IRAQI FM, IRANIAN DFM BOTH SEEK GREATER COOP WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000168 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON IZ IR GR EAID ENRG SUBJECT: IRAQI FM, IRANIAN DFM BOTH SEEK GREATER COOP WITH ATHENS REF: 08 ATHENS 1572 Classified By: AMBASSADOR DANIEL SPECKHARD. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During a recent visit to Athens, Iraqi FM Zebari discussed a wide range of topical issues with Greek FM Bakoyannis, thanked Greece for its decision to open a commercial office in northern Iraq, and urged Bakoyannis to make good on her long-standing promise to visit Iraq. Following on Zebari's heels, Iranian DFM Safari also visited Athens, expressed frustration at Iran's international isolation, and said Iran was ready at anytime for talks with the U.S. "if they deal with us with respect." END SUMMARY. IRAQI FM SPEAKS TO WIDE-RANGING CONCERNS -------------- ¶2. (C) Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari visited Athens January 26-27. He paid courtesy calls on PM Karamanlis and President of the Greek Parliament Sioufas and held a substantive meeting with FM Bakoyannis. According to a readout provided by MFA A6 Directorate for Middle East Affairs Counselor Grigoris Karahalios, Athens had extended an invitation to Zebari several times -- particularly during Greek-Iraqi negotiations last year on debt reduction (which ultimately resulted in Greece's forgiving Iraq's debt, reftel) -- but this was the first opportunity Zebari had to take up the offer. Karahalios said Zebari appeared to have no specific goal beyond the obvious one of seeking deeper political and economic cooperation and touched on a wide range of topics in his meeting with Bakoyannis. ¶3. (C) Zebari stressed the importance of the upcoming Iraqi elections and the new SOFA with the U.S., which gave the Iraqi government greater authority and power over the anti-insurgent effort. He described the security situation in Iraq as improving, with a decrease in terrorist attacks, though he conceded that many problems remained. He said the Iraqi government was working on a gradual re-integration of old Ba'athists and was focused on legal mechanisms for the division of power and the profits of oil. On Iraq-Syria relations, Zebari told his Greek interlocutors that the situation was improving and that many Iraqi refugees were returning from Syria. On the peace process, Zebari thought no solution was possible in the near future and that a major contributing factor was the divisions between Fatah and Hamas and amongst the Arab states. On Turkey, Iraq's relations were improving, though the PKK remained a stumbling block, and the problem could not be solved by Turkish military intervention into Iraq. ¶4. (C) Other topics discussed included Greek plans to open a commercial office in northern Iraq. The security situation in the rest of the country remained problematic, but the north was relatively peaceful and ready for business. (This was one of the principal reasons, Karahalios commented, the Iraqis wanted to avoid tensions with Turkey on the northern border.) Zebari fully supported establishing a Greek commercial office, which could increase stability and help attract other European countries, which thus far had been difficult. Zebari also thanked Greece, Italy, and others for their offer to assist with support to Iraqi museums and other historical monuments. The ministers agreed on the construction of a monument to Alexander the Great in Gavgamila, Iraq, to symbolize the historical links between cultures in the region. Finally, Zebari urged Bakoyannis to make her long-promised visit to Iraq, a step that would help build Greek-Iraqi relations for the future. Bakoyannis replied yes to a visit but no date was set. ¶5. (C) On January 26, Ambassador attended a small dinner for Zebari, at which many of the same points were made. Notably, Zebari also mentioned that the events in Gaza were having little impact on Iraq because Iraq had so many of its own problems. On the 16-month timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops, Zebari said he was skeptical. A very big problem for Iraq was Iranian meddling, which had the potential to de-stabilize the country. Finally, Ambassador had the impression that Zebari was using his time in Greece to re-charge his batteries before heading to Davos. He appeared exhausted and confessed to not having had any time off in a long time. IRANIAN DFM SOMETIMES CONCILIATORY, SOMETIMES NOT -------------- -------------- ATHENS 00000168 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs Mehdi Safari visited Athens January 28-29, paying courtesy calls on FM Bakoyannis and the deputy speaker of Parliament and holding more substantive meetings with MFA SecGen Agathocles (who himself had visited Iran last summer),new DFM responsible for economic matters Varvitsiotis, and Minister of Development Hadzidakis. Safari was on a European tour, which also included Luxembourg and Belgium, and had requested the visit to Athens. Safari also talked on a wide range of issues. Karahalios, who attended the Agathocles meeting, said Safari expressed frustration at Iran's isolation in the international community and said Iran was looking for an international platform from which it could see and be seen. Safari was upset at the December ruling by the European Court of Justice ordering the EU to remove the Iranian opposition group People's Mujahedeen of Iran from the European list of terrorist organizations. Iran wanted more contacts and it looked to Greece and others as friends. Iran was ready for talks -- including with the U.S. -- at anytime, but only if other countries dealt with Iran with "respect." ¶7. (C) On the situation in the Middle East, Safari blamed Israel for the recent events in Gaza. According to the DFM, the rocket attacks by Hamas were only a pretext for an invasion that the Israelis had wanted to conduct for a long time. Hamas was not a terrorist organization, and European countries and the U.S. needed to be more friendly toward it. Even Israel should change its attitude. Safari also discussed the situation in the Caucasus, which was of concern to Iran because of its proximity. He expressed sympathy with Russia, which felt threatened by NATO expansion and U.S. plans on missile defense, and said the western countries needed to show Russia that they had peaceful intentions. On Afghanistan, Safari said the rise of a new Taliban was a very big problem. ¶8. (C) Karahalios said Agathocles pushed back on Safari on a number of points. Blocking NATO expansion because of Russia's actions in the Caucasus was not an option. Iran also needed to stop talking about how others were threatening it and issuing "ultimatums." Instead, Iran needed to have a new, more positive attitude to take advantage of changing international circumstances. Finally, Agathocles expressed "happiness" about the opening of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP),which would supply Europe, in part, with Iranian gas. COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) This is the first we have heard that the TAP gas pipeline was making progress. Agathocles' positive attitude may be misplaced as it would directly compete with the Turkey-Greece-Italy Interconnector (TGI),in which Greece has invested time and resources. We have meetings with various officials concerned with energy matters later in the week and will explore these issues in greater depth. ¶10. (C) On the Iraqi FM visit, FM Bakoyannis promised Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki last year during his visit to Athens that she would visit Baghdad. Given her new capacity as OSCE Chairman-in-Office, it may be worthwhile pressing her t make good on her promise this year, depending on what Embassy Baghdad thinks. SPECKHARD