GREEK VIEWS ON PIRACY CONTACT GROUP PARTICIPATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 001443

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/08/26
TAGS: EWWT MARR PGOV PHSA PHUM PREL SO GR
SUBJECT: GREEK VIEWS ON PIRACY CONTACT GROUP PARTICIPATION

REF: STATE 85758

CLASSIFIED BY: Deborah A. McCarthy, Deputy Chief of Mission; REASON:
1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) MFA Counselor Dimitrios Papandreou commended U.S. efforts
to resolve the impasse over participation in the Contact Group for
Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia, agreed with excluding North Korea
and Iran from participation, and labeled our reftel message "a nice
compromise." He noted his understanding that Japan, as Chair of
the upcoming plenary, had already invited Cyprus to participate,
and while interested in how the new concept of "participation"
would work in practice, was not worried about any negative impact
to the efficacy of the CGPCS.




2. (C) Papandreou stated that he would be accompanied at the
upcoming CGPCS plenary in New York by the Deputy Commander of the
Greek frigate "Psara," which served as the flagship of the EU's
Operation Atalanta from December 2008 to April 2009. He shared his
personal view that the Chinese may again raise what he termed their
unhelpful proposal to create separate areas of responsibility, and
thought that the Deputy Commander might be able to provide some
pushback against the Chinese drawing on his operational
experiences. Papandreou noted he was interested in hearing the
latest from the U.S. and Egyptian leads of Working Groups Three and
Four, respectively, and welcomed any potential bilateral contacts
with our delegation.




3. (C) Papandreou cited several times the excellent cooperation
between Greece and the U.S. on piracy, noting in particular our
common stance against an International Piracy Tribunal favored by
other European Allies. When asked about prospects for trying
piracy suspects in domestic courts, including Greece when
appropriate, he pointed to ongoing discussions in Copenhagen of
CGPCS Working Group Two on legal issues, and offered to sit down
and exchange notes in the future.




4. (C) Commen: Given Greece's important role in international
shipping, and positive views toward working with the United States,
we believe that a high-level visit from Washington this fall can
bring dividends to our cooperation with Greece on piracy issues,
through reinforcing our cooperation, speaking directly to Greek
shippers, and pushing the Greek government to take a more proactive
approach on prosecution. The annual "AMVER Safety Awards" -- U.S.
Coast Guard safety awards with a Greek program coordinated locally
by the influential International Propeller Club of the United
States in Greece (www.propellerclub.gr) -- will take place in the
October/November 2009 timeframe (dates TBC). This is a major
event, in which the illuminati of the Greek shipping world
participate, and which is traditionally attended by the U.S.
Ambassador or other high-level Embassy or U.S. Coast Guard
officials. It offers an ideal venue for a policy speech by PM
Assistant Secretary Shapiro, around which a substantive program
with Greek government and military officials, plus commercial
interests could be built.
SPECKHARD