PASOK LEADER PAPANDREOU READY TO ASSIST ON GLOBAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000207 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL GR PTER MOPS SOCI IS IR NATO AFIN ECON, TU SUBJECT: PASOK LEADER PAPANDREOU READY TO ASSIST ON GLOBAL CHALLENGES REF: SECSTATE 11636 Classified By: AMBASSADOR DANIEL SPECKHARD. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In a February 12 meeting with Ambassador, main Greek opposition PASOK President George Papandreou offered his assistance to the new U.S. Administration on Iran, the Middle East Peace Process, Pakistan/Afghanistan, and other critical global issues. Citing his special status as head of the Socialist International and the candidate most likely to be the next Greek prime minister if elections were held soon, Papandreou said he had many contacts in the Middle East and elsewhere and could play a unique intermediary role. Ambassador assured Papandreou the new U.S. Administration was eager to reach out in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation but would also expect reciprocal steps. Ambassador pressed Papandreou to help increase Greece's Afghanistan contributions. Ambassador also cautioned against PASOK playing politics with Turkey/Aegean issues. END SUMMARY. NEW TONE IN OUR RELATIONSHIP -------------- ¶2. (C) Although they had previously met at social events, this was Ambassador's first office call on Papandreou, the son and grandson of former Greek prime ministers and himself a former foreign minister (1999-2004). Ambassador delivered reftel letter from President Obama thanking Papandreou for his congratulatory message on the President's election and explained the new administration's intention to set a new tone in U.S. foreign policy. U.S. security considerations would not be in conflict with our democratic ideals, and the focus of our policy in troubled regions of the world would be on conflict prevention, not pre-emption. At the same time, noting Vice President Biden's address in Munich, Ambassador pointed out that while diplomacy would now play a more central role in U.S. foreign policy, the problems of extremism and terrorism might still require the use of force in special cases in partnership with our Allies and friends. Papandreou was pleased at receiving the letter from the President and spoke of being very moved at his election, particularly since Papandreou was a former resident of Illinois. Papandreou also noted, however, the very high expectations the President faced and the many challenges ahead. PAPANDREOU READY TO HELP IN MIDDLE EAST -------------- ¶3. (C) Papandreou said he believed PASOK would be back in power if elections were held anytime soon. (NOTE: PASOK has been running ahead of ruling New Democracy in opinion polls since last summer, with the gap widening recently to about 4 percentage points. END NOTE.) For now, however, Papandreou would continue to focus on his role as head of the Socialist International, which he believed offered a unique opportunity to assist in finding solutions to some of the world's most significant problem issues. He claimed to know all the players in the Middle East and said he had been approached by the Iranians two years ago, looking for help in opening a dialogue with the U.S. The Iranians then were willing to discuss their nuclear program but would not submit to pre-conditions for talks. Papandreou said he had told this to Undersecretary Nicholas Burns, who insisted that no dialogue could take place before Iran met its obligations to the international community. Papandreou also claimed to have told the Iranians that if they were truly interested in dialogue, they would need to play a more responsible role in creating stability in Iraq and throughout the Middle East, a notion to which he claimed the Iranians were open. ¶4. (C) Papandreou had also been discussing issues of security and terrorism with Pakistani President Zardari, who wanted to set up a new consultative group that would deal with terrorism from a more holistic perspective of economic and social development and not just as a military question. Papandreou said Greece's experience dealing with domestic terrorism was relevant. The Spanish, too, given their experience in dealing with Basque terrorism, were also interested in helping. PRESSING ON AFGHANISTAN ATHENS 00000207 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶5. (C) Ambassador argued that the new U.S. administration agreed with the holistic approach and was putting great emphasis on using all the relevant tools, from diplomatic, to developmental, to scientific and cultural. But the threat of the Taliban in Afghanistan still called for a security response. Thus, the new administration was seeking to increase NATO troop levels, and Ambassador asked Papandreou how we could get European publics to support the increases. In particular, could we get Greece to ease its caveats restricting the small Greek contingent to Kabul? Papandreou replied by reminding that Greece had contributed to PKOs in Bosnia, Kosovo, and "FYROM" but also said Greece might be able to contribute more training and medical personnel and equipment to Afghanistan. But first, Greece would want to see a strategy for dealing with the problem that was comprehensive and that gave a sense where we were headed. Greece, he said, was especially sensitive to participating in PKOs in Muslim countries because it did not want to exacerbate tensions with its many Muslim neighbors. TURKEY AND AEGEAN -------------- ¶6. (C) Ambassador noted that if not managed well, disputes between Greece and Turkey over the Aegean could easily spin out of control, and he reminded Papandreou that PASOK as the main opposition had a special responsibility not to use Aegean issues to score political points. Papandreou believed PASOK had been responsible on Turkey/Aegean issues, and he recounted his own experience as foreign minister in dealing with the Turks. He had told the Turks that if they were really interested in seizing Greek islands, the two countries would be irreconcilable, but if they were interested in the question of Turkish access to Aegean seaways, then there was room for discussion. Presuming the latter as a basis, the MFA under Papandreou had begun the semi-secret Exploratory Talks, which still continue, and had sought to tie Turkey's EU accession process to solution of Aegean issues. The Karamanlis government, by contrast, had dropped the ball and only engaged with Turkey periodically. What was needed, Papandreou argued, was "daily nurturing" and not waiting for fate to come up with solutions. On this score, PASOK had a "New National Strategy" ready to deploy. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Papandreou was very positive about the new administration and anxious to be helpful in engaging on international issues of common concern. He displayed an easy facility with the issues and exuded confidence that PASOK under his leadership could do a much better job than the New Democracy government of PM Karamanlis. While increasing his international stature would help his domestic political ambitions, it was clear from the discussion that Papandreou is passionate about international affairs and sincere in his desire to contribute to addressing the world's problems. It is worth giving additional thought as to whether the administration could use Papandreou's extensive international contacts and leadership role of the Socialist International to strengthen cooperation of countries in support of specific U.S. foreign policy objectives. SPECKHARD