Ambassador's Call on New ALt-FM Droutsas

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/10/19
TAGS: PREL PGOV OSCE GR
SUBJECT: Ambassador's Call on New ALt-FM Droutsas

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CLASSIFIED BY: Daniel V. Speckhard, Ambassador, State, EXEC; REASON:
1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) Summary: Ambassador paid his initial call on incoming
Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitri Droutsas October 15. Droutsas
emphasized the new GoG's active foreign policy agenda, pointing to
the PM's recent trip to Istanbul as a "conscious signal that the
immediate neighborhood is our highest priority." The new GoG's
foreign policy would look more like their 1999-2004 approach (i.e.
under Papandreou's previous stewardship). The GoG supports the EU
and NATO accession prospects of all the Western Balkans and will
launch an initiative with a timeline to complete the process by

2014. Droutsas said the new GOG is ready to work with Skopje on the
name issue, but needs to settle in before addressing this delicate
issue. The timing of the Commission report had forced the GOG to
reiterate its standard position on a name with geographic modifier
used "erga omnes." He was clear that resolution of the name issue
is, for the GOG , a precondition for opening negotiations with the
EU. Turkey is also a high priority; the GoG wants a "new dynamism"
in its relations with Turkey to move forward to resolve some of the
more difficult bilateral issues. Taking the Continental Shelf
dispute to the ICJ for resolution would permit progress across a
range of other issues. The GoG wants a speedy solution in Cyprus,
but does not support pressure under artificial deadlines. The
problem will require skillful negotiations and Greece is prepared
to support a resolution with words and action.


2. (C) SUMMARY CONTINUED: The new GoG places a high priority on
successfully concluding the OCSE Chairmanship in Office. Droutsas
had not been focusing on Afghanistan/Pakistan, but took the point
that Greece had a strategic interest in working to stabilize those
conflict regions because of the migration implications for Greece.
Ambassador also encouraged MFA attention to TIP and raised need to
finalize GOG approval for construction of the new badly needed
pipeline at Souda Bay NSA. Attending from the Greek side were
Droutsas' Chef de Cabinet Christos Panagopoulos, former Director of
the MFA Balkans Desk, and Director of the Americas Desk Chryssoula
Aliferi.



MACEDONIA


3. (C/NF) The new GoG is making its immediate neighborhood its
highest foreign policy priority - this was reflected in
Papandreou's visit to Istanbul for the Southeast European
Cooperation Process four days after taking office. While there, he
announced GoG's intention to support a new push to get all the
Western Balkan countries into the EU by 2014, a century after the
start of WW I in Sarajevo. This is an idea Droutsas said he had
proposed. (Note: Droutsas was educated and lived in Austria, where
in 1998-99 he worked as an advisor to former Foreign Minister
Wolfgang Schussel). Droutsas was clear that the GoG wants to
support Macedonia's EU and NATO accession, but was not ready to
compromise on international erga omnes use; he delivered a strong
plea to give the new government some time to solve this delicate
issue. The new PM was willing but needed the space and time to
develop his policies. He said the report forced him to respond
with strong public statements that did not advance the negotiations
or cause of Skopje. Resolution of the name issue "is a
precondition for Macedonia to open negotiations on EU accession."
Ambassador, in a later on one, pushed Droutsas to find a solution
to the name issue before the December Ministerial.



TURKEY


4. (C) Turkey is also a very high priority for the new GoG.
Papandreou wants to have a "new dynamism" in Greek-Turkish
relations. The GoG will work to create opportunities for progress.
Of course differences will have to be resolved. The PM said taking
the Continental Shelf dispute to the ICJ would help start the
process, and pointed out that if Turkey had any issues it wanted to
raise, the ICJ is "open to all." Other issues remain under
discussion and the GoG will replicate its positive approach under
the previous Papandreou Foreign Ministry. Papandreou had not
formally invited Erdogan to Athens, but the GoG "is working on
that." They are looking for signals from the Turkish side. In
response to the Ambassador's encouragement for Greece to send a
positive signal to Turkey by adopting NATO approved procedures for

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no longer tagging Greek planes as hostile, Droutsas said wasn't
briefed on technical issues of AIR safety CBMs. He promised to
look into things the Greeks could do to respond to Turkish
cessation of over flights of Agathonisi and Farmakonisi. He was
encouraged that such cessation "shows that when it wants, the GoT
can stop them!"



CYPRUS


5. (C) Papandreou will travel to Cyprus on October 19 for his
first formal overseas visit. The GoG is fully committed to
reunification as soon as possible. They know that the Greek
Cypriots want a speedy solution too, "but not just any solution."
Skillful negotiations will be required, and while a target date is
useful, we must not forget that substantive differences remain to
be bridged. Washington should not overestimate Greece's influence
in Nicosia, but the GoG is committed to using both words and
actions to advance a just solution.



OSCE


6. (C) The incoming GoG appreciated the great job its predecessor
did as Chair in Office of the OSCE, and is committed to "an even
better finish to the year." Droutsas had been briefed on
preparations for the December Ministerial and would work hard to
make it a success. The GoG anticipated that Secretary Clinton
would attend, based on her comment to the PM during her
congratulatory call.



US-GREECE ISSUES:


7. (SBU) Ambassador raised USG interest in the fight against
trafficking in persons, and encouraged Droutsas to dedicate MFA
attention to it. Droutsas pledged to do so. Ambassador also
raised the need for a high level political push at the MFA to
overcome MFA legal department blockage of the construction of the
new jet fuel pipeline to service the US Naval Support Area at Souda
Bay, Crete. Droutsas was not aware of the issue, but with MFA
America's Desk Director Aliferi, promised to look into what he
could do to permit construction to move forward.



ONE ON ONE: MORE "MACEDONIA":


8. (C/NF) Following the general discussion, the Ambassador asked
to see the Minister alone for a few minutes. He took the
opportunity to impress on Droutsas the importance Washington placed
on finding a mutually agreeable solution to the name issue before
the December EU Council meeting. We shared the new Prime
Minister's vision for keeping the Balkans on track toward EU
integration and believed that another Greek veto could undermine
this effort and jeopardize stability on their border. A great deal
of progress had been made and it was our sense that the leadership
in Skopje was more flexible now in finding a solution. We hoped
the new PM would make a strong effort to get this issue resolved.


9. (C/NF) Droutsas said that they too would like to solve the name
issue. However, they were very frustrated with Brussels and the
release of the Commission's report that recommended going forward
with formal accession negotiations for Macedonia. They had not
even given the new government a week to engage on this and the
Commission's public pronouncement had forced him to make public
statements on Greek redlines and threaten a veto. This is not
something that he wanted to do or thought was helpful to the
atmosphere of the negotiations, but he had no choice.


10. (C/NF) Droutsas added, with regard to EU membership, that
Greece was not alone in potential standing in the way of moving
forward on Macedonia's accession negotiations; there were other EU
countries that were being tougher toward accession candidates in
light of concern over the pace of EU expansion.

ATHENS 00001559 003.2 OF 003



11. (C/NF) The Ambassador said U.N. negotiator Nimetz was ready
to come to Athens or call negotiators to New York. Droutsas said
they welcomed the negotiations, but pleaded for a little time to
get organized. The Government was only week old and the PM was
busy preparing for the announcement of the Government program that
weekend in Parliament. However, he promised the Ambassador they
were working on the issue of relations with Skopje and would get
back to us shortly.
Speckhard