GREECE: NEW PERMREP DISCUSSES MACEDONIA, CYPRUS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000700

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV OSCE GR
SUBJECT: GREECE: NEW PERMREP DISCUSSES MACEDONIA, CYPRUS,
OSCE WITH AMBASSADOR WOLFF

Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro Wolff for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. Newly arrived Greek Permrep Anastassis
Mitsialis told Ambassador Wolff during a July 14 introductory
call, that he thought Greece would be prepared to settle the
name dispute with Macedonia with a geographical qualifier
such as "North Macedonia", but that Greece would want a
Security Council "recommendation" to UN member states to use
the agreed name in their bilateral relations. He added that
Greece would want the U.S. to set an example for other
members by adopting the new name in its bilateral relations
with Macedonia. Mitsialis said he thought the Cyprus talks
were progressing well and believed that time limits imposed
by the Security Council would be unhelpful. Mitsialis did
not think it made sense for UN Special Advisor Downer to host
a meeting between Greek Cypriot leader Christofias and
Turkish Cypriot leader Talat on the margins of the UNGA
Ministerial Week (September 23-30) unless there was a
possibility that they could produce something tangible.
Mitsialis said Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis would
like to address the Security Council as Chairwoman-in-Office
of the OSCE during the Ministerial Week, which takes place
during the September U.S. Council presidency. Ambassador
Wolff was noncommittal about the possibility of an OSCE
briefing. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Incoming Greek Permrep Anastassis Mitsialis paid an
introductory call on Ambassador Wolff on July 14. Mitsialis
said Greece was considering new proposals to resolve the name
dispute with Macedonia from the SYG's Personal Envoy, Matthew
Nimetz. Nimetz had asked for written answers by both sides
in August. Depending on whether there was some convergence
of views, Mitsialis said, Nimetz might call another joint
meeting on the margins of the UNGA Ministerial Week, or
alternatively he might present the sides with a new proposal.
Mitsialis said he did not know the exact content of Nimetz's
most recent proposals, but believed Greece would accept a
geographical qualifier such as "North Macedonia" as a
solution to the name dispute. The issue of how to
characterize the language and the adjective (i.e.,
"Macedonian") was not as important as the name, he said.


3. (C) The scope of the usage of the new name would also be
important, he said, and Greece would want a recommendation
from the Security Council to members states to use the agreed
name in their bilateral relations with Macedonia. Mitsialis
said that Greece would want the United States to set an
example for other states by changing its usage to the agreed
name in its bilateral relations.


4. (C) Ambassador Mitsialis said he thought the Cyprus talks
were progressing well, but he expressed concern about efforts
on the part of some "partners" to contain the talks by
imposing "time limits". He also questioned the utility of
holding a meeting between Greek Cypriot leader Christofias
and Turkish Cypriot leader Talat on the margins of the
Ministerial week, but added that he believed the
Secretary-General would be cautious about planning a meeting,
since a meeting without a tangible outcome could send the
wrong signal. Mitsialis did acknowledge that just the fact
of holding the meeting could be a signal of progress.
Overall, Mitsialis assessed that the Security Council and the
Secretary-General had adopted a balanced approach to the
ongoing negotiations.


5. (C) Mitsialis asked Ambassador Wolff whether the United
States, as Security Council president during September,
intended to schedule a briefing by Greek Foreign Minister
Bakoyannis as OSCE Chairwoman-in-Office during UNGA
Ministerial Week. Mitsialis noted that such briefings had
been the practice in previous years and Bakoyannis was
requesting to brief again. Ambassador Wolff recalled that
Bakoyannis had briefed the Council as OSCE CiO in February,
but he said he would look into whether another briefing could
be possible. He told Mitsialis frankly that past OSCE
briefings during Ministerial Week had not produced much of
substance. Mitsialis said he believed the February briefing
had been specific to the negotiations over continuation of
the OSCE observer presence in Georgia, but that this one
would cover a range of recent OSCE issues. He hoped that the
U.S. would support this request.
RICE