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DE RUEHTH #1079 1770711
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 260713Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0337
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
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UNCLAS ATHENS 001079 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT MARR PGOV PHSA PHUM PREL GR
SUBJECT: GREECE AGREES AN INTERNATIONAL PIRACY COURT IS NOT THE RIGHT 
DIRECTION 
 
REF: STATE 58579; ATHENS 735 
 
¶1. (SBU) We delivered ref A non-paper, "An International Piracy 
Court: Not the Right Direction," to the Greek MFA June 9, and 
discussed it in a follow-up meeting with D1 Directorate (UN and IO 
Affairs) Counselor Dimitrios Papandreou and Legal Advisor Fani 
Livada on June 18.  Echoing earlier comments from Greek officials 
(ref B), Papandreou and Livada indicated that Greece shares U.S. 
concerns about an international piracy court.  Livada noted that 
German officials had been pushing the idea with her and other Greek 
officials, but the Greeks had three main objections: 
 
 
 
-- The time lost in establishing such a tribunal. 
 
-- The cost, both for establishing and maintaining the tribunal. 
Livada noted that if the tribunal was established by a UN Security 
Council Resolution, it was unclear how states would be assessed to 
provide contributions. 
 
-- The fact that piracy was a lower order of crime than those for 
which other international tribunals have been established, such as 
genocide, war crimes, and other crimes against humanity. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Livada said that Greek legislation provided for universal 
jurisdiction over piracy, which in theory would permit Greece to 
try in domestic courts any piracy cases that occurred in 
international waters, regardless of whether Greek interests were 
victims.  She said Greece was pleased with the Kenya arrangement, 
but she acknowledged that even if other regional countries agreed 
to take some pirates we would eventually reach the limit of their 
capacity.  She said it was Greece's position that the flag of the 
ship attacked by pirates was the primary factor determining 
responsibility.  She added that Greece would be hesitant to start 
accepting pirates for prosecution as long as other major states 
were taking few if any pirates for prosecution. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Papandreou and Livada expressed strong support for 
continued close cooperation with the U.S. in the fight against 
piracy, including through the Contract Group on Piracy off the 
Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) where they have both taken part in working 
group meetings.  Papandreou stressed the importance of greater 
information and intelligence sharing, including information gained 
from trials and interrogations of pirates in Kenya. 
SPECKHARD