, all 5 M88s currently on Cyprus were provided by the United States to Greece pursuant to agreements entered into AFTER December 22, 1987. They affirmed that Greece will comply with its commitment to the United States that it will remove all U.S.-origin equipment on Cyprus provided pursuant to agreements entered into after December 22, 1987. Therefore all 5 M88s will be removed from Cyprus within the next week. These 5 M88s will be replaced by 5 older M88s that the United States provided to Greece pursuant to agreements entered into prior to December 22, ¶1987. They have also given us the serial numbers of the 5 M88s currently on Cyprus and those intended to replace them (e-mailed to EUR/SE and PM/RSAT). -- Mathiatis: Fencing has been completed. -- Aplanta: Fencing has been completed. New headquarters have been completed. New barracks have been completed. -- Athalassa: Fencing has been completed. A new entry/exit gate has been constructed and is operational that establishes a distinct entrance/exit under exclusive Greek control for access to the U.S.-provided equipment which does not involve transit through a Cypriot National Guard facility. -- Polis: Fencing has been completed, to include repair of the two vehicle gates that had temporary fencing. The checkpoint access to the adjoining Cypriot National Guard facility has been removed and replaced with permanent fencing. -- Polemidia: A new entry/exit gate has been constructed and is operational with direct access to the road, and additional fencing has been constructed from that gate to the Greek facility to ensure a distinct entrance/exit under exclusive Greek control for access to the U.S.-provided equipment which does not involve transit through a Cypriot National Guard facility. -------------- Letters Exchanged -------------- ¶3. (C) Following these consultations, per ref A we exchanged letters with the Greek MFA restating the U.S. desiderata and stating that should the GOG confirm that all of the pending issues will be addressed in the manner outlined by the U.S., the U.S. will consider the matter notified to the U.S. Congress in 2004 under Section 3 of the Arms Export Control Act to have been satisfactory resolved. The Greek MFA response conveys the requisite assurances and does not deviate from the ref A text (both letters faxed to EUR/SE and PM/RSAT). SPECKHARD