This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 000543 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2014 
TAGS: PGOV PREL GR CY TU PHUM AMB
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON NEW GREEK FM 
         DORA BAKOYANNIS 
 
REF: A. ATHENS 419 
     ¶B. ATHENS 373 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Charles P. Ries.  Reasons 1.4(b/d) 
 
Please see para 2 for ACTION REQUEST. 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: In their February 23 introductory meeting, 
newly-appointed Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and 
Ambassador reviewed Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus 
issue, with Bakoyannis briefing Ambassador on recent visits 
to Athens by Turkish Minister of State Babacan and Cypriot FM 
Iacovou.  Ambassador briefed FM Bakoyannis on efforts to find 
a date for a joint meeting of the SEECP and the Contact Group 
on Kosovo, as well as on efforts to involve Athens in Middle 
East democratization projects.  FM Bakoyannis stated her 
intention to visit Washington early in her tenure (see para 
2) and the high priority she placed on Greece's entry into 
the Visa Waiver Program.  Largely in listening mode, 
Bakoyannis made clear her commitment to working closely with 
the United States.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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VISIT TO THE U.S. 
----------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) ACTION REQUEST:  FM Bakoyannis told Ambassador she 
wants to make an early official visit to Washington to meet 
the Secretary, proposing early April or early May as possible 
timeframes.  Her Chef d'Cabinet later confirmed windows of 
April 4-10 and May 5-10.  Ambassador promised to relay these 
options back to Washington.  Post requests Washington 
consideration of these dates and guidance.  END ACTION 
REQUEST. 
 
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GREECE/TURKEY/CYPRUS 
-------------------- 
¶3.  (C) FM Bakoyannis briefed Ambassador on her February 22 
meeting with Cypriot FM Iacovou (the first foreign minister 
to visit Athens since Bakoyannis' appointment on February 
15).  Bakoyannis said she believed Nicosia was ready to 
participate in a new UN-led process to resolve the Cyprus 
issue.  "I believe the will is there," she said, "if Annan 
puts forward a new proposal."  Bakoyannis explained her 
February 22 statement (during a joint press availability with 
Iacovou) that "the Annan Plan is history."  Bakoyannis said 
"It is history, the Greek Cypriots rejected it."  The point 
now, she continued, was to have a new proposal, at least "on 
the surface."  Since any viable settlement will have to be 
put to referenda in both communities, to get enough Greek 
Cypriot votes the plan must look different than the Annan 
Plan.  Even if 80 or 90 percent of the content is the same as 
the Annan Plan, it had to look "new."  Ambassador asked if 
she was putting in question the bizonal, bicommunal 
federation.  "No, no, of course not," Bakoyannis replied. 
 
¶4.  (C) Bakoyannis also met Turkish Minister of State Ali 
Babacan on Feb 22; Babacan was in Athens for a meeting of 
SEECP Economy Ministers.  Bakoyannis said Babacan was very 
forthcoming on economic and EU technocratic issues, but more 
reserved on political issues.  On the political issues, she 
said Babacan deferred to Turkish Ambassador to Greece 
Burcoglu, who "is very close to the inner AK party circle." 
Bakoyannis said she emphasized the need for a concrete sign 
from Turkey that it was committed to improving Greek-Turkish 
relations and its accession to the EU.  In particular, she 
urged Ankara reopen the Halki Seminary.  She pointed out that 
reopening Halki would be hugely significant in the current 
environment, and was "much more important for Turkey than it 
was for Greece or the EU."  That is, she explained, with 
religious unrest between Christians and Muslims spreading 
thoughout the Arab world, a decision on Halki by Turkey would 
be a good signal to send to the "Christian West." 
 
¶5.  (C) Referring to the February 22 incident in which a 
Cypriot-flagged ship was refused entry to the Turkish port of 
Mersin, Bakoyannis expressed frustration that she had not 
heard of the incident until after her meetings that day with 
both Iacovou and Babacan, and even then she learned about it 
from a wire service report, not a cable from either Nicosia 
or Ankara.  When Bakoyannis reached Iacovou at the airport to 
ask about it, she said he had also been surprised, and had 
not known of it either.  She noted that Iacovou had come to 
Athens from elsewhere in Europe and could have been out of 
the loop.  Bakoyannis admitted she was still trying to figure 
out whether the Mersin port approach had been planned by 
President Papadopoulos (or by those close to him such as 
National Security Advisor Tsionis) in order to draw attention 
to Turkey's unwillingness to admit Cypriot-flagged vessels. 
Alternatively, it "could be the random decision of a vessel 
owner," she said (although without conviction).  Ambassador 
noted that he had asked former FM Molyviatis in January 
whether Cyprus would try to bring things to a head by sending 
a ship to a Turkish port (Ref B, para 9).  Molyviatis had 
responded that this was a card Cyprus could play, but he did 
not think it was likely to do so until after the European 
Parliament had ratified the Ankara Protocol.  Bakoyannis took 
that on board but had no substantive comment. 
¶6.  (C) Ambassador briefed FM Bakoyannis on discussions with 
the MOD on how to bring the U.S.-origin arms that had been 
illegally transferred to Cyprus back under Greek control.  He 
urged Bakoyannis to be prepared to discuss this issue when 
she visits Capitol Hill.  Bakoyannis agreed. 
 
¶7.  (C) Asked whether PM Karamanlis was reconsidering his 
twice-postponed trip to Turkey, FM Bakoyannis said that while 
Greece was committed to improving ties, any trip by the PM to 
Ankara must be well-prepared and have concrete results.  In 
the meantime the Skopelitis-Tuygen channel to work bilateral 
Aegean issues would continue unchanged.  Bakoyannis expected 
to see Turkish FM Gul in Brussels next week at the GAERC (she 
also noted it was "his turn" to come to Athens).  She 
returned to the theme of reopening Halki, pointing out that 
this would be a very good move in the run-up to a visit by PM 
Karamanlis.  "We need a sign from them," she said, in order 
to get a visit back on track.  Recalling then-FM Molyviatis' 
May 2005 trip to Ankara which coincided with a Turkish 
fishing boat incident near the disputed Imia/Kardak islet, 
Bakoyannis called it embarrassing for Molyviatis -- anything 
similar during the PM's visit would be a "catastrophe."  To 
have a visit, she concluded, we must be assured there will be 
a good political atmosphere, no untoward events and tangible 
results. 
 
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BALKANS 
------- 
¶8.  (C) Ambassador briefed the FM on efforts to find workable 
dates for a joint meeting of the SEECP and the Contact Group. 
 Bakoyannis agreed that whenever the meeting occurs, UNMIK 
should be included, with Kosovar Albanian representatives. 
 
----- 
BMENA 
----- 
¶9.  (C) Ambassador referred to former FM Molyviatis' support 
for the President's BMENA policy initiatives and his offer to 
use Athens as a venue for democratization efforts in the 
Middle East.  Ambassador said we hoped we could work together 
on such ideas, noting Greece's financial support for the 
Foundation for the Future.  Bakoyannis was in listening mode, 
but the former Mayor was clearly positive on the idea of 
showcasing Athens' democratic heritage in some way. 
Ambassador also took the opportunity to reiterate how closely 
Greece and the U.S. will be working on the UNSC and the full 
range of global issues, such as Hamas, Syria and Iraq. 
 
---------------------- 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
---------------------- 
¶10.  (C) Explaining that the reporting deadline for the 2006 
TIP report was fast approaching (March 1), Ambassador 
emphasized the central role played by the MFA.  In 
particular, the MFA's National Coordinator was due to depart 
Athens for a diplomatic assignment, and would need to be 
replaced.  Bakoyannis agreed, and said that she was very 
involved in the TIP issue since her days as Mayor, and was 
expecting to have new "good news" for us on this agenda, 
perhaps even by March 1. 
 
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IBB/KAVALA 
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¶11.  (C) Ambassador told Bakoyannis that the Embassy would 
soon send a diplomatic note to the MFA conveying the IBB's 
decision to close the Kavala station.  He assured the FM that 
the USG was committed to taking care of the IBB's Kavala 
employees, and to make arrangements to protect the 
environment if the facility is to be deactivated.  Ambassador 
noted he would be meeting next week with state broadcaster 
ERT to see if it wold be interested in taking over, or 
adapting, the facility.  Bakoyannis said she had already 
received letters of complaints from the citizens of the area, 
protesting the rumored closure.  NOTE: An IBB delegation will 
discuss closure with IBB/Kavala staff on February 24.  END 
NOTE. 
 
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VISA WAIVER PROGRAM 
------------------- 
¶12.  (C) Bakoyannis told Ambassador there was one thing the 
U.S. could do to have a major impact on anti-Americanism in 
Greece: include Greece in the Visa Waiver Program.  The 
Government had rolled out a new, high-security, biometric 
passport, and it had just begun issuing new, equally secure 
diplomatic passports.  With this development, she said, "the 
last argument" for keeping Greece off the VWP had 
disappeared.  "Everyone you talk to in Greece wants to know 
why Greeks need a visa," she said, "and we used to be able to 
say we had not gotten the passport right.  Now, this is no 
longer an excuse we can use." 
 
¶13.  (C) Ambassador agreed the new passport was 
state-of-the-art, and an important milestone in getting 
Greece's participation in the VWP reviewed.  As yet, the 
Department of Homeland Security had not begun a process to 
review possible new VWP-participating countries.  It would be 
important to work together on this issue, and to discuss it 
in Washington with the State Department, the Department of 
Homeland Security and on the Hill. 
 
¶14.  (C) COMMENT: "Dora" is an old and close friend of the 
Embassy and we are optimistic that her transition to the 
Foreign Ministry will have the kind of results that she 
herself says she wants.  Largely in listening mode at this 
first meeting, FM Bakoyannis nevertheless expressed 
enthusiasm for working closely with the USG.  She shrugged 
off accusations by the Greek media that she is "the 
Americans' choice."  Referring to some of the media coverage, 
she asked "Did you see the front page picture of me coming 
out through the American flag?  That doesn't bother me," she 
said.  Bakoyannis was also comfortable with her lack of 
diplomatic expertise, although she made clear she was 
studying briefing papers nonstop.  She admitted openly she 
was not a diplomat -- "I'm a simple politician who will try 
to be diplomatic."  Her style, she said, was to be open and 
frank and results-oriented.  It's a style we should like. 
END COMMENT. 
Ries