VZCZCXRO6851
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHTH #2295 3341258
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301258Z NOV 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0838
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0276

UNCLAS ATHENS 002295 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNGA IS GR
SUBJECT: UNGA: GREECE WILL FOLLOW EU LINE ON ANTI-ISRAEL 
RESOLUTIONS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 159386 
 
¶1. (SBU) DepPolCouns delivered reftel points on anti-Israel 
UNGA resolutions to Ambassador Alexandros Rallis, Deputy Head 
of the MFA D1 Directorate for International Organizations, 
and to Giorgos Ayfantis, Deputy Head of the MFA A6 
Directorate for Arab and Middle East Issues.  DepPolCons 
stressed the importance of a Greek "no" vote on the 
resolutions or, at least, an abstention or absence from the 
voting, as Greece had done previously. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Rallis said he informed FM Bakoyannis' office 
regarding the U.S. position and expected Greece to follow the 
EU consensus position.  Rallis believed that, at a minimum, 
this would mean an abstention or absence from the voting, 
though he was unable to provide precise details on Greece's 
or the EU's intentions. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ayfantis further explained that if no common EU 
position took shape, Greece would evaluate the issue and make 
its decision on how to vote.  He said the U.S. demarche would 
be "decisive" in helping Greece formulate its position, but 
he too could not provide a definitive answer regarding 
Greece's intentions.  Ayfantis also claimed that Greece's 
ambassador to the UN had considerable discretion on such 
matters.  Because events often developed quickly and Athens 
was usually already closed for business when votes took place 
in NYC, the ambassador often had to make quick decisions on 
votes without instructions from the capital. 
COUNTRYMAN