VZCZCXRO8933
PP RUEHAST
DE RUEHTH #1629 1741403
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231403Z JUN 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5906
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4184
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ATHENS 001629 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV TU GR TURKEY
SUBJECT: FORMER GREEK PM PROPOSES SELECTIVE EXTENSION OF 
GREEK TERRITORIAL WATERS 
 
REF: ATHENS 1475 AND PREVIOUS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary:  Former PM Costas Simitis has 
proposed that Greece move to extend its territorial 
waters as part of a broader policy of pressing for an all- 
round settlement of the Aegean dispute with Turkey. 
Simitis, in a June 18 newspaper article, argued that a 
selective extension would not impede free passage for 
international shipping.  He also said that Greece wins 
little by delaying a dialogue with Turkey and has every 
reason to wish to see a detailed Turkish roadmap on 
achieving EU accession criteria.  Action is needed now, 
Simitis concluded, because doing nothing would only 
exacerbate the increasing disinterest of Greece's EU 
partners in seeing a settlement of the Greek-Turkish 
dispute.  Not a new argument, the "selective extension" 
argument is part of a recent flurry of proposals 
(reftels) in reaction to the GoG's failure to demonstrate 
progress in the long-running Greek-Turkish Aegean talks. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U)  Former socialist PM Costas Simitis has proposed 
"selective extension of Greek territorial waters" in the 
Aegean as part of a package of "pressuring" Turkey to 
abide by EU accession criteria. Writing for the June 18 
Sunday edition of "Ethnos" newspaper, Simitis suggested 
that this extension of territorial waters would have to 
be selective in order for Greece to avoid "shutting down 
the seas" and allow "freedom of navigation for all ships 
of all nations."  Simitis argued that this selective 
extension of territorial waters, bringing Greek seas to 
the maximum width of 12 nautical miles allowed under the 
Convention of the Law of the Sea in some areas, and out 
to 8 or 10 miles elsewhere, would secure this "free 
transit passage" -- and win Greece the support of 
maritime nations, like the U.S. and the UK, in its 
dispute with Turkey over delimiting the continental shelf 
of Greek Aegean islands.  (Note: Simitis did not address 
Turkey's long-standing "casus belli" threat, should 
Greece extend its waters to 12 miles.  End Note.) 
 
¶3.  (U)  Simitis also argued that the GoG should not 
delay in "putting pressure" on Turkey to deliver a 
specific roadmap detailing its actions in meeting EU 
accession criteria.  In the short term, Greece should 
strive to settle what Turkey says is a "sea border 
dispute" between the two countries by ultimately 
referring the case to the International Court of Justice 
(ICJ) in The Hague.  Simitis criticized those who 
maintain that delaying a dialogue with Turkey is to 
Greece's advantage, and warned that EU members are 
increasingly disinterested in the problems of Greek- 
Turkish relations.  Furthermore, Simitis suggested that 
there is little room for a Greek veto upon Turkey's EU 
bid; said he: "A veto you exercise at the beginning or 
the end [of a process]. The one chance was lost [in 
December 2004], the other is theoretical." 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Comment: Simitis' article comes in the wake of 
a proposal by former President Costis Stephanopoulos for 
Greece to submit "the totality" of Aegean problems to the 
ICJ for a final settlement (reftel).  Most commentators 
criticized the Stephanopoulos proposal, and the 
Karamanlis administration reacted in its usual cautious 
manner.  The Simitis article has seen similar treatment. 
Proposals for the selective extension of Greek 
territorial waters have been broached in the past, but 
without gaining any traction.  Rehashing old Aegean 
proposals by PASOK leaders and others appears to be a 
favorite pastime these days, a reaction perhaps to the 
GoG's failure to show any progress or initiative in the 
Aegean technical talks with Turkey, which recently held 
its 34th experts meeting.