Greek Views on April GAERC Issues

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000651 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/04/23 TAGS: PREL PGOV EUN GR SUBJECT: Greek Views on April GAERC Issues REF: JEFFREY GIAUQUE EMAIL 4/17/2009 CLASSIFIED BY: Paul M. Carter, Deputy Political Counselor; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) DepPolCouns and PolOff delivered ref points on U.S. positions on the April 27-28 GAERC to MFA European Correspondent Niki Kamba. Kamba said the agenda for the GAERC included: the Middle East, the Eastern Partnership, the May 6 EU-Canada summit, and following up on the EU-Obama meeting. She noted that Iran would not be a separate agenda item but that the GAERC would affirm the E3 plus 3 "standard line." On Burma, Kamba said that the ministers had already agreed to rollover its Common Position, including sanctions, for another year. ¶2. (C) The following comments from Kamba are grouped by agenda / issue item: MIDDLE EAST: Kamba said that a permanent ceasefire was important for Greece, and that it was crucial for Israel-Hamas prisoner talks to resume. She noted that arms smuggling into Gaza must be prevented, but that Gaza crossings should be reopened in a "stable" way. The EU wanted to reactivate its presence at the Rafah border crossing. Greece wanted the new Israeli government to resume its peace process discussions on the basis of a two-state solution, but ongoing settlement activities were damaging to the process. Kamba noted that Middle East envoy George Mitchell's recent trips to the region were positive, even if progress was slow. EASTERN PARTNERSHIP, UKRAINE, MOLDOVA: Kamba said that the EU was looking forward to the May 7 Eastern Partnership launch summit in Prague, and that she hoped that this would result in progress domestically for Ukraine and Moldova, as well as in their respective relationships with the EU. On Ukraine, Kamba called the IMF agreement "positive," noting that improving the reliability of Ukraine's energy transport network was a top priority for the EU. Ukraine's economic and political crises were troubling, and Greece did not expect any marked improvement prior to the presidential election. On Moldova's recent elections, while they fell short of a fully transparent, democratic process, "some criteria were met." The Moldovan opposition certainly had the right to make its voice heard, but it needed "balance" in its strategy. While Transnistria would not be on the agenda, Romania had successfully pushed for a discussion on problems that Romanians were having with visas for Moldova. Kamba added that Greece's OSCE Task Force and its OSCE mission in Vienna were taking the lead on any Transnistria 5 plus 2 or 3 plus 2 talks. EU-CANADA SUMMIT: Kamba stated that the agenda for the May 6 EU-Canada summit in Prague would be discussed at GAERC, but had no further details. CROATIA: Kamba said that Croatia would not be an agenda item, but Greece's stance was that a swift, bilateral solution to the Slovenia-Croatia dispute was critical. Greece continued to be "very pro-enlargement" overall. IRAN: Iran would not be on the agenda, and the GAERC would just reiterate the standard E3 plus 3 line in a short conclusion. In response to the demarche point about tightening sanctions, Kamba said that the EU would not be designating any additional Iranian individuals or entities at this time. BURMA: The EU had already agreed on its Burma policy by rolling over its Common Position, along with sanctions, for another year. Kamba stressed that flexibility was important, however, noting that the EU reserved the right to modify, increase, or lessen sanctions. Greece did not expect much out of the controversial 2010 elections, but there was a general commitment to increased EU engagement with Burma. Kamba stressed that there was no decision yet on any direct EU-Burma dialogue. SPECKHARD