VZCZCXRO1704
PP RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHYG
DE RUEHTH #0970/01 1900924
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 080924Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2123
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI PRIORITY 1902

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000970 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ECON KPAO EU GR FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO GREECE ON THE EU PRESIDENCY: WHAT HE 
DIDN'T SAY 
 
ATHENS 00000970  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY AND COMMENT:  Speaking at an "Ambassador's Forum" 
 
sponsored by the Greek MFA in Athens on July 7, French Ambassador 
Christian Farnaud's presentation on his country's goals for the EU 
Presidency, covering the Lisbon Treaty to the Mediterranean Union 
via 
environmental, immigration, agriculture, and defense policy reforms, 
 
was perhaps most notable for what he did not say.  In contrast to 
French President Sarzoky's resonant speech to the Greek Parliament 
last 
month, the envoy was silent on the Macedonia name issue and said 
little 
about Balkan or regional concerns, noting simply that enlargement in 
 
this neighborhood is "in process" and that the French would be 
"impartial" about Turkey's case.  Interestingly, neither he nor 
Greek 
FM Dora Bakoyannis made any direct mention of the United States. 
END 
SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
¶2.  (U)  Introducing the French diplomat, the third to appear in the 
 
"Ambassador's Forum" series (note: following the Portugese envoy 
last 
summer and U.S. Ambassador Speckhard last fall), Greek MFA Spokesman 
 
George Koumoutsakos recalled The Economist magazine's recent 
question: 
Is the EU experiencing a mid-life crisis, some 50 years after the 
Treaty of Rome?  Or should we be counting from its new beginning 
just 
15 years ago, in 1993? 
 
¶3.  (U)  Expanding on this, FM Bakoyannis started by saying that the 
 
French are assuming the EU presidency at a critical time not just 
for 
Europe, but for the world.  "These Qnpean 
Union 
[action], pics and populists claima theme at the end of 
support. We have told our Greek interlocutors that our 
understanding of what transpired is quite different, and that 
the authority to provide support or deny support for an 
exercise rests solely with NATO authorities.  Visiting CC-AIR 
Commander Lt Gen Lee McFann, Commander, NATO Air Component, 
Izmir (U.S.) emphatically told Greek civilian and military 
interlocutors that this issue is a "political problem" and 
that Greek officials must take the matter up with NATO 
political authorities.  We are telling the Greeks that before 
proposing a new exercise they need to ensure that NATO SYG de 
Hoop Scheffer has issued clear, written assurances that he 
will allow the exercise to proceed.  We are also advising the 
Greeks not to force the issue by rescheduling the exercise 
absent such assurances from de Hoop Scheffer, otherwise they 
are headed for a repeat performance.  The Greeks are 
attempting to make this a U.S. problem; we shouldn't let them 
do so.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Agios Efstratios - Recent History 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Although the Turks and Greeks have long disagreed 
about the status of certain islands in the Aegean (ref A) the 
question of the status of the island of Agios Efstratios (AE) 
was first raised in the year 2000 when Turkey raised 
questions related to AE's status in the course of planning 
for a NATO exercise, "Destined Glory 2000."  Prior to that 
date, we are aware of no suggestions that it was anything 
other than Greek sovereign erritory with the same status as 
the rest of reek territory, i.e. with no demilitarized 
sttus.  We are aware that Turkey argues that AE can be tied 
to treaties pre-dating the Lausanne Convention that would 
suggest it may be demlitarized. 
 
¶3.  (C) In 2007, Greece sought NAO support for a training 
exercise "Noble Archr," that included the Limnos Terminal 
MilitaryArea (TMA) as well as AE.  (Limnos, unlike Agios 
Efstratios, is specifically mentioned in the treaties whose 
interpretation is disputed by our two Allies).  After review, 
NATO did not support the exercise, as Limnos has long been 
the subject of a Greek/Turkish dispute (Greece claims that 
the Montreux Convention amended Lausanne provisions allowing 
Greece to "remilitarize" Limnos and Turkey has long 
challenged this claim), and NATO policy has long been to 
avoid exercises related to Limnos.  Following cancellation of 
the exercise, the Greeks expressed concern that its 
cancellation could be construed also to support the more 
recent Turkish claims related to AE.  This led the United 
States to do two things: 
 
-- Then-U/S Nick Burns made a public statement standing next 
to Greek FM Bakoyannis that the United States considered AE 
to be Greek territory, that the U.S. has the impression it is 
not demilitarized, and that this is an issue for NATO to 
review to see if it can reach an arrangement to allow such 
military exercises to proceed (ref A). 
 
-- Privately, U.S. officials in Washington and Athens pressed 
the Greeks to raise Greek concerns with NATO officials -- 
civilian and military. 
 
 
ATHENS 00000970  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The French Ambassador refused to be drawn in when a 
journalist asked a question about the Siemens bribery scandal, 
currently the biggest news story in Greece, with estimates of 
kickbacks 
to politicians here in the run-up to the 2004 general election 
campaign 
and Olympic Games as high as 35 million Euros.  He first answered 
mildly that the EU is a success story when it comes to economic and 
 
commercial issues, "speaking with one voice in the Doha round." 
When 
pressed, he demurred that "Brussels is very vigilant" about 
corruption, 
and referred the journalist to the European Commission, rather than 
the 
EU presidency.  SPECKHARD