GREECE/MACEDONIA: KARAMANLIS ADDRESSE TE NATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000505

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL NATO MK GR
SUBJECT: GREECE/MACEDONIA: KARAMANLIS ADDRESSE TE NATION


SESITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PROTECT ACCORDINGLY

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SUMMARY
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1. (U) In the wake of Greece's veto of a NATO invitation
for Macedonia, Prime Minister Karamanlis and Foreign
Minister Bakoyannis have made public statements that
reiterate the Greek perspective on the name issue,
stressing their desire for continuing talks under UN
auspices to find a mutually acceptable solution.
Karamanlis remarks to the Greek nation were carried live
during primetime the evening of April 3.


2. (U) Meanwhile, all Greek opposition parties welcomed
the veto, but most took the opportunity to criticize the
government's overall handling of the Macedonia name issue,
suggesting in particular that the government had not been
sufficiently "firm" on the issue in the lead-up to the
Bucharest NATO Summit. End Summary.

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Karamanlis Addresses the Nation
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3. (U) On the evening of April 3 during the regular
primetime news hour, PM Karamanlis addressed the Greek
nation from Bucharest. Salient points of his speech were:

-- The Veto: "I had said . . . that no solution means no
invitation, and that is what I did." He added that Greece
had "waged a tough struggle" on the issue, but had held
firm in the face of opposition. Karamanlis said that
withstanding fears by some that Greece would be isolated on
this issue, "we found supporters." The Greek media have
singled out French President Sarkozy as Greece's most
"loyal supporter" in Bucharest, with at least one daily
noting that Sarkozy had proven himself worthy of his
"Macedonian roots." (Note: Thessaloniki Mayor Vassilis
Papageorgopoulos announced that he has invited Sarkozy to
receive the key to the city in recognition of his stance to
defend Macedonia. End note.)

-- Next Steps: Greece is "in the middle of a difficult
path," and "the issue does not end here, as we still have a
way to go." Karamanlis appealed to the Macedonian
leadership to "continue the discussion" in the UN-led
process to negotiate a settlement of the name issue. He
provided no tireece will continue
ilfidence, with determin`."

-- Message to Maticized "the
illusion Q can participate in the
d the Macedonian people, saying that Greece's aim
is "not to humiliate our neighbors to but support them to
stand on their feet," adding that Greece "aims at a
solution that respects the sensitivities of all and
strengthens regional stability." This is played up in the
Greek media as "no winners or losers."

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FM Bakoyannis Stresses Friendship with Macedonia
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4. (U) In a separate press availability, Foreign Minister
Bakoyannis said Greece is "satisfied" with the results of
the NATO Summit, as Greece had "fully achieved its goals."
Bakoyannis noted that there is no timeline for concluding
negotiations, but expressed Greece's desire "for as speedy
an end to the negotiations . . . as possible."


5. (U) She highlighted Greece's desire for good relations
with Macedonia, stating "I wish to stress, for yet another
time, that Greece has honest and friendly feelings for the
people of FYROM. We wish that we become friends and
partners. We wish to see them enter NATO." Bakoyannis said
Greece pursues "a permanent solution and not just anything
that would push the problem under the carpet." Finally, in
an apparent response to previous remarks by Secretary Rice
that the question of the name is one of antiquity,
Bakoyannis retorted, "The name issue is a current political
problem ... it is not an issue of antiquity ... It is a
problem based on outdated logic which must cease to exist
in the European reality we wish to build in our region."

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ATHENS 00000505 002 OF 002


Opposition Welcomes Veto
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6. (U) On the morning after in Athens, we can identify no
voices opposing the Government's actions in Bucharest.
Greece's major opposition parties all welcomed the veto,
while criticizing the Government's handling of the issue.
Leading opposition party PASOK's press spokesman
Papakonstantinou said that "the Prime Minister achieved
what is self-evident by moving along the red line that
PASOK had drawn." Papakonstantinou downplayed the matter
still further by adding that "Greece's aim was not achieved
because the target was not the veto, but finding a solution
to the name issue." Leftist coalition SYRIZA parliamentary
party leader Alekos Alavanos made a similar point: "The
time to celebrate will arrive when a solution arrives . . .
(to an issue which) should have been solved years ago, and
not pushed away from the UN and toward NATO and the U.S."
Communist Party KKE Secretary General Aleka Papariga
characterized the veto as "timid," and said the
Government's actions should have been more robust as the
veto had not been "clearly stated but rather implied."
LAOS had reiterated its far-right stance the first night.

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Comment
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7. (SBU) The government's initial public handling of the
veto and the opposition's reaction should be seen as
domestic politics -- pure and simple. Karamalis' comments
were designed to make the case to the public that he
deserves credit for protecting Greece's position and that
his strategy had paid dividends, notwithstanding the
emotional debate about this issue prior to the Summit.
Bakoyannis' comments we read both in terms of domestic
politics and as an effort to keep the UN-led process alive;
she more than anyone in the Greek political sphere will
lose if no solution to the name issue is achieved. The
oppositions' criticism of the government's handling of the
issue is not surprising, and should be interpreted as an
effort to capitalize politically on an issue on which a
large majority of Greek public opinion agrees, while
seeking to discredit the government. End Comment.

SPECKHARD