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DE RUEHTH #1485/01 2611414
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 181414Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0697
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA IMMEDIATE 0144
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA IMMEDIATE 0024

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 001485 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/09/18 
TAGS: PREL PGOV TU CY SENV GR RS PTER FMC SMIG IMO ECON
SUBJECT: PASOK Official Foreshadows Foreign Policy Priorities 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Daniel V. Speckhard, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
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Summary 
 
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¶1. (C) PolCouns and PolOff met with PASOK International Secretary 
Paulina Lampsa September 10 for a wide-ranging discussion on the 
October 4 elections and PASOK ambitions for Greek foreign and 
economic  policy.   With PASOK currently polling ahead of Prime 
Minister Karamanlis' ND party, Lampsa revealed PASOK is trying to 
keep hot-button foreign policy issues out of the campaign and is 
intently focused on a strategic communications strategy.  Lampsa 
also speculated that PASOK party leader George Papandreou might 
also act as Foreign Minister, should PASOK secure a parliamentary 
majority post-October 4.  The discussion shed light on emerging 
PASOK foreign policy priorities, to include development assistance, 
maritime security and migration, as well as traditional Greek 
foreign policy issues related to Turkey and Cyprus. 
 
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Papandreou as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister? 
 
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¶2. (C) Referencing Papandreou's time as Greece's Foreign Minister 
(1999-2004) Lampsa estimated that, if PASOK secures a majority in 
the October 4 national elections, Papandreou would either act as 
the Foreign Minister himself, or appoint a Foreign Minister with 
views close to his own that was not looking to gain more power in 
the party through the position.  The ideal candidate would have 
prestige but not party ambition.  Moreover, Lampsa said that 
Papandreou's current advisors - many of whom served under him in 
the MFA during his time as Foreign Minister - were encouraging him 
to take on the role of Foreign Minister because they did not want 
to shift to working for another Foreign Minister. 
 
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Criticism of PM Karamanlis and ND 
 
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3.(C)  When prompted to discuss how Greek foreign policy would 
differ should opposition party PASOK beat out PM Karamanlis' ruling 
ND party, Lampsa criticized Karamanlis' close relationships with 
the Russians and said that Greece under PASOK would be more 
oriented toward economic and national interests rather than making 
concessions to Russia and China.  Lampsa specifically expressed a 
desire to see more balance in Greece's relationship with Russia, 
particularly regarding energy security.  PolCouns reiterated that 
the United States is not opposed to Russian  energy exports 
flowing to Greece but supports a balanced approach and one that 
avoids any one country monopolizing the energy market. 
 
¶4.  (C) PASOK would also develop more proactive  foreign policies 
than ND, she said, rather than maintain the status quo or be 
reactive.  Lampsa referenced PASOK party leader George Papandreou's 
leadership of Socialist International as a means of leveraging 
international influence and building international partnerships. 
 
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US-Greek Cooperation Would Improve...From A Distance 
 
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¶5. (C) Regarding relations with the United States, Lampsa predicted 
that collaboration would "continue and very likely improve" under a 
PASOK -majority government.  She noted continued support for 
working together on issue such as the Middle East peace process, 
the environment, Afghanistan and trade but also noted that PASOK 
needs a well-prepared communications strategy to distance 
Papandreou from right-wing claims that he is an American, which 
could pander to lingering Greek anti-Americanism and hurt 
Papandreou in the polls.  (Note: Papandreou was in fact born in the 
United States and in the past has faced political and media 
criticism for being too "American." End Note) 
 
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PASOK Priorities - Development, Security 
 
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¶6. (C)  Lampsa also noted emerging foreign policy priorities, to 
include development assistance, maritime security, terrorism and 
migration. Regarding maritime security, Lampsa felt that Greece 
needing to modernize its approach and prepare for new threats. 
PolCouns noted that there has been an ongoing discussion regarding 
a code of conduct for maritime security, piracy and 
counterterrorism.  He mentioned that the United States was signing 
the New York Declaration on best practices for self-protection of 
vessels, and encouraged Greece, a major maritime presence, to 
become a signatory as well. 
 
¶7. (C)  Lastly, Lampsa noted that PASOK foreign policy would focus 
more attention on counterterrorism measures and money laundering. 
She expressed concern that Greece - as host to large numbers of 
Western tourists- was vulnerable to terrorism and noted that an 
international terrorist attack could have a very large impact on 
the Greek psyche and on the tourism economy. 
 
 
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Migration 
 
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¶8. (C)  PolCouns raised the issue of possible linkages between 
terrorism and migration and inquired about the PASOK strategy for 
combating illegal immigration.  Lampsa revealed that Papandreou is 
personally interested in the migration issue and that a 
comprehensive strategy on migration would need to entail improved 
cooperation with neighboring countries and better control of the 
movement of illegal immigrants within Greece, while still 
maintaining standards for fair treatment and human rights.  She saw 
a need to distinguish between trafficking victims and illegal 
immigrants and noted that neither issue would be a problem if local 
Greeks were not aiding the process.  Lampsa asserted that the 
government must define what immigration is needed to support the 
Greek economy and wants more control to outline who can come to 
Greece and for what purpose, through seasonal worker agreements. 
PolCouns recommended working directly with Turkey to address the 
illegal immigration flow but Lampsa felt Greece would need to 
improve relations with Turkey overall before this would be 
possible. 
 
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Turkey and Cyprus 
 
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¶9. (C)  Although Papandreou likes to cite his work toward 
rapprochement with Turkey during his tenure as Foreign Minister as 
an indication of good relations to come, Lampsa acknowledged that, 
ten years later, the players in Turkey are now different.  However, 
she feels Papandreou would have more credibility with Turkey in its 
pledge to support Turkish EU accession.  She argued that Turkey was 
suspicious of the current ND government's pledge of support for 
Turkish EU accession, given its close relationship with the French 
government. 
 
¶10. (C)   Lampsa views the Cyprus issue as the most important issue 
in improving relations with Turkey.  If the dispute between Greek 
Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots is resolved, it would help to resolve 
other Aegean issues and forge the way for better cooperation in 
areas such as combating illegal immigration.  Acknowledging that 
"time is running out on Cyprus," Lampsa stressed that even if a 
comprehensive agreement on Cyprus cannot be forged, PASOK would 
support striking a partial solution and partial agreement, in order 
to "keep the door open." 
 
¶11. (C)   Lampsa acknowledged that Greece should focus on more 
global issues but also commented on how local neighborhood issues 
such as the Turkey, Cyprus and the Macedonia name issue need to be 
"gotten out of the way." 
 
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Economy 
 
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¶12. (C)  With debate over the economy at the forefront of the 
national election campaign, Lampsa argued that the Greek middle 
class expects a more socialized approach to the economy and that 
structural changes are needed in order to change legislation and 
the current bureaucracy impeding foreign investment and economic 
 
growth.  Addressing economic issues in Greece is also essential to 
maintaining credibility in Brussels and with other E.U. member 
states, she argued.  Lampsa also expressed interest in 
collaborating with the United States in order to develop Greece's 
green economy and, in particular, hoped to see more U.S. 
state-to-Greek prefecture collaboration on issues such as renewable 
energy. 
 
¶13. (C)   Comment: While careful not to explicitly say so, Lampsa 
gave the impression that PASOK foreign policy moves would be "well 
prepared" in terms of communication and  would not be a dramatic 
break at the start of the new government.   The overall message 
that Greek foreign policy under PASOK would be fairly similar - at 
least to start - corroborates with statements that Lampsa made in 
meetings prior to the announcement of early elections.  End Comment 
Speckhard