Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ATHENS1597
2009-11-04 14:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Athens
Cable title:  

NEW GOVERNMENT WANTS TO DEEPEN U.S-GREECE STRATEGIC

Tags:  PREL PHSA PGOV MARR MASS EWWT GR 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0834
OO RUEHAG RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHTH #1597/01 3081412
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O R 041412Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0952
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0049
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 001597 

SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY ANKARA PASS TO AMCONSUL ADANA
AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO USOFFICE ALMATY
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/04
TAGS: PREL PHSA PGOV MARR MASS EWWT GR
SUBJECT: NEW GOVERNMENT WANTS TO DEEPEN U.S-GREECE STRATEGIC
RELATIONS, ALTERNATE MOD TELLS A/S SHAPIRO

ATHENS 00001597 001.2 OF 003


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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 001597

SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY ANKARA PASS TO AMCONSUL ADANA
AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO USOFFICE ALMATY
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/04
TAGS: PREL PHSA PGOV MARR MASS EWWT GR
SUBJECT: NEW GOVERNMENT WANTS TO DEEPEN U.S-GREECE STRATEGIC
RELATIONS, ALTERNATE MOD TELLS A/S SHAPIRO

ATHENS 00001597 001.2 OF 003


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


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a cordial October 22 meeting with Alternate
Minister of Defense Panos Beglitis, A/S Shapiro urged Greece to
deepen its partnership with the U.S. on counterpiracy, sign the New
York Declaration on Best Practices, follow through on its
commitment to move its ISAF engineering battalion to western
Afghanistan and deploy an OMLT, praised the new Papandreou
government for its commitment to transparency in arms procurement,
and asked how budgetary pressures might affect the Greek armed
forces. Alternate MOD Beglitis highlighted the close, historic
ties between the U.S. and Greece, stressed the intent of the new
government to deepen its strategic relationship with the U.S.,
asked for the Administration's views and expectations on
Afghanistan, stated that his government wanted a "new period of
relations with Turkey," and supported Turkish EU accession, though
"not with a blank check." END SUMMARY.



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Counterpiracy: A Prime Area for Deeper Cooperation

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2. (C) Alt/MOD Beglitis led off his remarks by stating the intent
of the new Papandreou government to deepen the strategic
relationship between Greece and the United States, especially in
defense, and stressed that Greece views itself as a partner of the
U.S. in defense of democracy and the common values of the North

Atlantic Alliance. A/S Shapiro agreed that our political-military
relationship was rich and deep, and told Beglitis that we wanted to
see our partnership continue to develop. One such area that was
ripe for further cooperation was counterpiracy, Shapiro stated, a
global challenge. A/S Shapiro urged the Greek government to join
the U.S. and other powerful maritime nations in signing the New
York Declaration on best practices for merchant vessel
self-protection at the next plenary meeting of the Contact Group on
Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS),and commended the Greeks
for their frigate contributions to both NATO's Operation Ocean
Shield, and the EU's Atalanta missions off of Somalia.



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Afghanistan: Greeks Non-Committal, Focused on Next U.S. Steps

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3. (C) A/S Shapiro thanked Beglitis for the Greek commitment to
lift its caveat and move its engineering battalion out of Kabul to
Herat, and to deploy an Operational Mentoring Liaison Team in the
Kabul area. He urged quick delivery on this commitment, and
pledged to maintain a dialogue on possible Greek equipment needs.
(Comment: The deployment timeline continues to slip backwards, and
is now slated for March 2010, should newly identified force
protection requirements be procured in time. The Greek military
recently asked the U.S. to help it procure, at reduced cost,
leasing, or grant, 32 MRAP-type vehicles, 52 IED electronic
countermeasure devices, 4 armored bulldozers, and more to enable
these deployments. End comment.)




4. (C) Alt/MOD Beglitis told Shapiro that the Greek government

ATHENS 00001597 002.2 OF 003


would soon be reviewing its involvement in Afghanistan, and that of
NATO. He peppered the Assistant Secretary with questions on the
Administration's views toward the situation in Afghanistan and
President Karzai, and the sort of end state envisioned by the U.S.
there. He was keen on the future of NATO in Afghanistan, how to
create political stability following the recent elections, and the
need, he asserted, to develop relations with "moderate" Taliban.
A/S Shapiro assured Beglitis that Washington is working hard on its
ongoing review, and stressed that the question policymakers are
examining is not whether to stay or to go but whether our effort is
adequately resourced, and whether the balance between our civilian
and military efforts is calibrated in the best manner possible. We
are not diminishing our role, he reiterated, and stressed the
importance of our partners delivering on their commitments in
Afghanistan.




5. (C) Ambassador Speckhard encouraged Alt/MOD Beglitis to take a
hard look at ramping up Greek contributions to training efforts in
Afghanistan, noting the link between Greece's problems with illegal
immigration, and the direct link success in Afghanistan and
Pakistan will have on alleviating a portion of the illegal
immigration flood into Greece each year. "You can either spend
some money there, or more money here," the Ambassador stated.
Beglitis "shared totally" that view, highlighting that of the
150,000 illegal immigrants that land in Greek territory each year,
46,000 have Afghan origins. Beglitis agreed this was a pressing
national security problem for Greece.



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Turkey: Strong Support, but No Blank Check for EU Accession

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6. (C) Prompted by A/S Shapiro to share his thoughts on threats to
Greece's national security, Beglitis noted twenty-first century
threats such as immigration and the environment, then turned to
Turkey. A/S Shapiro welcomed PM Papandreou's October 9 trip to
Istanbul, and the positive statements that followed. Beglitis gave
a nod to long-standing difficulties with Turkey, but stated that
the PM believed deeply in taking a new road with Turkey, and that
his Istanbul trip was "more than symbolic," signaling a "new period
of relations with Turkey." He acknowledged that the government did
not benefit in public opinion polls from this policy, but
reiterated that the Greek government wants a Turkey anchored in the
EU, with a European perspective, though it is not willing to
provide a "blank check." There are conditions, Beglitis stated;
Turkey must take the correct steps vis-a-vis the Greek-Turkish
bilateral relationship, as well as the Cyprus problem.




7. (C) Ambassador Speckhard urged Beglitis to respond positively
to the recent cessation of Turkish overflights over Agathonisi and
Farmakonisi, recommending a gesture to send a signal that the
Turkish action was noted. Stop your radar from tagging unannounced
Turkish military flights in the Aegean as hostile, he recommended,
pointing back to May and June of this year when the government had
previously considered this, and noting that NATO has asked the
same. Beglitis balked, but Ambassador Speckhard pressed, assuring
him that we would work in Ankara to encourage more from Turkey.



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ATHENS 00001597 003.2 OF 003


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Procurement: Government Seeks More Transparency

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8. (C) A/S Shapiro asked Beglitis of his plans for how to balance
Greece's military procurement needs with the country's dire fiscal
and budgetary situation, and how the Greek government plans to
bring more transparency to the procurement process, as both the PM
and MOD Venizelos have announced. A/S Shapiro commended Greek
intentions to improve and rationalize their procurement processes.
He stressed that American equipment was cost-effective, and would
prove to be the best value in a transparent process. Beglitis
acknowledged that Greece was "in a major economic crisis" at
present, but asserted that this would not affect the Greek
military's readiness, or its ability to acquire weapons systems it
deemed necessary. He stated that expenditures must indeed be cut,
and pointed to plans to rationalize expenses, and implement
Parliamentary oversight over the procurement process to ensure that
money is not wasted. (Comment: Such oversight would be a major
step forward in rationalizing the Greek procurement process, and
bringing into the light some of its more shadowy, politicized
elements. The government plans to charge the Parliamentary Foreign
Affairs and Defense Committee to set and validate acquisitions and
contracting obligations. If implemented, that would give the
Parliament a meaningful role in the process, which it has
heretofore lacked. End comment.)




9. (U) This cable has been cleared by A/S Shapiro.
Speckhard