NATO MACEDONIA INVITATION: UK EFFORTS FAIL TO MOVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 000954 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE, EUR/SCE AND EUR/RPM E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2018 TAGS: PREL NATO MK GR UK SUBJECT: NATO MACEDONIA INVITATION: UK EFFORTS FAIL TO MOVE ATHENS REF: STATE 32646 Classified By: DCM Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C/NF) FCO Political Director Mark Lyall Grant told DCM that high-level UK intervention with Greece, including an appeal from FM Miliband to Greek FM Bakoyannis at the March 29 EU Gymnich, had failed to shift Athens off its hard-line position. Lyall Grant has been in close contact with Acting U/S Fried on this issue. The UK's view is that now that Macedonia has accepted a compromise name proposed by UN Envoy Nimetz, maximum pressure must be brought to bear on the Greeks. ¶2. (C/NF) Lyall Grant said that it was unclear whether Greece is using the name issue to block any Macedonian accession to either EU or NATO, or whether a modifier currently unacceptable to Skopje, such as "upper-Macedonia" or northern-Macedonia" would mollify the hard-liners in Athens. Either way, according to Lyall Grant, it will likely require head of government level intervention at Bucharest to move the issue. Lyall Grant said that Paris could also be problematic, given ongoing French-Greek military contract negotiations. He promised continued UK effort and coordination with the U.S. and other like-minded Allies. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Tuttle