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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHIK #0041/01 2880919
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 150919Z OCT 09
FM AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0473
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0349
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0516

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THESSALONIKI 000041 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SMIG SNAR ECON KCRM GR TU
SUBJECT: NORTHERN NOTES - SEPTEMBER 2009 
 
REF: THESSALONIKI 036 
 
THESSALONI 00000041  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  (U) The following summary of last month's major developments 
in Northern Greece contains items on the following topics: 
 
 
 
Political: 
 
 o  Muslim Election Campaign Dynamics in Thrace 
 
 o  Poll Data on Importance of Macedonia Name Issue 
 
 o  Eastern Macedonia and Thrace SecGen Hosts Iftar Dinner 
 
 o  Setback in Permitting of Private Colleges 
 
 
 
Econ/Commerce: 
 
 o Thessaloniki Fair:  Ticket Sales Up; Demonstrations Down 
 
 
 
Organized Crime/Terrorism: 
 
 o  Security Incidents - Bombings and Weapons Trafficking 
 
 o  TIP-related Arrests 
 
 o  Alien Smuggling Arrests 
 
 o  $3mil in Smuggled Cigarettes Seized 
 
 
 
 
 
PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN THRACE 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Local media reported negatively on the elected Mufti 
of Xanthi [NOTE: not recognized by GoG] Ahmed Mete's alleged 
comments in advance of the 04 October national parliamentary 
elections.  Mete is reported to have said that "every vote to a 
Greek [i.e. Christian] will be a tear for the minority" and that 
"voting orders have been sent to all and are very clear."  Local 
papers in Thrace also criticized TV spots that appeared on 
Turkish state television channel TRT [NOTE: broadcast in Turkey 
and received and watched in Thrace via satellite] urging voters 
to vote for "Turks" in the upcoming election and suggesting 
specific candidates to support.  Lastly, Muslim candidates were 
criticized by the Thrace press for conducting their electoral 
campaigns in Turkish, and thereby reinforcing the political 
separation between the two communities in the region. 
 
 
 
MACEDONIA NAME ISSUE TOP FOREIGN POLICY CONCERN FOR NORTHERN 
GREEKS 
 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On September 10, regional press published survey data 
on Northern Greeks' views regarding the country's "national 
issues".  The results showed the Macedonia name issue topping 
the list with 42.4% considering it the nation's highest foreign 
policy priority, followed by Greek-Turkish relations with 31.8% 
and the Cyprus issue with 16.5%.  Regarding specific opinion 
trends on these overarching issues, 74.1% of respondents stated 
they would "definitely not" or "probably not" accept a 
compromise name for the Republic of Macedonia that including the 
specific term "Macedonia."   Also, 70.6% of respondents 
specifically opposed Turkey's accession to the EU on the grounds 
that "geographically, it is not part of Europe", while 57.7% 
were against any European role for Turkey. 
 
 
 
SECRETARY GENERAL OF EASTERN MACEDONIA-THRACE HOSTS IFTAR DINNER 
FOR FIRST TIME EVER 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On September 02, the Secretary General of Eastern 
Macedonia-Thrace Dimitrios Stamatis hosted an Iftar dinner in 
honor of the region's Muslim minority.  It was the first time 
anyone in this office had taken such an initiative and Post 
 
THESSALONI 00000041  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
contacts who are members of the community expressed appreciation 
for Stamatis' efforts.  A Thrace newspaper reported that the 
initiative was received with skepticism by the Turkish Consulate 
in Komotini, whose staff allegedly believed that this was the 
Secretary General's way of attempting to redeem himself for his 
failure to meet the Muslim minority's needs. 
 
 
 
PRIVATE COLLEGE PERMITS INVALID AFTER EVALUATION COMMITTEE 
MEMBERS RESIGN 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) On September 01, two members of the committee 
evaluating applications by private colleges for permits allowing 
them to operate as fully licensed and recognized higher 
educational institutions  resigned, protesting the "inadequate" 
provisions of the process in areas such as faculty credentials, 
facilities standards, curriculum content, etc.  Post's contacts 
believe that the resignations, announced only two days prior to 
the decision to hold snap national parliamentary elections, 
originated from a perceived undesirable political cost rather 
than from truly bureaucratic disagreements. 
 
 
 
THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FAIR (SEPTEMBER 5-13) 
 
 
 
¶6.  (U) The opening day of the Fair saw three large 
anti-government demonstrations that reportedly involved a total 
of 14,000 people (septel).  But despite fire-bomb attacks 
destroying two bank branches and other miscellaneous small 
incidents, press described the day as "the most peaceful in 
years."  On the same day, in his traditional 
state-of-the-economy speech, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis 
announced the relocation of the Fair, beginning in 2010, to a 
new site in the western [underdeveloped] part of Thessaloniki. 
Fair organizers announced an increase of 13% in the number of 
tickets sold this year, compared with 2008.  In total, there 
were 241,000 visitors in 2009.  President of the Fair Dimitrios 
Bakatselos claimed that the institution generated around 550m 
($804m) for Thessaloniki's businesses annually. 
 
 
 
SECURITY INCIDENTS 
 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) On September 02, a time bomb exploded behind the 
Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace.  Earlier, the perpetrators 
placed warning calls to the Athens Police and to a private TV 
channel.  The explosive device consisted of a timer detonator 
and gunpowder that had been placed in a saucepan, which itself 
was concealed inside a telephone switchbox located on the street 
behind the building.  The explosion caused minor material damage 
to the building's windows. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The organization "Conspiracy of Nuclei of Fire" later 
claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement sent 
to the www.Indymedia.gr webpage.  On September 03, eight 
U.S.-made anti-tank rockets were found outside of Thessaloniki 
by the Ministry of Finance's Special Financial Investigation 
Service, following an anonymous telephone tip (reftel).  The 
national police's Counter-Terrorism Squad examined them and 
stated publicly and to Post that there was no apparent link to 
terrorism.  A Thessaloniki prosecutor ordered an investigation 
into whether the discovered weapons had been stolen from a 
military depot. 
 
 
 
¶9.  (SBU) On September 08, Macedonian former basketball player 
Mikhail Misounov was arrested for weapons smuggling and fraud. 
Police found two RPG-7s in his apartment, along with a revolver 
and a pistol.  A number of fraudulent documents, including fake 
Greek national identity cards and official seals also were found 
and confiscated.  Counter-Terrorism Squad sources told Post that 
the case was related to organized crime and not to terrorism. 
They also added that one of the RPGs was a training device. 
 
 
 
HUMAN TRAFFICKING ARRESTS IN THESSALONIKI 
 
THESSALONI 00000041  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
 
 
¶10.  (U) Thessaloniki newspapers reported on September 21 the 
arrest of a Nigerian couple for keeping against her will a 
21-year-old Nigerian relative and forcing her into prostitution. 
 According to the reports, the alleged culprits had "bought" the 
victim from her own father for 55,000 ($80,000) and had 
intimidated her with voodoo threats. 
 
 
 
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ARRESTS IN NORTHERN GREECE 
 
 
 
¶11.  (U) During September, local media reported multiple cases 
of arrests involving a total of 231 illegal immigrants and 24 
smugglers in the eastern region of Thrace (near the 
Greek-Turkish land border).  The illegal immigrants were 
primarily from Burma (83 identified cases), Iraq, Bangladesh, 
Pakistan, and Afghanistan, while the foreign smugglers came from 
Moldova, Romania, Georgia, and Jordan. 
 
 
 
LARGE QUANTITY OF SMUGGLED CIGARETTES CONFISCATED IN THESSALONIKI 
 
 
 
¶12.  (U) Local media reported on September 30 that Thessaloniki 
Customs officers confiscated 759,000 packages of smuggled 
cigarettes that had arrived from China in containers labeled 
"glassware."  If taxed, the shipment would have brought revenue 
estimated at 2,200,000 ($3,200,000).  No arrests were made. 
KAY