VZCZCXRO6542
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHTH #1840/01 2561308
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 131308Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0225
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 001840 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G, DRL/SEA, AND NSC/DEMOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL GR
SUBJECT: GREECE'S INPUT FOR PRESIDENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS 
ROUNDTABLE AT UNGA 
 
REF: STATE 125456 
 
SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION 
------------------------ 
 
¶1. (SBU) Defense and promotion of human rights and of those 
engaged in the cause of advancing human rights is one of our 
top Mission Strategic Goals.  Embassy Athens regularly 
engages with defenders of freedom, meeting with NGO leaders 
in local clinics, shelters, and day cay centers; attending 
criminal trials in support of TIP victims and anti-TIP NGOs; 
making an annual human rights visit to Thrace and meeting 
there with a wide range of human rights NGOs; meeting with 
minority religious leaders and regularly including human 
rights NGO leaders and community activists in official visits 
from Washington policy makers.  Embassy Public Diplomacy 
efforts to promote human rights awareness recently included a 
two-day seminar organized by CG Thessaloniki; special 
roll-outs for the annual Human Rights and TIP reports; 
electronic distribution of human rights-related materials; 
the placement of op-eds in Greek media and development of a 
youth-oriented webpage featuring articles on human 
rights/democracy issues.  Guest speakers at or sponsored by 
the Embassy regularly address human rights matters, as does 
the American Studies Seminar (now in its thirteenth year). 
Over the past seven years, more than ten IVs have been sent 
on human rights related programs.  For the past six years a 
concerted effort to raise awareness regarding Holocaust 
issues and anti-Semitism has been a central part of our 
Public Diplomacy campaign.  END SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION. 
 
SUPPORTING DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Specific ways in which Emboffs have supported the 
defenders of freedom include: 
 
-- The Ambassador, DCM and other Embassy officials regularly 
meet with Greek central and local officials to advocate in 
support of issues raised by human rights NGOs, human rights 
activists, and community leaders. 
 
-- We frequently meet with Human rights NGO leaders and human 
rights activists in their offices, clinics or shelters, as 
well as with the clientele that they serve and/or represent. 
 
-- Emboffs meet with a range of different religious leaders 
with particular focus on those outside of Greece's mainstream 
Orthodox religion and investigate allegations of 
discrimination. 
 
-- Human rights NGO leaders and other human rights activists 
are often nominated and selected as Embassy IV candidates. 
 
-- Human rights NGO leaders and other human rights activists 
are routinely included in meetings with Washington visitors, 
on such topics as Trafficking in Persons (TIP) or Guantanamo 
Detainee issues. 
 
-- Human rights NGO leaders and other human rights activists 
are invited to our annual Fourth of July celebration, to our 
annual Iftar during Ramadan, and to many other Embassy 
functions. 
 
-- Emboffs have visited alien detention centers in Greece 
with NGO representatives and human rights activists. 
 
-- Emboffs have visited Roma camps with human rights NGOs, 
human rights activists, and community leaders, on several 
occasions.  In addition, the Embassy conducted a clothing and 
toothbrush drive within the Embassy community for Roma in 
coordination with two different NGOs and community leaders. 
 
-- Emboffs regularly attend meetings and seminars sponsored 
by NGOs and activists to demonstrate U.S. engagement. 
 
-- Emboffs attended a criminal trial while an NGO-supported 
victim of trafficking was testifying. 
 
-- Emboffs visited a day care center for Muslim children 
maintained by an NGO. 
 
 Emboffs make an annual hun riregion of Thrace in an effort to 
maintain close contacts with NGOs, activists and community 
leaders there.  This is in addition to on-going contacts by 
ConGen Thessaloniki throughout the year. 
 
-- Emboffs regularly meet with journalists to discuss Human 
 
ATHENS 00001840  002 OF 003 
 
 
Rights issues at length. 
 
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 
---------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Through media outreach, speaker programming, 
exchanges, websites, and provision of information to selected 
contacts, Embassy works to raise Greek public and 
governmental consciousness on human rights/democracy issues 
and to support specific U.S. policy initiatives.  Some 
specific examples include: 
 
-- The Consulate General in Thessaloniki organized a two-day 
seminar on trans-border law enforcement cooperation with a 
special focus on combating TIP, illegal alien smuggling and 
narcotics trafficking.  Experts from Homeland Security, FBI, 
DEA, along with other agencies, provided training to 
approximately 120 police, prosecutors and customs officers 
from Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Romania 
and Moldova. 
 
-- Every year, the Embassy press Section organizes separate 
press roll-outs for the annual TIP and Human Rights reports, 
and provides electronic distribution of these materials. 
 
-- Press placed op-eds in the Greek media on human 
rights-related topics including on the Sudan crisis; 
diplomacy of deeds (about U.S. support for Palestinians, 
Lebanon, AIDS and global disease); and on the anniversaries 
of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, both of which 
focused on the preservation of life and support for human 
rights, 
 
-- The Embassy's official website and our youth-oriented 
website Mosaiko featured articles on human 
rights/democracy-type issues (multiculturalism, volunteerism, 
working with the Rom, etc.) and on the NATO tour for students 
which focuses on NATO and support for democracy. 
 
-- Each year, the Press Section organizes at least one NATO 
tour for students and/or key contacts. 
 
-- Grants through the Public Diplomacy Section have also been 
useful in supporting the defenders of freedom.  In September 
2006, The UNHCR-affiliated Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) 
received an $8,000 ECA grant to fund an IV follow up program 
in Athens.  With Embassy assistance, GCR arranged a 
roundtable discussion with high-ranking Greek policy makers 
to identify systemic weaknesses in the reception and 
resettlement of unaccompanied refugee minors in Greece and to 
shape proposals for improved practices.  Joining the group 
was Kenneth Tota, Chief of Operations of the State 
Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement, who also 
traveled to Thessaloniki to address a similar group of Greek 
officials at a program co-organized by the Stability Pact for 
Southeastern Europe. 
 
GUEST SPEAKERS 
-------------- 
 
¶4. (U) In 2007, our Speakers Program has featured many human 
rights-related guests, including: 
 
-Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy met with students and 
key contacts in Athens to discuss the rule of law as a 
cornerstone of democracy. 
 
-Special Envoy to the Sudan Andrew Natsios who spoke before a 
large audience on the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan. 
 
-Two separate speakers for Marshall Plan anniversary programs 
spoke on the Marshall Plan,s support for democracy and human 
rights. 
 
-Department Legal Advisor John Bellinger spoke to Greek 
officials, NGO activists, and legal community representatives 
on the legal and human rights aspects of the war on terrorism. 
 
-Journalism program:  post organized a speaker program 
focusing on journalism schools which highlighted the 
importance of a free, ethical, and professional media as a 
pillar of democracy. 
 
AMERICAN STUDIES SEMINAR 
------------------------ 
 
¶5. (U) American Studies Seminar:  for the past 13 years, post 
has organized a two-week American studies seminar (one week 
in Thessaloniki) which provides an interdisciplinary history 
 
ATHENS 00001840  003 OF 003 
 
 
lesson on the U.S., emphaszing its democratic institutions 
and their deelopment.  Similarly, over the past seven years, 
the Embassy's IV Selection Committee has allocated 11 IV 
grants to academics, governmentand NGO representatives to 
attend human right-related IV projects with special emphasis 
onTIP.   These projects have served to raise awareness of 
TIP issues among opinion and policy makers. 
 
HOLOCAUST AWARENESS 
------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Over the past six years, the Embassy Athens has been 
instrumental in raising awareness regarding Holocaust 
education and anti-Semitism as part of our public diplomacy 
effort to advance and defend human rights.  Our support 
includes grants in 2004 and 2005 to the Jewish Museum of 
Greece to partially cover costs of the museum's first and 
second conference for educators on "Teaching the Holocaust in 
Greece."  Additionally, post worked closely with Greece to 
encourage its membership in the International Task Force on 
Holocaust Education (Greece became a member in full standing 
last year) and the meeting of obligations that Task Force 
membership implies.  Post has also facilitated periodic 
consultations by representatives from the Holocaust Museum in 
Washington, D.C. and the Department's Office of Holocaust 
Issues. 
 
ELECTRONIC OUTREACH 
------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Finally, the Embassy's Information Resource Center 
(IRC) regularly sends human rights-related materials to key 
contacts.  In 2006/2007, this included: 
 
-Fact sheet on "Human Smuggling vs. Trafficking" to 35 media 
contacts (May 2006). 
 
-Invitations for web chats focusing on combating violence 
against women and the media,s role in fighting corruption 
and human rights abuses. 
 
-TIP 2007 report (sections referring to Greece and the 
Balkans) sent to 780 PD contacts (press, NGOs, academics, and 
government). 
 
-Statement on "U.S. Prohibits All Torture: 103 Troops 
Court-Martialed for Abuse" - Official report on U.S. position 
to U.N Committee Against Torture sent to 55 media contacts 
(May 2006). 
 
-2006 Report on International Religious Freedom sent to 20 
media contacts (religious issues reporters). 
COUNTRYMAN