CLUSTER MUNITIONS: GREECE SHARES U.S. CONCERNS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 002347 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR PM/WRA E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2017 TAGS: PARM PREL NATO GR SUBJECT: CLUSTER MUNITIONS: GREECE SHARES U.S. CONCERNS REF: STATE 164503 Classified By: A/Political Counselor Jeff Hovenier for 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) A/Pol Counselor met 12/12 with MFA Senior Non-Proliferation Officer Dionyssios Kyvetos to deliver ref papers on cluster munitions. Kyvetos, who attended the December 5 - 7 meeting in Vienna of the Oslo Process, was unequivocal in reply: Greece strongly supports U.S. concerns about the Oslo Process. Greece participated in the Vienna meeting, but at that meeting announced it would no longer attend meetings of the Oslo Process. Greece is fully committed to negotiations on cluster munitions within the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) framework, and will be chairing some of these negotiations. Greece further shares USG concerns that there are provisions being considered within the Oslo Process that could have a significant impact on military cooperation between countries that adopt such requirements related to cluster munitions and those that do not. He said "we are with you," and he asked that U.S. officials keep Greek officials -- and in particular the Greek Ambassador in Geneva -- informed of U.S. concerns and activities in this area. ¶2. (C) Kyvetos also noted that the EU is facing "significant coordination problems" on cluster munitions issues. EU states have agreed to work on this issue within the CCW framework. Therefore, Greece was surprised and disappointed by a draft statement by EU/Portugal for the Vienna Meeting of the Oslo Process that made no reference to CCW. Greece blocked this statement on this basis, and Greece will object to any future EU signals of support for the Oslo Process. Kyvetos singled out Ireland, Austria, and Sweden are among the most enthusiastic about the Oslo Process. SPECKHARD