GREEK PARLIAMENT RATIFIES LISBON TREATY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000835 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV EU GR SUBJECT: GREEK PARLIAMENT RATIFIES LISBON TREATY REF: A) ATHENS 433 B) ATHENS 400 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PROTECT ACCORDINGLY -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) Early on the morning of June 12 -- on the eve of Ireland's referendum on the Lisbon Treaty -- the Greek Parliament ratified the Lisbon Treaty 250 to 42. Greece has now joined the group of EU member states who have completed legal approval of the treaty. ¶2. (SBU) Parliamentary consideration of the treaty exposed weaknesses and major fractures in PASOK -- Greece's leading opposition party. Although PASOK MPs voted in favor of the Treaty, immediately after the vote, PASOK President George Papandreou tabled a contradictory motion to put the treaty to a popular referendum. In advance of the parliamentary debate, former PASOK Prime Minister Costas Simitis issued publicly a letter he had sent to Papandreou terming his proposal for a referendum untimely and damaging to Greece's interests. End Summary. -------------- Lisbon Treaty Ratified in Greece -------------- ¶3. (U) Following an lengthy evening debate on June 11, the Greek Parliament ratified the Lisbon Treaty by a 250 to 42 vote early in the morning of June 12. MPs from Greece's two major parties -- ruling New Democracy and main opposition PASOK -- voted in favor of the treaty, making Greece the 18th of the 27 EU countries to approve it. The three smaller opposition parties in the Greek Parliament: the Greek Communist Party (KKE) the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) voted against the treaty. ¶4. (SBU) After the vote, PASOK President George Papandreou contradictorily immediately tabled a motion to put the Treaty of Lisbon to a popular referendum for ratification. Under Greek parliamentary procedures, this motion must be considered, and it has been put on the Parliament's agenda for urgent consideration the week of June 15. However, PASOK and the smaller opposition parties do not have the requisite 180 votes to approve the motion, and PM Karamanlis long rejected the idea of a plebiscite on the Treaty of Lisbon. Greek MFA and parliamentary contacts tell us that the GOG considers the Treaty of Lisbon "ratified," given the Parliamentary vote, and that the motion on a plebiscite is a "side show for domestic political reasons." -------------- Exposing Fractures in PASOK -------------- ¶5. (U) The Lisbon Treaty debate exposed weaknesses and major fractures within PASOK when former PASOK Prime Minister Costas Simitis openly and publicly challenged PASOK President George Papandreou's call for a referendum. In a letter delivered to Papandreou and made public only hours before the Papandreou was to address Parliament and formally call for a referendum (while still voting in favor of the treaty),Simitis said Papandreou was "mistaken," and that PASOK should stick with the long established practice in Greece of ratifying such instruments through parliamentary votes. Simitis argued that a plebiscite is dependent upon "political coincidence" and could make Greece a "problem" within the EU. ¶6. (SBU) The Simitis letter caused consternation among Papandreou and his camp and prompted a strong-worded reaction from the party spokesman, who called the Simitis letter "incomprehensible." ¶7. (SBU) Long-time PASOK watchers suggest that the Simitis letter is only the latest, but most visible salvo in a long-simmering dispute between the former PM and Papandreou concerning PASOK's direction. Rumors abound that Papandreou might even be contemplating the ex-premier's dismissal from the party. Adding fuel to the fire, Simitis recently formally established the "Costas Simitis Foundation;" several former PMs (Andreas Papandreou, the Constantine Mitsotakis, and Constantine Karamanlis) have established similar institutions which are somewhat analogous to U.S. Presidential Libraries. Papandreou loyalists suggest that the Simitis Foundation is a potential center of in-party ATHENS 00000835 002 OF 002 opposition -- a perception further reinforced by Simitis' Lisbon Treaty letter. SPECKHARD