VZCZCXYZ0021
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTH #0644/01 0871543
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 281543Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8580

UNCLAS ATHENS 000644 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
H PLEASE PASS TO CODEL HOYER FROM AMBASSADOR RIES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ECON CVIS GR
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR APRIL 1-2 CODEL HOYER VISIT TO 
ATHENS 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  I warmly welcome CODEL Hoyer's April 1-2 
visit to Athens.  We are delighted you will have an 
opportunity during this stopover to glimpse post-Olympics 
Athens and learn about our strategic partnership with Greece. 
 Foreign Minister Bakoyiannis -- who has just returned from a 
visit to Washington -- plans to host a dinner for you on 
Sunday evening.  Greek guests include her closest advisors as 
well as parliamentarians.  You will be able to underline the 
importance we place on issues such as counter-terrorism 
cooperation and support for NATO's mission in Afghanistan. 
FM Bakoyiannis herself is an energetic charmer who 
understands and appreciates Congress' role.  She will use her 
brief time with you principally to make the case for Greek 
participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.  END SUMMARY. 
 
THE KARAMANLIS GOVERNMENT:  CENTER-RIGHT PRAGMATISTS 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Karamanlis' center-right New Democracy government 
took office in 2004 stressing its reform credentials. 
Karamanlis' economic policy of fiscal austerity and growth 
has brought Greece's deficit down and strengthened GDP 
growth.  His government has likewise taken important steps in 
support of U.S. policy priorities on issues such as 
intellectual property rights and energy.  However, Karamanlis 
has found other reform measures a challenge.  The political 
force of his 2004 anti-corruption message has been undermined 
by scandals involving his political appointees.  Karamanlis' 
proposed changes to Greece's education system proved so 
controversial that only minimal reforms were passed.  With 
general elections widely anticipated this fall (although not 
required until spring 2008), the Karamanlis government is in 
campaign mode. 
 
FM BAKOYANNIS:  POLITICIAN TO THE CORE . . . 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Your dinner host, Foreign Minister Theodora (Dora) 
Bakoyiannis, comes from one of Greece's most prominent 
political families.  She is the eldest daughter of former 
Prime Minister Konstandinos Mitsotakis and was one of his 
closest advisers during his 1990-1993 term.  Her first 
husband, Pavlos Bakoyiannis, was murdered by Greece's 
domestic terrorist group "November 17" in 1989.  As a result, 
she has a strong interest in counter-terrorism issues. 
Although most Greeks believe that Bakoyiannis aspires to be 
Prime Minister herself one day, during her year in office she 
has acted as a loyal ally of Prime Minister Karamanlis. 
Bakoyiannis is tall, engaging, charismatic and an effective 
speaker in both Greek and English.  She is well-versed in 
global issues, but tends to concentrate on Greece's 
neighborhood -- the Balkans, Greek-Turkish relations, Cyprus, 
and the Middle East. 
 
. . . AND PUSHING (HARD) ON VWP 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Bakoyiannis understands and appreciates the role 
the U.S. Congress plays in Washington decision-making.  That 
is why, in her discussions with you, Bakoyiannis will focus 
on Greece's aspiration to be included in the Visa Waiver 
Program.  She will point out that Greece is the only one of 
the original EU 15 not participating.  The Attorney General 
approved Greece for inclusion in the VWP in May 1999, subject 
to Greece's completing reforms of its passport security and 
accountability procedures.   However, Greece failed to meet 
the deadline for action, and no new countries have been 
admitted since 9/11.  Greece last year introduced a new 
biometric passport that meets all ICAO standards, and 
invalidated the previously issued passports.  And unlike 
Poland, the Czech Republic, and other Central European 
countries, Greece fully meets the "economic/immigration" 
criteria, with low visa refusal and overstay rates.  State 
and DHS have taken the first steps to evaluate Greece's 
candidacy for the VWP, but there is no timetable for 
decision-making. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Progress on VWP is now especially important to 
Bakoyannis because she has recently been heavily criticized 
in Greece's virulently U.S.-skeptic  press for being too 
"pro-American."  The trigger was a Greek MFA comment 
criticizing a Russian general's recent threats against Poland 
and the Czech Republic for their cooperation with us on 
missile defense.  But the press also recognizes that on many 
key issues -- counter-terrorism measures, contributions to 
NATO operations in Afghanistan, last summer's crisis in 
Lebanon -- we have worked well with the Greek government. 
 
JANUARY 12 RPG ATTACK ON THE EMBASSY 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  One example is the Greek government's response 
when, on January 12, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at 
the Embassy.  There was only a minimum amount of damage and 
 
no casualties.  Based on the time of the incident (5:55 
a.m.), we believe the attack was designed to make a political 
statement, most likely emerging from the antiwar anarchist 
community (the government received a 5 page manifesto).  The 
response by Greek authorities was immediate; FM Bakoyiannis 
came to the Embassy immediately and made a public statement, 
stood in front of the Chancery with me, and sharply condemned 
the attack.  Since January, the Department of State and FBI 
have worked closely with the Greek government to identify the 
attackers; cooperation has been excellent.  Both the 
government of Greece and the U.S. recently offered cash 
awards for information on the perpetrators. 
 
HOW YOUR VISIT CAN HELP US 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Although your stopover is brief, FM Bakoyiannis' 
dinner provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance 
the U.S. Congress attaches to several key issues.  (The 
guests will include Bakoyiannis' chief advisors at the 
Ministry (Ambassador Chalastanis, Ambassador Rocanas, 
Secretary General for Economic Affairs Skylakakis), three ND 
 
SIPDIS 
parliamentarians, and the MFA's Director for Sudan affairs.) 
These include: 
 
--  COUNTER-TERRORISM COOPERATION/RPG ATTACK ON THE EMBASSY: 
The U.S. appreciates the efforts Greece is making to find 
those responsible for the RPG attack on the U.S. Embassy in 
January.  Your visit is a visible demonstration of our 
determination to continue our bilateral counter-terrorism 
efforts.  The attack also shows that terrorism is an 
omnipresent threat, one which we must work with our partners 
to address. 
 
--  AFGHANISTAN:  Greeece sustained its participation in the 
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 2006 by 
continuing to provide a unit from the Greek Corp of engineers 
(120 troops) and a NATO medical unit (50 troops) for 
operations in Kabul.  In late January, Greece pledged an 
additional 500,000 Euro to support a Hungarian-led PRT. 
However, the GOG should be encouraged to remove its caveats 
in order to allow its troops to operate outside Kabul as 
necessary. 
 
--  BALKANS (KOSOVO AND MACEDONIA):  Greece's economic and 
commercial investment in the Balkans is substantial, which 
makes stability in the region exceptionally important to the 
GOG.  Its religious tie to Serbia makes Greece particularly 
sensitive to Serbian concerns regarding a Kosovo settlement. 
Yet relations with the Albanian world are also increasingly 
important economically and politically to Greece.  We have 
underscored the importance of a decision now as a means of 
promoting stability, not fostering instability.  Delay only 
risks instability.  Greece is also concerned by the lack of a 
solution to its dispute with Macedonia over the country's 
name (Greece's northern province is likewise referred to as 
"Macedonia"), which could affect the NATO accession process. 
We continue to support using established UN mediation to 
resolve this bilateral issue; the U.S. has already made its 
decision by recognizing the "Republic of Macedonia." 
 
--  GREECE/TURKEY/CYPRUS:  As is the case in many EU member 
states, public opinion in Greece has not yet embraced Turkey 
in the EU.  The government remains steadfast in support of 
the Turkey/EU process, understanding that over the longer 
term a Turkey in the EU is in Greece's strategic interest. 
The GOG has been increasingly concerned, over the last month, 
by Turkish military aircraft activity in the Aegean.  We 
should encourage the GOG to continue its policy of supporting 
Turkey's EU entry, and praise their low-key approach to 
resolving Aegean issues. 
 
 
 
 
 
RIES