GREECE: UPDATE ON RATIFICATION OF NATO ACCESSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000065

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y PAR 3 GARBLED

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2019
TAGS: GR PGOV PREL HR AL
SUBJECT: GREECE: UPDATE ON RATIFICATION OF NATO ACCESSION
PROTOCOLS FOR CROATIA AND ALBANIA

REF: A. ZAGREB 00015

B. HOVENIER/HOLTZAPPLE EMAIL OF 1/13/2009

Classified By: AMBASSADOR DANIEL V. SPECKHARD. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
.

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) MFA Secretary General Agathocles told Ambassador
Speckhard 1/15 that the NATO accession protocols for Croatia
and Albanian are pending in Parliament and should be approved
"soon." Although contacts in the MFA NATO Department and the
Office of the President of the Parliament report that
Agathocles was slightly ahead of himself and that the
protocols have not yet been transferred from the Prime
Minister's office to the Parliament, they also confirmed that
the Parliament should vote on the matter in "February or
early March." We do not expect the Parliament to object to
the protocols. The Croatian Charge has confirmed this is her
understanding as well, and is not aware of any linkage
between approval of the protocols and references to
"Macedonians" in Croatia's Law on Minorities (ref A). End
Summary.


2. (C) In a 1/15 meeting, Ambassador Speckhard raised with
MFA Secretary General Agathocles the status of Parliamentary
approval for the NATO accession protocols for Croatia and
Albania. Ambassador Speckhard emphasized our collective
interest in ensuring that all Allies have completed the
ratification process well in advance of the April 4 - 5 NATO
Summit. Agathocles responded that the protocols were now
pending "in the Parliament," adding that "we should be
finished soon."


3. (C) A/Political Counselor separately raised the issue
with Theodoros Daskarolis, the Deputy Director the MFA
Department for NATO and International Security. Daskarolis
confirmed that the accession protocol is "out of the
ministries", and it is with the Prime Minister's office
which, following Greek bureaucratic process, must formally
transfer the protocols to the Parliament for approval.
Daskarolis said that the protocols had already been reviewed
by the Ministry of Finance which is a required step for all
treaties. Daskarolis added that he expected the Prime
Minister's office to forward the protocols to Parliament
later this week or early next week. Finally, he said the MFA
expects the protocols to be approved formally by Parliament
in February or early March at the latest. A/Political
Counselor also raised the issue with Alexandros Ioannidis,
diplomatic advisor to the President of the Greek Parliament.
Ioannidis confirmed that his office expected to receive the
accession protocols from the Prime Minister's office "in the
next few days" and that the President of the Parliament
intended to have them voted on in "February or early March at
the latest." A/Political Counselor emphasized the importance
of rapid parliamentary review of these protocols. Ioannidis
added that it was the assessment of the President of the
Parliament that approval of these two protocols would not/not
be problematic.


4. (C) A/Political Counselor also spoke with the Croatian
Charge Mirjana Pusic to follow up on concerns expressed to
Ambassador Bradtke in Zagreb (ref A). Pusic said that it was
her understanding that the accession protocols were "out of
the Ministry" and "on its way to the Parliament." When asked
about inferences that a reference to "Macedonians" in the
Croatian law of minorities could complicate Greek approval of
the accession protocols, she responded that no Greek official
has raised this issue with the Croatian Embassy in Athens nor
in Zagreb, and she discounted this as a problem.
SPECKHARD