VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNC #0075/01 0251517
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 251517Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY NICOSIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7462
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4850
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0759
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000075 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/SE MCLEGG-TRIPP AND EMELLINGER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2012 
TAGS: GTIP PREL PHUM CY GR TU
SUBJECT: ARCHBISHOPRIC INTERESTED IN ANTI-TIP COOPERATION; 
HOPING TO START OVER WITH MUFTI 
 
REF: 06 NICOSIA 2055 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Ronald L. Schlicher for Reason 1.5 (b). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Following up on the Ambassador's December 20 
offer to Archbishop Chrysostomos II (Reftel) to cooperate 
with the Church on combating trafficking in persons (TIP), 
PolOff met January 22 with the Church's pointman on the 
issue, Bishop Vasilios.  While aware of the country's sexual 
exploitation problem, Vasilios expressed shock at the GOC's 
lack of sufficient progress on the "Three P's": prevention, 
protection, and prosecution.  He promised to study the matter 
in detail and seek ways for the Church to engage on TIP. 
Turning to the subject of relations between the island's 
Muslims and Christians, Vasilios regretted the failed January 
7 attempt to bring together Chrysostomos and Turkish Cypriot 
religious leader Mufti Ahmet Yonluer.  The Archbishop's 
public missteps were as much to blame for the aborted 
get-together as the north's "Deep State" pressure on the 
Mufti.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------- 
TIP: "An Ethical Challenge" 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In his December 20 meeting with newly-installed 
Archbishop Chrysostomos II (Reftel), the Ambassador 
highlighted the Embassy's interest in improving its anti-TIP 
cooperation with the Church.  The Archbishop responded 
positively, expressing interest in taking a more active role 
to combat trafficking.  On January 22, PolOff followed up by 
providing a more in-depth briefing on Cyprus's trafficking 
problem to Bishop Vasilios, who is responsible for the 
Church's "social program" and its de-facto pointman on TIP 
issues. 
 
¶3. (C) The bishop was generally familiar with Cyprus's sexual 
exploitation problem, although his knowledge seemed based 
primarily on anecdotes (e.g., Cypriot wives complaining that 
the Church annuls marriages so foreign "artistes" can steal 
their husbands).  When faced with the hard figures of 
trafficked women -- the debts they incur upon arrival, for 
example, and the payment of finders' fees for their 
recruitment -- he angrily asked, "What is the Government (of 
Cyprus) doing to solve this problem?"  Poloff highlighted 
Cyprus's Tier II Watch List status (the worst of any EU 
member state) and noted that the ranking was due to the GOC's 
poor record in implementing its own national action plan to 
address the "Three P's."  Although prosecution/conviction 
figures for 2006 were a bright spot, and although there are 
recent signs of Presidential interest in implementing the 
national plan, the GOC's prevention and protection efforts to 
date were clearly inadequate. 
 
¶4. (C) Visibly shocked by this information, the bishop called 
TIP "an ethical challenge" in which "the Church has a role." 
Vasilios repeatedly asked what the Church could do, and 
seemed receptive to the idea of using the ecclesiastical 
bully pulpit to spark public awareness and question 
(privately, if not publicly) official inaction.  Vasilios 
specifically requested more information about which GOC 
ministry took the lead on TIP, and promised to raise 
"immediately" with the Archbishop his (unspecified) ideas for 
action. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
(Not) Meeting the Mufti: "The Archbishop is Not a Diplomat." 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Turning to the meeting between the Archbishop and 
Mufti Yonluer that was to have taken place earlier this month 
(Reftel), Vasilios said the potentially historic meeting had 
been called off on January 7 at Yonluer's request -- even 
though the Turkish Cypriot had committed to the idea in 
December.  The invitation remained on the table should 
Yonluer change his mind, the bishop claimed, adding that he 
had communicated twice with Yonluer on Chrysostomos's behalf 
since the cancellation of the meeting.  Meanwhile, Vasilios 
was planning to join the Bishops of Morphou and Kykko in an 
upcoming visit to Yonluer in the north. 
 
¶6. (C) Although Yonluer had publicly cited the Archbishop's 
January 6 "inflammatory" comments about the desecration of 
Orthodox churches in the north, Vasilios claimed that Yonluer 
had subsequently revealed ("in full confidence") that this 
was not the real reason.  Instead, the bishop said that 
"outside forces" had been pressuring Yonluer to cancel his 
 
call on Chrysostomos -- and the Archbishop's comments 
provided the nervous Imam with an easy way out.  According to 
Vasilios, Yonluer received a scathing lQter from former 
"TRNC President" Rauf Denktash shortly after the December 27 
announcement of his plans to meet the Archbishop.  Denktash 
had accused Yonluer of overstepping his religious 
prerogatives, Vasilios said, and soon thereafter Yonluer 
began to receive warnings from unnamed Turkish military 
figures on the island and numerous anonymous threats. 
Evincing clear pride at the close rapport he claims to have 
established with a Turkish Cypriot official, the bishop 
explained that Yonluer would have found any excuse to get out 
of the meeting. 
 
¶7. (C) Nonetheless, the Archbishop had made a mistake with 
his remarks, Vasilios conceded; he never should have divulged 
publicly the talking points he hoped to cover with the Mufti 
in private.  "The Archbishop is not a diplomat," Vasilios 
suggested.  Disappointed that this opportunity for interfaith 
island dialogue had disappeared for the moment, he hoped his 
own meeting with the Mufti might patch things up somewhat. 
Further, he was contemplating a renewed effort to bring the 
men together, and would propose the idea soon to Chrysostomos. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (C) In his first meeting with us, the Archbishop promised 
a lot on topics ranging from TIP to bicommunal relations. 
His performance so far, however, has fallen short of the mark 
-- especially with regard to nurturing contacts with the 
Turkish Cypriots.  But the candor and engagement of his 
advisor Vasilios is somewhat reassuring.  Even if Vasilios 
cannot deliver peace and harmony with the Mufti, he may prove 
a valuable ally in the fight against TIP -- especially if he 
can energize the Archbishop and convince him to bring the 
Church's considerable moral weight (and financial resources) 
to bear on the issue.  END COMMENT. 
SCHLICHER