ARCHBISHOPRIC INTERESTED IN ANTI-TIP COOPERATION;

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000075

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/SE MCLEGG-TRIPP AND EMELLINGER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2012
TAGS: GTIP PREL PHUM CY GR TU
SUBJECT: ARCHBISHOPRIC INTERESTED IN ANTI-TIP COOPERATION;
HOPING TO START OVER WITH MUFTI

REF: 06 NICOSIA 2055

Classified By: Ambassador Ronald L. Schlicher for Reason 1.5 (b).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Following up on the Ambassador's December 20
offer to Archbishop Chrysostomos II (Reftel) to cooperate
with the Church on combating trafficking in persons (TIP),
PolOff met January 22 with the Church's pointman on the
issue, Bishop Vasilios. While aware of the country's sexual
exploitation problem, Vasilios expressed shock at the GOC's
lack of sufficient progress on the "Three P's": prevention,
protection, and prosecution. He promised to study the matter
in detail and seek ways for the Church to engage on TIP.
Turning to the subject of relations between the island's
Muslims and Christians, Vasilios regretted the failed January
7 attempt to bring together Chrysostomos and Turkish Cypriot
religious leader Mufti Ahmet Yonluer. The Archbishop's
public missteps were as much to blame for the aborted
get-together as the north's "Deep State" pressure on the
Mufti. END SUMMARY.

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TIP: "An Ethical Challenge"
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2. (SBU) In his December 20 meeting with newly-installed
Archbishop Chrysostomos II (Reftel),the Ambassador
highlighted the Embassy's interest in improving its anti-TIP
cooperation with the Church. The Archbishop responded
positively, expressing interest in taking a more active role
to combat trafficking. On January 22, PolOff followed up by
providing a more in-depth briefing on Cyprus's trafficking
problem to Bishop Vasilios, who is responsible for the
Church's "social program" and its de-facto pointman on TIP
issues.


3. (C) The bishop was generally familiar with Cyprus's sexual
exploitation problem, although his knowledge seemed based
primarily on anecdotes (e.g., Cypriot wives complaining that
the Church annuls marriages so foreign "artistes" can steal
their husbands). When faced with the hard figures of
trafficked women -- the debts they incur upon arrival, for
example, and the payment of finders' fees for their
recruitment -- he angrily asked, "What is the Government (of
Cyprus) doing to solve this problem?" Poloff highlighted
Cyprus's Tier II Watch List status (the worst of any EU
member state) and noted that the ranking was due to the GOC's
poor record in implementing its own national action plan to
address the "Three P's." Although prosecution/conviction
figures for 2006 were a bright spot, and although there are
recent signs of Presidential interest in implementing the
national plan, the GOC's prevention and protection efforts to
date were clearly inadequate.


4. (C) Visibly shocked by this information, the bishop called
TIP "an ethical challenge" in which "the Church has a role."
Vasilios repeatedly asked what the Church could do, and
seemed receptive to the idea of using the ecclesiastical
bully pulpit to spark public awareness and question
(privately, if not publicly) official inaction. Vasilios
specifically requested more information about which GOC
ministry took the lead on TIP, and promised to raise
"immediately" with the Archbishop his (unspecified) ideas for
action.

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(Not) Meeting the Mufti: "The Archbishop is Not a Diplomat."
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Turning to the meeting between the Archbishop and
Mufti Yonluer that was to have taken place earlier this month
(Reftel),Vasilios said the potentially historic meeting had
been called off on January 7 at Yonluer's request -- even
though the Turkish Cypriot had committed to the idea in
December. The invitation remained on the table should
Yonluer change his mind, the bishop claimed, adding that he
had communicated twice with Yonluer on Chrysostomos's behalf
since the cancellation of the meeting. Meanwhile, Vasilios
was planning to join the Bishops of Morphou and Kykko in an
upcoming visit to Yonluer in the north.


6. (C) Although Yonluer had publicly cited the Archbishop's
January 6 "inflammatory" comments about the desecration of
Orthodox churches in the north, Vasilios claimed that Yonluer
had subsequently revealed ("in full confidence") that this
was not the real reason. Instead, the bishop said that
"outside forces" had been pressuring Yonluer to cancel his

call on Chrysostomos -- and the Archbishop's comments
provided the nervous Imam with an easy way out. According to
Vasilios, Yonluer received a scathing lQter from former
"TRNC President" Rauf Denktash shortly after the December 27
announcement of his plans to meet the Archbishop. Denktash
had accused Yonluer of overstepping his religious
prerogatives, Vasilios said, and soon thereafter Yonluer
began to receive warnings from unnamed Turkish military
figures on the island and numerous anonymous threats.
Evincing clear pride at the close rapport he claims to have
established with a Turkish Cypriot official, the bishop
explained that Yonluer would have found any excuse to get out
of the meeting.


7. (C) Nonetheless, the Archbishop had made a mistake with
his remarks, Vasilios conceded; he never should have divulged
publicly the talking points he hoped to cover with the Mufti
in private. "The Archbishop is not a diplomat," Vasilios
suggested. Disappointed that this opportunity for interfaith
island dialogue had disappeared for the moment, he hoped his
own meeting with the Mufti might patch things up somewhat.
Further, he was contemplating a renewed effort to bring the
men together, and would propose the idea soon to Chrysostomos.

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Comment
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8. (C) In his first meeting with us, the Archbishop promised
a lot on topics ranging from TIP to bicommunal relations.
His performance so far, however, has fallen short of the mark
-- especially with regard to nurturing contacts with the
Turkish Cypriots. But the candor and engagement of his
advisor Vasilios is somewhat reassuring. Even if Vasilios
cannot deliver peace and harmony with the Mufti, he may prove
a valuable ally in the fight against TIP -- especially if he
can energize the Archbishop and convince him to bring the
Church's considerable moral weight (and financial resources)
to bear on the issue. END COMMENT.
SCHLICHER