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Viewing cable 08THESSALONIKI60, NORTHERN NOTES

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08THESSALONIKI60 2008-09-04 14:41 2011-08-30 01:44 UNCLASSIFIED Consulate Thessaloniki
VZCZCXRO5321
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHIK #0060/01 2481441
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041441Z SEP 08
FM AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0361
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS PRIORITY 0268
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0403
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THESSALONIKI 000060 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EINV PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR SOCI SMIG GG GR
SUBJECT: NORTHERN NOTES 
 
REF: A) THESSALONIKI 051, B) THESSALONIKI 048 
 
THESSALONI 00000060  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Following is a summary of last month's major developments in 
Northern Greece: 
 
THESSALONIKI PORT'S CARGO STATION LEASED TO HUTCHISON-ALAPIS 
 
1. On August 26, the Board of Directors of OLTH (Thessaloniki 
Port Authority) approved the transfer of the management of 
port's cargo station from the state to the partnership of 
Hutchison Port Holdings, Hutchison Port Investments, Alapis and 
LYD.  Ioannis Tsaras, Managing Director of OLTH, stated that the 
final contract will be presented to the Parliament for 
ratification by the end of 2008, so that the new management can 
commence operations at the beginning of next year.  Earlier in 
the month, the Federation of Exporters of Northern Greece (SEVE) 
called on OLTH to reach an agreement with the port workers, as 
businesses continue to be heavily affected by the workers' 
mobilization against the privatization of the cargo station 
Operation(Ref A.)  SEVE also accused the GoG of failing to 
foresee the possibility of reactions to the privatization effort 
and to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the port, before 
negotiations regarding its future started. Port workers continue 
their work slowdown in protest of the privatization. 
 
 
KIDNAPPERS OF LEADING GREEK BUSINESSMAN ARRESTED 
 
2. On August 20, infamous criminal Vassilios Paleokostas and one 
of his accomplices were arrested for the abduction of 
businessman Georgios Milonas earlier in the summer (Ref B.)  The 
arrest followed a raid by the Anti-Terrorist Squad on the gang's 
hideout in Thessaloniki, where a wide selection of arms, radio 
receiving units, micro-cameras and an amount between 1-3m were 
discovered.  A few days later, police discovered a second 
hide-out in the greater Thessaloniki area, as well as an 
additional 3m and arms, including an anti-tank weapon (RPG), 
similar to the one used in the attack against the US Embassy in 
January 2007.  The police are investigating whether the two guns 
belonged to the same batch and also, if the money and the guns 
were used in order to fund smaller groups that were involved in, 
for example, arson attacks.  The arrests were the result of 
close monitoring by the police of one of the accomplices and a 
mistake by another who attempted to deposit marked notes in a 
bank in Chania, Crete.  In an appearance before the Special 
Interrogator Teneketzidis, leader of the gang Paleokostas denied 
all charges and requested the presence of a lawyer. 
 
 
SURPRISE REPLACEMENT OF ACTIVIST DA OF THESSALONIKI 
 
3. The decision by the Ministry of Justice to replace the 
District Attorney of Thessaloniki Vassilios Floridis (rather 
than extend his term) has been attributed to political motives 
by a portion of the local press ("Aggelioforos", August 10.) 
Some media reported that his active role in a series of major 
issues, such as narcotics, trafficking in persons, IPR 
enforcement and the university asylum issue have "annoyed" those 
in power and precipitated his replacement. A prosecutor contact 
told post he strongly suspected there were political motives 
behind the decision.  Floridis successor is Dimitrios 
Papageorgiou, described by the press as being low-profile and in 
sharp contrast to the vocal Mr. Floridis.  Daily "Makedonia" 
also called the move a "gamble," raising doubts about its 
prospects of succeeding.  Supporters of Mr. Floridis called on 
the GoG to amend a recently adopted judicial reform law that 
limits the terms of prosecutors and thereby extend 
Floridis'term.  Floridis' term will expire in September. 
 
 
GEORGIAN COMMUNITY OF THESSALONIKI PROTESTS AGAINST THE WAR 
 
4.  On August 11, around 200 members of Thessaloniki's Georgian 
community participated in a peaceful march in protest of 
Russia's intervention in Georgia.  The march stopped outside the 
Russian Consulate where speakers expressed their grief and anger 
over the developments and their concern for their loved ones. 
This was the first anti-Russia protest in Thessaloniki that post 
is aware of. 
 
 
A BULGARIAN AND A GREEK ARRESTED IN TWO TRAFFICKING CASES 
 
5.  On August 27, a 49 year-old Bulgarian man, resident of 
Greece, was arrested for bringing a 31 year-old Bulgarian woman 
to Greece and forcing her into prostitution.  In order to 
persuade the victim to follow him, the arrested man had promised 
her work at a tobacco plantation.  He is charged with locking 
her up in a hut in the northern village of Triantafilia, Serres 
and abusing her.  Two more Bulgarians, a male and a female, were 
arrested and charged with guarding the victim, so that she could 
 
THESSALONI 00000060  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
not escape.  Greek police were alerted to the incident by the 
parents of the victim, who became suspicious after a telephone 
conversation with their daughter.  In a different case, a 52 
year-old Greek man was arrested for locking up and forcing into 
prostitution six Bulgarian women. The victims were brought to 
Greece and handed over to the arrested male by his accomplices, 
a Bulgarian couple.  Due to his significant previous criminal 
record, the police are investigating the possibility of the 
arrested male's participation in an international trafficking 
ring. 
 
 
ABSENSE OF U.S.PAVILION AT THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR RAISES 
QUESTIONS 
 
6. For the first time in decades, their will not be an American 
pavilion in this year's International Trade Fair of 
Thessaloniki. The American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, was not 
able to find a sufficient number of vendors, who wanted to 
exhibit in the pavilion.  Chamber representatives told post that 
declining interest in the fair, rising costs and the declining 
dollar value led many vendors to discontinue their participation 
in the American Pavilion. Helexpo -the organizers of the Fair - 
on the other hand, reportedly blamed the AmCham for 
"mismanagement" and stated that "almost all known American 
companies will participate independently." Post made clear that 
there was no political or economic motive behind the decision 
and it was purely driven by business considerations.  The 
misunderstanding takes place in a generally somber climate for 
the Fair, with the Prime Minister only expected to announce 
limited financial measures, aiming to reduce expenditure, raise 
taxation and tackle rising levels of poverty.  On September 6, 
three sizeable labor union rallies protesting government 
economic policies are planned. 
 
 
 
SIGNIFICANT RISE IN THE NUMBERS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND 
SMUGGLERS CAPTURED BY THE POLICE 
 
7. Thessaloniki daily "Aggelioforos" reported an increase of 
34.5% in the number of illegal immigrants captured by the police 
in the Prefecture of Thessaloniki in the first half of 2008, 
compared with the previous year.  There was also an increase in 
the number of arrested alien smugglers, from 64 in 2007 to 98 in 
the first six months of 2008.  According to police, illegal 
immigrants come mostly from Albania and the Greek-Turkish border 
and smugglers are mostly Albanian, Iraqi, Georgian and recently, 
Greek.  This month, an Iraqi police officer was arrested for 
transporting six illegal immigrants from Alexandroupoli, Thrace 
for Athens at a reported fee of $7,000 each.  The immigrants 
were helped cross the Greek-Turkish border by the smugglers 
Turkish accomplices.  In another case, sixteen illegal 
immigrants from Afghanistan, waiting to travel from Athens to 
Italy escaped from their smugglers after being left without food 
or water for two days.  Lastly, the Director of Elassona's 
Illegal Immigration Unit was moved after it was revealed that 
his personnel used a pick-up truck that was converted to a jail 
cell, in order to transport seven Albanian illegal immigrants. 
YEE