SENATOR DURBIN DISCUSSES CYPRUS, TURKEY, VISA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ATHENS 000249 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OVIP PREL CVIS ECON ENRG PTER PGOV TU CY GR SUBJECT: SENATOR DURBIN DISCUSSES CYPRUS, TURKEY, VISA WAIVER, AND ENERGY WITH FM BAKOYANNIS, PARLIAMENT HEAD SIOUFAS ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In a cordial and very substantive discussion during his visit to Athens, Senator Richard Durbin told Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis about his impressions of the chances for a settlement of the Cyprus issue following his visit to Nicosia and underscored the new administration's desire to have strong relations with Greece. Bakoyannis said Greece was keenly interested in a Cyprus settlement, but she wondered whether the Turkish "Deep State" shared this interest. On Turkey's EU prospects, Bakoyannis expressed similar perplexity about Turkish intentions, but said Greece remained steadfast both in supporting Turkey's EU candidacy -- as long as it met all criteria -- and in insisting that the EU not move the goalposts on Turkey. Bakoyannis also noted Athens' disappointment that its overtures toward Ankara had not resulted in improved relations and complained about Turkey's outstanding threat on casus belli, Turkish overflights of Greek islands in the Aegean, and Turkey's long-standing refusal to allow the reopening of the Halki Orthodox seminary. In response to Bakoyannis' question about progress on the Visa Waiver Program for Greece, Ambassador noted that we have been waiting for the GOG to return to us comments on the agreement on criminal data sharing (PCSC), which the Greeks had had since October. Bakoyannis promised a text by February 20 but warned the U.S. could not expect to get everything it wanted in the agreement. ¶2. (SBU) In his meeting with Parliament President Sioufas, Senator Durbin provided an overview of his visit to Cyprus, discussed the new administration's economic stimulus plan, and stressed the importance of Turkey re-opening the Halki seminary. Sioufas updated the Senator on the Greek Parliament's ratification of Albania's and Croatia's NATO accession protocols, Greek efforts to encourage both sides to find a solution to the Cyprus issue, and recent developments in Greece's development of energy supplies. END SUMMARY. STRONG U.S./GREECE TIES -------------- ¶3. (SBU) This was Senator Durbin's first meeting with FM Bakoyannis. The Senator said the purpose of his Athens visit was to report on his trip to Cyprus and to see "friends of the U.S." He was excited about the election to the Presidency of his fellow Senator from Illinois, and though the Senator stressed that the CODEL was not an official delegation, they were "official friends" of President Obama and wanted to come to Greece early in the new administration to show that bilateral relations were strong. Mr. Alexi Giannoulias, the Illinois State Treasurer, who was accompanying the CODEL at his own expense, reiterated that we looked forward to good relations and wanted to send a strong message of U.S. willingness to help on the Cyprus issue. Bakoyannis extended her congratulations on the President's election and noted that there were high expectations but also many global problems. The United States could count on Greece's friendship, and she said Greece's relationship with the U.S. was amongst its best, based on common values, common interests, and the support of the Greek diaspora in the U.S. CYPRUS -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Bakoyannis said Greece was keenly interested in solving the Cyprus issue and had encouraged both the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to work hard. The incentives were high, particularly for the Turkish Cypriots, who would become full-fledged members of the EU. It was important, however, to understand the fundamental differences between the two sides. She argued that while the Greek Cypriots were totally independent of Athens, the Turkish Cypriots were not independent and were greatly influenced by Ankara. She asked rhetorically whether the Turks were really interested now in a solution or were using the process as a bargaining chip for EU accession. She said the Turks told her they were interested, but she was unsure what to believe. At the same time, there was the question of who would ultimately decide on Turkish cooperation, the GOT or the "Deep State" (the term sometimes used to refer to the forces within the Turkish General Staff who supposedly represent the real seat of power in Turkey). ¶5. (SBU) Senator Durbin said the CODEL had asked Turkish Cypriot "President" Talat directly whether he could act ATHENS 00000249 002 OF 004 independently. Talat had responded that Ankara had the power to stop him from negotiating but thus far had not done so. Bakoyannis said Talat had been a good negotiating partner for Cypriot President Christofias, and she believed that if Ankara left Talat alone, an agreement would happen. She emphasized at the same time that any agreement had to be viable from the point of view of the EU. It would not work if every time the Cypriot representative in Brussels needed to make a statement or take a decision, there had to be political negotiations back in Cyprus. Also, the question of security guarantees had to be dealt with. Bakoyannis said the old guarantees dating from the 1960s (which had justified the Turkish invasion in 1974) were now "old fashioned" and "dangerous." Rights of outside countries to intervene were a recipe for disaster; the EU was the only guarantor any party should need. TURKEY -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In response to the Senator's question whether Turkey -- especially the "Deep State" -- was truly interested in EU membership, Bakoyannis said she had the impression the Deep State, which was Kemalist and secular, did not want the EU interfering in Turkish internal affairs, especially on issues of democracy and human rights. On the other hand, the Muslim party, which portrayed itself as a modern, European, democratic party interested in EU membership, nevertheless hewed to some Muslim policies, particularly in international affairs. Despite these ambiguities on the Turkish side, Bakoyannis said Greece's position was clear: Turkey must meet all the accession criteria; there could be no changing of the rules for Turkey. At the same time, Greece stressed to the EU that its position must be consistent: the EU could not say, "Turkey, you met all the accession criteria, but we still don't want you because you're a Muslim country or too large." She said she did not expect Turkish accession for about 15 years and, by then, the world would likely look considerably different and opposition to Turkish accession might lessen. In the meantime, the EU had to be transparent on the accession issue. The Turks also needed to open their ports to Cypriot vessels. Restricting their entry, she argued made no sense for Turkey, which will depend on Cyprus' vote to enter the EU. ¶7. (SBU) On Greek-Turkish bilateral relations, Bakoyannis said there had been some improvement, such as PM Karamanlis' visit to Ankara a year ago -- the first time in 49 years that a Greek prime minister had gone to Turkey. But relations had not improved as much as they had expected, and Bakoyannis cited several outstanding irritants, such as the casus belli the Turkish parliament had proclaimed when Greece ratified the Law of the Sea treaty. Turkish provocations in the Aegean, which had been increasing lately, were another irritant. Turkish refusal to allow the opening of the Halki Seminary was another. Four U.S. presidents had pushed the Turks to open the seminary but had failed. Bakoyannis said she argued to the Turks that with the seminary open, the Greek Ecumenical Patriarch (headquartered in Istanbul) would become Turkey's best ambassador, demonstrating Turkey's tolerance. The Turks argued back to Bakoyannis that if they opened Halki, they would also have to open many more problematic Muslim academies. Bakoyannis said she did not believe their argument, however, and attributed the GOT refusal to re-open Halki to Turkish intolerance of a religious minority. In sum, Bakoyannis found the Turks difficult to understand, and she said that while ruling New Democracy and main opposition PASOK remained positive toward Turkey's EU aspirations, the Greek public was running out of patience. DOMESTIC TERRORISM -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The Senator also asked about Greek domestic terrorism, which had flared up since the riots began in December. He inquired whether Greek terrorists were "homegrown" and asked for the Foreign Minister's analysis and advice. Bakoyannis, who lost her own husband to assassins of the Greek terror group 17 November in 1989, said the recent flare-up of violence had two causes. One was rebellion of Greek students following the police shooting of the 15-year-old boy last December. The "children" in the streets ATHENS 00000249 003 OF 004 were angry, a reaction compounded by the tremendous pressure Greek students were under from their parents to perform well in the latter stages of high school to be competitive to enter Greek universities. The ND government, Bakoyannis said, was trying to relieve the latter problem through education reform. The second cause were the hardcore terrorists and anarchists, which numbered approximately 600-700 and were aided by criminal elements. She said new groups had emerged recently and were using gas bombs, shooting cars and even a policeman. She said that, as in the past, Greece would need the cooperation of its friends to defeat these new terrorists. At the same time, the new crop was "too messy" and much less disciplined than 17N to be serious. VISA WAIVER -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Bakoyannis asked about Greece's application for the Visa Waiver Program. The Senator said he understood this was an important issue for Greece and that he hoped to see Greece in the program as soon as possible. Ambassador noted that two of three necessary documents were finished but that we were waiting for the GOG to get to us its comments on the agreement on criminal data sharing (PCSC),which we had passed to Greece in mid-October. Bakoyannis responded that she would be getting the comments of the Ministry of Justice on Friday and would make them available to us. She underscored that the U.S. would not be able to get everything it wanted in the agreement "or it won't make it through the Greek Parliament." Additionally, Bakoyannis was not happy that the older European participants in the VWP did not have to sign such agreements. "I don't want Greece to be treated differently." Ambassador assured her that Greece would receive the same treatment as other VWP countries. As for details of the agreement, Ambassador said "that's what negotiations are for." BAKOYANNIS MEETING PARTICIPANTS -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Participants in the meeting included: GREECE: FM Dora Bakoyannis Director of the FM's Cabinet Constantin Chalastanis MFA Spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos MFA A7 Directorate for North America head Ambassador Chryssoula Aliferi U.S.: Senator Richard Durbin Ambassador Speckhard Michael Daly, Senator Durbin's Chief of Staff Christopher Holmes, Senator Durbin's Foreign Policy Advisor Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois State Treasurer Endy Zemenides, State Treasurer's Staff LCDR Joseph Furco, Navy Liaison Carol Kalin, Embassy Press Officer Jeffrey Hovenier, Embassy Control Officer Paul Carter, Embassy notetaker PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT SIOUFAS -------------- ¶11. (SBU) President of the Greek Parliament Dimitris Sioufas opened his meeting with the Senator by stressing that Greece and the United States had stood together in all of the twentieth century's major conflicts and that our Alliance continues to prosper. Sioufas had taken concrete steps to contribute. As Parliament President, he oversaw Parliamentary ratification on February 17 of Albania's and Croatia's applications to enter NATO. He had also helped secure ratification of EU consideration of Albania's application for membership, as well as to move along the ratification of the U.S.-EU Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance agreements. ¶12. (SBU) Sioufas emphasized the importance of U.S.-Greek joint work on the Cyprus issue. He hoped the Senator would convey to Turkish leaders the "need to give up intransigent ATHENS 00000249 004 OF 004 positions on Cyprus." He also hoped that the Senator would raise Halki and urge the Turkish leadership to allow it to be reopened. "Halki is a potent religious symbol. Its continuing closure would weaken the Ecumenical Patriarch's influence within world Orthodoxy, opening the way to increased Russian influence in the Church." ¶13. (SBU) Sioufas also emphasized his work on energy issues, particularly during his previous post as Development Minister. He noted that this work had resulted in last November's ceremony linking the Turkish and Greek gas grids, which put Greece in the position of being the first EU member state to import Azerbaijani gas directly from the Caspian region. He provided a short summary of his February 16 meeting with Azerbaijani President Aliyev, which he termed "positive." He noted, however, that Aliyev had repeatedly referred to problems obtaining a transit agreement with Turkey. Sioufas emphasized that true energy diversity had to include renewables, an "important part of Greece's future." Over the very long term, Sioufas saw nuclear fusion as being a game changer, but its time was not here yet. ¶14. (SBU) Senator Durbin thanked Sioufas for his cordial welcome and noted that NATO's origin lay with the Truman Doctrine, designed to keep Greece and Turkey free. Durbin provided a quick overview of his work supporting the stimulus package just passed by Congress, noting the package's emphasis on renewable energy. In this regard, he praised Sioufas for his work on improving Greece's energy diversity. The Senator also told Sioufas about his visit to Cyprus and how encouraging it was that the Greek and Turkish Cypriots "are talking." He agreed with Sioufas on the importance of re-opening Halki seminary. ¶15. (U) CODEL Durbin departed post prior to clearing this cable. SPECKHARD