CYPRIOT RESPONSE TO 2009 TIP REPORT BALANCED,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NICOSIA 000432 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, G/TIP E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2019 TAGS: KCRM KPAO KWMN ELAB PGOV PHUM PREL CY SUBJECT: CYPRIOT RESPONSE TO 2009 TIP REPORT BALANCED, PRODUCTIVE REF: SECSTATE 61042 ¶1. (C) Summary: Reactions to the 2009 State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report were generally positive. GOC officials welcomed this year's report as long-overdue recogNi4ign of subsdaltial GGC progresc to co-bat TIP.Q BeActigns drom NGOs ald lo#al acti6ists in the GPeek Cypriot commUn)ty, hmweVer, were less eLthusiastic. They co.tend that the TraffickingsitusendQ the wron' message. In the Turkish Cypriot comeunity, NGOs reacted poSitively, whileQ TUrkish Cyprigt authorities uere lareely sident Th% ppess il both communiti%s aovered the repord exten3ively and gEnerally gaTe a balan#ed acaouNting. Th% GreeI Cypriot m%dia nmteD Cyprus' reeoval from the ti%r two watchliqt but demanded mmre actimn from theGOC, ghile Turkish Cypriot outleTs were more som`er given wha4 they peRceive aS the dire sitUatign il the nordh. Efd Summary. -------------- % -------------- % -------------- % -------------- %--% -------------- % -------------- Officia, Ficosi! Genepally Pleased Wath ReportQ---% -------------- % -------------- --% -------------- ¶2. (C) O. June 16, Poloff delivered the 2009 TIP report to Andreas Nicolaides, TIP Desk Officer in the MFA's Multilateral Affairs Department. Nicolaides welcomed the report and the news of Cyprus, elevation from the &watch list8 to tier 2. This move was expected, according to Nicolaides, as the GOC had made many improvements on TIP in the past year, most notably the abolition of the &artiste work permit.8 Nicolaides asked for a few days before commenting on substantive findings. As expected, he emphasized GOC concerns with terminology in the report relating to the Turkish Cypriot community. Nicolaides contended that the report treated the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities as two separate entities. He said the GOC would prefer that the report replace the language "Area Administered by Turkish Cypriots8 with &Area Not under the Effective Control of the Government of Cyprus.8 Nicolaides also took exception with the use of the term &Turkish Cypriot authorities,8 as well as with the recommendation that anti-TIP legislation be passed in the Turkish Cypriot community. ¶3. (C) Nicolaides briefly discussed the implementation of the new &creative artist/performing artist8 work permit regime, particularly the concern raised in the report about the adequacy of necessary safeguards. Nicolaides agreed in principle, but argued that thorough review of applications by the GOC could prove onerous. Rather, the GOC feels the burden of ensuring the authenticity of such documents should fall on the country of origin, not Cyprus, through an apostille stamp. (Note: Poloff has heard anecdotal reports that some apostilles have been forged and supplied to the Ministry of Labor). Cyprus would soon start TIP training for Consular Officers working at Cypriot Embassies in source countries, according to Nicolaides. ¶4. (U) The Minister of Interior, Neoclis Sylikiotis, in a June 17 CyBC report, stressed that, while no country should stand in judgment of another, he welcomed U.S. recognition that Cyprus is making progress to combat TIP. ¶5. (C) Rita Superman, Director of the Cyprus Police Anti-TIP unit, told Poloff on June 18 that the report &is a very good report -- quite fair.8 Superman admitted that more still needs to be done by the GOC to combat TIP. In fact, she was lobbying for additional personnel and the establishment of an anti-TIP office in each district. While there has been an increase in the amount of goodwill shown by the GOC, she noted that even more is needed. Regarding the new &performing artist/creative artist8 work permit regime, Superman stated that although she was not directly involved in its operation, the process is still deficient. However, she predicted that additional improvements are likely before the end of the summer. Superman noted that more convictions are needed, but that the GOC is moving in the right direction: a conviction last month, for example, resulted in a 4-year prison sentence (the most severe trafficking penalty yet). Moreover, another trial of a cabaret owner in Limassol is ongoing and has garnered significant press attention. -------------- NGO Response: A Mixed Bag -------------- ¶6. (U) Greek Cypriot NGOs responded less positively to the report. (Note: In recent years, NGOs have called for GOC mobilization against TIP with the argument that Cyprus, as NICOSIA 00000432 002 OF 002 the only EU country on the tier 2 watch list, was &the worst country in Europe"). Lawyer/activist Haris Stavrakis and Elena Pissaridou, Director of Cyprus-based NGO Stigma, told us in separate conversations immediately following the report's release that the situation in Cyprus is &worse than ever.8 Stavrakis expressed concern that the replacement of the &artiste8 work permit by the &performing artist" and "creative artist8 work permits was nothing more than a "name change." In fact, he argued the new regime is being used in much the same way as the former: to supply trafficked women to cabarets. Both Stavrakis and Pissaridou expressed fear that the GOC would become complacent after the new ranking and thus slow its anti-TIP efforts. ¶7. (U) In the Turkish Cypriot community, researcher Mine Yucel, the &go-to8 person on TIP for NGOs, journalists and the diplomatic community, told Poloff on June 18 that the report was "very good8 and &a little tougher than previous years." Yucel plans to use the report to raise awareness (Note: Yucel was the guest on a radio talk-show to discuss the report immediately following Poloff's conversation) and push for enactment of anti-TIP legislation. Yucel stated that she planned to meet with the &Minister of Interior8 in the coming days (following the appointment of his "Undersecretary") and would be raising the findings and recommendations in the report. -------------- Broad Press Coverage -------------- ¶8. (U) The Embassy conducted official TIP "roll-out" press conferences on June 17 in the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities. All television news broadcasts and newspapers responded with mostly positive reporting. Coverage focused on Cyprus' removal from the watchlist while noting continued concerns, particularly over the low conviction rate. One notable exception was a June 21 op-ed in the largest circulation, conservative, daily Phileleftheros that criticized the USG for reporting on the "domestic affairs" of third countries. Several Greek Cypriot news outlets stressed that the situation in the Turkish Cypriot community was, according to the report, worse than in the Greek Cypriot community. The Turkish Cypriot press provided straightforward, factual coverage of the report's recommendations for increased awareness and victim protections, with special attention given to the need for anti-TIP "legislation." ¶9. (C) Comment: Overall, the report was received in a productive and balanced way by all stakeholders, including the GOC, NGOs and the press. We will need to work to ensure Cyprus' improved ranking spurs additional progress rather than engenders complacency. GOC contacts contend that training for prosecutors and judges and a demand reduction campaign are on the agenda for the coming months. That said, NGOs charge that the new "creative artist/performing artist" work permit regime lacks proper safeguards and is thus open to abuse. In the Turkish Cypriot community, the key to achieving real progress is to energize and educate the new UBP "government" on the issue. The possibility of anti-TIP "legislation," for example, should become clearer after appointment of the new "Undersecretary," the main driver on TIP in the Turkish Cypriot "Ministry of Interior." End Comment. Urbancic