GREECE/MACEDONIA: RECENT IRRITANTS

UNCLAS ATHENS 000596 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID EAIR EAGR MK GR SUBJECT: GREECE/MACEDONIA: RECENT IRRITANTS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (U) This message has been cleared by Embassy Skopje. ¶2. (SBU) In the aftermath of the veto of Macedonia's NATO accession, the Government of Greece has generally avoided escalating actions against Macedonia. We are not able to identify any major escalations in Greek behavior vis-a-vis Macedonia post-Bucharest, although the lower-level irritants (and irritating behavior) continue. ¶3. (SBU) In public, the Greek line remains that Greece supports Macedonian integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, but only after the name issue is resolved. PM Karamanlis and FM Bakoyannis have recently emphasized that the ball is now in Skopje's court to agree to a "substantially compound name with a geographical qualifier." Bakoyannis and Karamanlis have publicly termed Macedonia "intransigent" and have made clear that while Greece is ready to move quickly in continuing the negotiations, Greece is in no mood to offer further compromises on the name issue to clinch a deal. The veto has heightened nationalist sentiment in Greece. Whether the venue be OSCE, NATO, the UN, or EU, the Greeks are parsing any reference to Macedonia very closely, insisting on full compliance with agreed references to Macedonia as "FYROM," and frequently calling on other member states to show solidarity with Greece. ¶4. (SBU) Among the recent irritants are the following: -- Status of EU Special Representative in Skopje: The Macedonian press reported last week that Greece had demanded the replacement of Erwan Fouere, the EU Special Representative in Skopje, due to his office's favorable reports on reform and on progress in meeting the requirements for visa liberalization. In response to the Macedonian press reports, Slovenia/EU released a statement terming the reports "inaccurate speculation," and noting that Fouere enjoys "the full confidence and support of all EU member states." We understand that Greece has been objecting to Fouere and his reports for several months and that Greek objections to Fouere precede Bucharest. -- Macedonian Lamb Exports Down by Half: Greece is Macedonia's second largest lamb export market, and the main seasons for lamb exports are Christmas and Easter. Macedonian lamb is cheaper than Greek lamb. In the two weeks before Orthodox Easter (April 27),the Macedonian media reported that the Greek government had discouraged consumers from buying Macedonian lamb and had seized lamb that it alleged did not have the proper documentation. The head of the Macedonian Veterinary Service and the Macedonian Customs Administration Director told Embassy Skopje that lamb exports to Greece were approximately half of last year's level. The two Macedonian officials noted there had been no apparent official Greek policy to limit the import of Macedonian lamb, but there had been a "buy Greek" campaign this year. The "buy Greek" lamb campaign was organized by a meat producer association and a Greek supermarket chain with support from Greek farmers protesting lower-priced lamb from Macedonia and Bulgaria. Macedonian officials told Embassy Skopje that, as far as they knew, all the Macedonian lamb exported to Greece had the proper health and customs documentation, and that the GOG had provided no information regarding improper documentation, seizures of smuggled Macedonian lamb, or lamb with altered documentation. Greek officials told Embassy Athens that they had confiscated a small quantity of Macedonian lamb (about 5,000 kgs) as the meat was found not to comply with Greek public health regulations (the meat reportedly was not stamped as required). (Note: USAID had a now-completed program that worked with Macedonian lamb producers to improve their international competitiveness. Macedonia has increased its lamb exports to Italy, Greece, and other countries over the past few years. End Note). -- Macedonian Airlines: Macedonian media reported that the Greek government had refused to give Macedonian Airlines (MAT),Macedonia's national flag carrier, permission to fly summer charter flights to Greece. MAT sent a request to the Greek civil aviation authorities on February 28 and received an official reply on April 11 refusing to grant permission for such flights shortly after the NATO summit, with the explanation that approval would not be forthcoming as long as the term "Macedonian" remained in MAT's name. This issue predates Bucharest. MAT has requested approval to fly charter flights to Greece on an annual basis for ten years, and has been refused each time. Macedonian officials tell Embassy Skopje this is a violation of the regional open skies regime. SPECKHARD