VZCZCXRO3584
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHIK #0012/01 0521111
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211111Z FEB 08
FM AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0311
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0343

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THESSALONIKI 000012 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM GR TU
SUBJECT: NORTHERN GREECE MUSLIMS, FAR RIGHT AND LEFT PARTIES 
CRITICIZE NEW LAW STRENGTHENING MINORITY RIGHTS 
 
REF: A. 07 THESSALONIKI 19, B. 06 THESSALONIKI 134, C. 07 THESSALONIKI 72, D. 07 THESSALONIKI 132 
 
THESSALONI 00000012  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On February 6, the Greek Parliament adopted 
a law that strengthens the rights of Thrace's Muslim minority by 
(1) transferring government control over Muslim charitable 
foundations (wakfs) to local Muslims, and (2) establishing a 0.5 
percent employment quota for Muslims in Greece's public sector. 
The two steps were part of a package of measures announced by 
Greek MFA Dora Bakoyannis in February 2007.  Thrace Muslims, 
including Parliament's only two Muslim deputies, complain that 
the law still allows the government to intervene in the 
community's religious affairs, and fails to address their 
longstanding demands to elect muftis and allow ethnic Turks to 
self-identify as "Turkish."  Extreme right LAOS deputies, 
meanwhile, called the establishment of a Muslim minority 
employment quota "racist" and discriminatory against other 
religions.  Coalition of the Left and the Communist Party also 
criticized the law for establishing policy based on ethnicity. 
END SUMMARY 
 
MUSLIMS REGAIN CONTROL OVER CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONS/WAKFS 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Greek Parliament passed a law on February 6 
implementing two of several measures announced by MFA Dora 
Bakoyannis last February intended to strengthen the rights of 
Thrace's 100-120,000 (mostly Turkophone) Muslims (ref A).  The 
law gives Muslims greater control over charitable foundations, 
or wakfs, which play a key role in Muslim communities by 
generating income for educational, religious and cultural 
activities.  Specifically, the new law allows Thrace Muslims to 
elect the management boards of wakfs in their community, 
reversing a 1980 law under which only the government appointed 
wakf board members.  The new law, however, allows the 
government-appointed regional governor (periferiarchis) to 
appoint wakf board members in certain (unspecified) cases.  Wakf 
boards will also be required to provide an annual financial 
report to the government-appointed muftis.  Muslims have 
objected to the law's provisions for "intervention" by the 
regional governor and oversight by the official muftis.  [Note: 
Parliament's two Muslim MPs (both PASOK) criticized these 
provisions but voted for the law.  End note]. 
 
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR MUSLIMS IN GREECE'S PUBLIC SECTOR 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The new law also establishes a 0.5 percent quota for 
Thrace Muslims in Greece's highly coveted public sector.  The 
law does not provide a mechanism, timeline or other details 
regarding implementation.  (Note:  Thrace Muslims make up 
approximately 1.0 percent of the population countrywide.  A 0.5 
percent quota is already in effect for Muslims in Greek 
universities.  End note) Muslim leaders have expressed concern 
that the public sector quota could draw talented young Muslims 
out of Thrace to take civil service jobs in large cities, thus 
weakening Thrace's Muslim community.  Influential former MP from 
Thrace Ilhan Ahmed, however, strongly supports the public sector 
quota.  Some Thrace [non-Muslim] citizens have initiated a 
petition criticizing the quota as discriminatory against 
Christians.  LAOS has called the quota "racist" and leftist 
parties have objected to it as race-based policy. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The new law is the latest of several steps the GoG has 
taken to implement the package of initiatives announced by 
Bakoyannis last February.  The status of the other initiatives 
follows below: 
 
-- CANCELLATION of debt owed by wakfs:  Parliament voted last 
March to cancel tax debts owed by wakfs, estimated at over Euros 
6 million.  According to post contacts, despite this legislative 
decision, Thrace tax authorities have not received formal 
instructions from the Ministry of Finance cancelling the debts, 
leaving their status ambiguous. 
 
-- RE-INSTATEMENT OF "STATELESS" MUSLIMS PROGRESSING:  Shortly 
after Bakoyannis' February 2007 announcement, the GoG 
re-instated the citizenship of about 46 persons from Thrace who 
had lost Greek citizenship under Article 19 (repealed in 1998) 
of the Greek Constitution, a provision which deprived thousands 
of (ethnically Turkish) Greeks of citizenship when they 
"deserted" Greek territory, e.g. stayed abroad for a long period 
of time (ref B).  An MFA contact told us recently there are 
fewer than 10 outstanding claims for re-instatement.  He could 
not explain the delay in processing the claims. Muslim activists 
estimate there are 350 to 500 stateless Muslims who have not 
registered for re-instatement.  Some Turkish authorities claim 
the number is much higher. 
 
-- HIRING OF 240 IMAMS APPROVED BUT ON HOLD:  Parliament passed 
a law in March 2007 authorizing the government to hire 240 imams 
to assist in the religious education of the Muslim minority in 
Thrace.  No imams have agreed to be hired, however.  Muslims 
 
THESSALONI 00000012  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
strongly object to the law's provision for the imams to be 
appointed by a committee comprised of Christians (i.e. 
representatives of the Ministries of Education and Foreign 
Affairs, as well as three academics).  A GoG contact told us 
some imams are willing to accept a government appointment but 
are intimidated from doing so by "radicals." 
 
-- HELPING MUSLIMS WITH EDUCATION AND JOBS:  In September, the 
government completed a vocational training program announced by 
Bakoyannis last February for 1175 Muslim women, funded by the 
EU.  Since last February, the GoG has created two "second 
chance" schools that help adults obtain high school diplomas. 
Muslims continue to complain about the poor quality of schools 
serving Thrace Muslims and demand more schools that can provide 
instruction in Turkish. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Last February, FM Bakoyannis said the goal 
behind her proposed measures was to help transform Thrace from 
an area of "concern" to one of "hope."  Muslims, however, have 
reacted skeptically, especially as implementation lagged, and 
showed their disappointment in September 16 national elections 
(ref C).  In order to improve its standing with Thrace Muslims 
and prevent further rise in the low level of Muslim political 
activism, the GoG will need to address more high priority Muslim 
demands, including better economic prospects and the right of 
Muslims to choose their religious leaders (muftis) and 
self-identify collectively as "Turkish." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED:  The GoG remains highly sensitive 
to criticism about its treatment of the Turkish minority, 
especially from Turkey, which many Greeks believe harbors 
irredentist designs on Thrace.  Greece also rejects Turkish 
attempts to link progress on Thrace minority issues with 
progress on Greek minority issues in Turkey.  Still, there are 
signs Greece recognizes the advantages of removing this irritant 
in bilateral relations.  The Greek Parliament tabled the new law 
during Turkish FM Babacan's early December visit to Athens and 
Thrace (ref D) and passed it soon after PM Karamanlis's late 
January visit to Ankara, despite domestic criticism.  Further 
steps from Greece, however, will likely require corresponding 
gestures from Turkey, e.g. on Halki Seminary and the Ecumenical 
Patriarch. 
YEE