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### Viewing cable 07ATHENS550, PROPOSED U.S. STATEMENT ON GREEK ISLAND OF AGIOS

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07ATHENS550 | 2007-03-15 14:59 | 2011-05-30 08:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Athens
Appears in these articles: www.tanea.gr

`

    VZCZCXYZ0023
    OO RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHTH #0550/01 0741459
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 151459Z MAR 07
    FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8459
    INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4652
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
    RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC PRIORITY
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000550

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2017
    TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS NATO GR
    SUBJECT: PROPOSED U.S. STATEMENT ON GREEK ISLAND OF AGIOS
    EFSTRATIOS

    REF: ATHENS 459

    Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES THOMAS COUNTRYMAN.
    REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

    ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The recent dispute between Greece and Turkey
    over the status of the island of Agios Efstratios, which led
    to NATO's cancellation of its participation in a February 27
    exercise, has received major press and government attention
    here.  The GoG instructed its Pemrep to NATO Ambassador Sevas
    to raise it with NATO SYG de Hoop Scheffer, but the SYG
    reportedly declined to get involved.  As DAS Bryza promised
    during his visit to Athens March 13, the U.S. should make a
    statement in the lead-up to, or during, FM Bakoyannis' March
    22 visit to Washington affirming U.S. view that Agios
    Efstratios is not/not a de-militarized island under any
    treaty.  Furthermore, Embassy proposes demarches to Athens
    and Ankara explaining our position and stating firmly our
    wish not to be further involved in their squabbles over
    Aegean islands.  We believe this statement and demarches will
    help stop further deterioration of NATO's reputation in
    Greece and reduce U.S. future involvement in Aegean disputes.
    END SUMMARY.

    SQUABBLING IN THE AEGEAN
    ------------------------

    ¶2. (C) BACKGROUND (see also reftel): The long-standing
    dispute over the status of various islands in the Aegean
    hinges on different interpretations of several treaties that
    designated a dozen or so named Greek islands near Turkey as
    "de-militarized."  Beginning in the 1990s, GoT statements
    have argued that the other several thousand Greek islands not
    named specifically in the treaties may be considered "grey
    zones" of un-determined status.  The latest exchange in this
    debate centers on the de-militarized status of the Greek
    island of Agios Efstratios, which arose in connection with a
    planned NATO exercise on February 27.  The Turkish CAOC 6
    commander advised NATO that the island was "one of the
    demilitarized islands" under international treaties.  Greece
    further muddied the waters by issuing a NOTAM stating that
    Agios Efstratios and the island of Limnos (whose
    de-militarized status, while also debated, has de facto been
    acknowledged by both sides) would be part of the NATO
    exercise area.  NATO withdrew its participation from the
    exercise, citing its long-standing policy not to become
    involved in disagreements between member states.

    ¶3. (C) The cancellation provoked considerable press and
    government consternation in Greece.  Always wary of NATO,
    both interpreted "neutrality" on NATO's part as lending
    support to Turkey's claim that Aegean islands constitute
    undetermined "grey zones."  Embassy has found no evidence or
    precedent to support claims that Agios Efstratios (which is
    not mentioned in any of the relevant treaties) is a
    de-militarized island.  Indeed, following a similar argument
    over the island of Gavdos in 1996, President Clinton stated
    that there was no question about Greek sovereignty.

    GREEK ASKS BRYZA TO STEP IN
    ---------------------------

    ¶4. (C) On the margins of the March 13 Greece-U.S. ECC, Greek
    MFA spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos asked DAS Bryza to make a
    statement affirming the U.S. view that Agios Efstratios is
    not a de-militarized island.  Bryza declined to make an
    immediate statement but committed the U.S. to go on-record on
    the issue in the lead-up to, or during, Greek FM Bakoyannis,
    March 22-23 visit to Washington.

    WHY WE SHOULD DO IT
    -------------------

    ¶5. (C) NATO's ability to conduct exercises near Agios
    Efstratios is not crucial to its operations in the Aegean or
    eastern Mediterranean.  But the wide-spread perception in
    Greece that Turkey can use NATO to score points in disputes
    over islands, and that NATO has no capacity to differentiate
    spurious claims from valid arguments, is extremely damaging
    to NATO's image amongst Greeks, many of whom are reflexively
    anti-American and, by association, critical of NATO.  The GoG
    has run political risks in making even its modest
    contributions to NATO's operations in Afghanistan.  NATO and
    the U.S. cannot expect the GoG to make an effort to
    contribute more to NATO if the Greek public believes that
    NATO is willing to allow itself to be used by Greece's chief
    regional rival.

    PROPOSED PLAN OF ACTION
    -----------------------

    ¶6. (C) At the same time, we have no desire to allow the
    Greeks to use NATO or us in a similar way for their own ends.
     Our goal, thus, is not to maintain a "balance" in relations
    between Greece and Turkey but to avoid being dragged deeper
    into the fray.  Given recent events, we propose the following
    steps to help repair the situation:

    -- During the week of March 19 in the lead-up to FM
    Bakoyannis' March 22-23 visit to Washington, an appropriate
    U.S. official (U/S Burns or DAS Bryza) should make the
    following on-record statement: "the U.S. does not consider
    Agios Efstratios to be de-militarized under any treaty."

    -- We should inform Turkey that this statement is not
    directed against it.  The statement simply expresses our view
    of the new Turkish argument on the status of Agios Efstratios
    and does not imply that we are in any way changing our
    even-handed position on the long-standing disagreement over
    islands like Limnos and Lesvos.  We should also inform Turkey
    that within NATO, we would not support the GoT position on
    Agios Efstratios.

    -- We should inform the Greeks that we intend to issue the
    statement.  If Greece intends to raise the issue further with
    the NATO SYG or in the NAC in order to re-schedule the
    exercise, Greece will have our support, but we will not do
    the heavy lifting for them.

    -- We should further inform Greece that our cooperation in
    NATO and as strategic partners depends on good communication.
     We were disappointed that the GoG released full details to
    the press on the Agios Efstratios incident a full day before
    informing us of its concerns.  The GoG should view the U.S.
    -- and not the Greek press -- as its chief ally on NATO
    issues.

    -- We should also note to the Greeks that it was not helpful
    of them to release a NOTAM in advance of the February 27
    exercise mentioning both Agios Efstratios and Limnos.
    Mentioning the de facto de-militarized island of Limnos, for
    whatever motives, unnecessarily raised tensions and created a
    tit-for-tat atmosphere.  The U.S. is not interested in
    playing such games and does not appreciate either NATO or the
    U.S. being dragged into them.
    COUNTRYMAN

`