NORTHERN NOTES - SEPTEMBER 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THESSALONIKI 000041 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SMIG SNAR ECON KCRM GR TU SUBJECT: NORTHERN NOTES - SEPTEMBER 2009 REF: THESSALONIKI 036 THESSALONI 00000041 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) The following summary of last month's major developments in Northern Greece contains items on the following topics: Political: o Muslim Election Campaign Dynamics in Thrace o Poll Data on Importance of Macedonia Name Issue o Eastern Macedonia and Thrace SecGen Hosts Iftar Dinner o Setback in Permitting of Private Colleges Econ/Commerce: o Thessaloniki Fair: Ticket Sales Up; Demonstrations Down Organized Crime/Terrorism: o Security Incidents - Bombings and Weapons Trafficking o TIP-related Arrests o Alien Smuggling Arrests o $3mil in Smuggled Cigarettes Seized PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN THRACE ¶2. (SBU) Local media reported negatively on the elected Mufti of Xanthi [NOTE: not recognized by GoG] Ahmed Mete's alleged comments in advance of the 04 October national parliamentary elections. Mete is reported to have said that "every vote to a Greek [i.e. Christian] will be a tear for the minority" and that "voting orders have been sent to all and are very clear." Local papers in Thrace also criticized TV spots that appeared on Turkish state television channel TRT [NOTE: broadcast in Turkey and received and watched in Thrace via satellite] urging voters to vote for "Turks" in the upcoming election and suggesting specific candidates to support. Lastly, Muslim candidates were criticized by the Thrace press for conducting their electoral campaigns in Turkish, and thereby reinforcing the political separation between the two communities in the region. MACEDONIA NAME ISSUE TOP FOREIGN POLICY CONCERN FOR NORTHERN GREEKS ¶3. (SBU) On September 10, regional press published survey data on Northern Greeks' views regarding the country's "national issues". The results showed the Macedonia name issue topping the list with 42.4% considering it the nation's highest foreign policy priority, followed by Greek-Turkish relations with 31.8% and the Cyprus issue with 16.5%. Regarding specific opinion trends on these overarching issues, 74.1% of respondents stated they would "definitely not" or "probably not" accept a compromise name for the Republic of Macedonia that including the specific term "Macedonia." Also, 70.6% of respondents specifically opposed Turkey's accession to the EU on the grounds that "geographically, it is not part of Europe", while 57.7% were against any European role for Turkey. SECRETARY GENERAL OF EASTERN MACEDONIA-THRACE HOSTS IFTAR DINNER FOR FIRST TIME EVER ¶4. (SBU) On September 02, the Secretary General of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace Dimitrios Stamatis hosted an Iftar dinner in honor of the region's Muslim minority. It was the first time anyone in this office had taken such an initiative and Post THESSALONI 00000041 002.2 OF 003 contacts who are members of the community expressed appreciation for Stamatis' efforts. A Thrace newspaper reported that the initiative was received with skepticism by the Turkish Consulate in Komotini, whose staff allegedly believed that this was the Secretary General's way of attempting to redeem himself for his failure to meet the Muslim minority's needs. PRIVATE COLLEGE PERMITS INVALID AFTER EVALUATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS RESIGN ¶5. (SBU) On September 01, two members of the committee evaluating applications by private colleges for permits allowing them to operate as fully licensed and recognized higher educational institutions resigned, protesting the "inadequate" provisions of the process in areas such as faculty credentials, facilities standards, curriculum content, etc. Post's contacts believe that the resignations, announced only two days prior to the decision to hold snap national parliamentary elections, originated from a perceived undesirable political cost rather than from truly bureaucratic disagreements. THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FAIR (SEPTEMBER 5-13) ¶6. (U) The opening day of the Fair saw three large anti-government demonstrations that reportedly involved a total of 14,000 people (septel). But despite fire-bomb attacks destroying two bank branches and other miscellaneous small incidents, press described the day as "the most peaceful in years." On the same day, in his traditional state-of-the-economy speech, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced the relocation of the Fair, beginning in 2010, to a new site in the western [underdeveloped] part of Thessaloniki. Fair organizers announced an increase of 13% in the number of tickets sold this year, compared with 2008. In total, there were 241,000 visitors in 2009. President of the Fair Dimitrios Bakatselos claimed that the institution generated around 550m ($804m) for Thessaloniki's businesses annually. SECURITY INCIDENTS ¶7. (SBU) On September 02, a time bomb exploded behind the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace. Earlier, the perpetrators placed warning calls to the Athens Police and to a private TV channel. The explosive device consisted of a timer detonator and gunpowder that had been placed in a saucepan, which itself was concealed inside a telephone switchbox located on the street behind the building. The explosion caused minor material damage to the building's windows. ¶8. (SBU) The organization "Conspiracy of Nuclei of Fire" later claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement sent to the www.Indymedia.gr webpage. On September 03, eight U.S.-made anti-tank rockets were found outside of Thessaloniki by the Ministry of Finance's Special Financial Investigation Service, following an anonymous telephone tip (reftel). The national police's Counter-Terrorism Squad examined them and stated publicly and to Post that there was no apparent link to terrorism. A Thessaloniki prosecutor ordered an investigation into whether the discovered weapons had been stolen from a military depot. ¶9. (SBU) On September 08, Macedonian former basketball player Mikhail Misounov was arrested for weapons smuggling and fraud. Police found two RPG-7s in his apartment, along with a revolver and a pistol. A number of fraudulent documents, including fake Greek national identity cards and official seals also were found and confiscated. Counter-Terrorism Squad sources told Post that the case was related to organized crime and not to terrorism. They also added that one of the RPGs was a training device. HUMAN TRAFFICKING ARRESTS IN THESSALONIKI THESSALONI 00000041 003.2 OF 003 ¶10. (U) Thessaloniki newspapers reported on September 21 the arrest of a Nigerian couple for keeping against her will a 21-year-old Nigerian relative and forcing her into prostitution. According to the reports, the alleged culprits had "bought" the victim from her own father for 55,000 ($80,000) and had intimidated her with voodoo threats. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ARRESTS IN NORTHERN GREECE ¶11. (U) During September, local media reported multiple cases of arrests involving a total of 231 illegal immigrants and 24 smugglers in the eastern region of Thrace (near the Greek-Turkish land border). The illegal immigrants were primarily from Burma (83 identified cases),Iraq, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, while the foreign smugglers came from Moldova, Romania, Georgia, and Jordan. LARGE QUANTITY OF SMUGGLED CIGARETTES CONFISCATED IN THESSALONIKI ¶12. (U) Local media reported on September 30 that Thessaloniki Customs officers confiscated 759,000 packages of smuggled cigarettes that had arrived from China in containers labeled "glassware." If taxed, the shipment would have brought revenue estimated at 2,200,000 ($3,200,000). No arrests were made. KAY