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Viewing cable 05ATHENS236, AMBASSADOR'S TOUR D'HORIZON WITH GREEK MOD

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05ATHENS236 2005-01-21 10:40 2011-06-11 08:00 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Athens
Appears in these articles:
http://www.tanea.gr
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000236 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2009 
TAGS: GR MARR PREL AMB
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S TOUR D'HORIZON WITH GREEK MOD 
         SPILIOTOPOULOS 
 
REF: ATHENS 179 
 
Classified By: Amb. Charles P. Ries.  Reasons 1.4(b/d) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY: In their introductory meeting on January 19, 
Greek Defense Minister Spiliotopoulos told the Ambassador 
that Greece was prepared to increase its presence in 
Afghanistan by deploying a Role 2 Medical Unit to Herat. 
Greece was not yet able to lift its caveat to allow Greek 
staff officers to participate in the NATO Training Mission in 
Iraq, but could participate in such a mission outside Iraq. 
Spiliotopoulos highlighted transformation of the Hellenic 
Armed Forces in the near term as a priority.  He also assured 
Ambassador that defense procurement contracts, limited as 
they would be by Greece's severe economic constraints, would 
be transparent and fair.  Spiliotopoulos plans to travel to 
Washington in April, and is interested in a meeting with 
SecDef.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
AFGHANISTAN -- GREECE WILL PROVIDE MEDICAL FACILITY 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 

2.  (C) In their first meeting on January 19, Spiliotopoulos 
told the Ambassador that the Greek Permrep to NATO had 
received instructions to announce Greece would increase its 
participation in ISAF with a Role 2 medical facility for 
Herat. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
GREECE WILLING TO TRAIN IRAQIS, BUT NOT IN IRAQ 
--------------------------------------------- -- 

3.  (C) In response to Ambassador's question about Greek 
participation in Iraq, Spiliotopoulos reiterated reftel 
comments from MFA that Greece was not yet able to authorize 
its NATO/SHAPE officers to travel to Iraq as part of the NATO 
Training Mission-Iraq.  Spiliotopoulos indicated, however, 
that Greece was prepared to support the goal of the NATO 
mission with trainers outside Iraq.  Ambassador underscored 
the opportunity afforded by the January 30 elections in Iraq 
for the Iraqi people to govern themselves; these elections 
must succeed and must be reinforced by an improved security 
situation -- the point of the NATO mission.  Ambassador 
acknowledged that coalition activities in Iraq were not 
popular in Greece, but NATO had nevertheless signed on to 
provide training, and Alliance cohesion must be preserved. 
 
4.  (C)  Ambassador urged Spiliotopoulos to review its 
national caveats.  Of the six NATO Allies still refusing to 
participate in the NATO mission, Greece should not be the 
last to reverse its position.  (NOTE: The Dutch later told us 
that in their lunch with Spiliotopoulos after the 
Ambassador's meeting, Spiliotopoulos raised the NATO training 
mission, expressing some frustration that the U.S. was not 
satisfied with training outside Iraq.  Greece, Spiliotopoulos 
told the Dutch, was fully prepared to train Iraqis "in 
Dubai."  END NOTE.) 
 
5.  (C) Ambassador asked whether Greece would consider 
donating some of its Soviet-era "BMPs" (APCs) to Iraq as 
excess equipment.  Spiliotopoulos claimed Greece was using 
these BMPs at the present time, but did have plans to replace 
them.  Ambassador urged the MOD to review this issue, as the 
BMPs could materially assist security operations by Iraqis. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
TRANSFORMATION UNDERWAY, PROCUREMENT STALLED 
-------------------------------------------- 

6.  (C) Spiliotopoulos, an enthusiastic proponent of 
transformation, briefed Ambassador on his plans to reduce the 
size of the Hellenic Armed Forces from 175,000 to 145,000, to 
focus on modernizing equipment (particularly C4I), and to 
prioritize interoperability and flexibility.  Spiliotopoulos 
claimed that Greece would meet its transformation goals by 
the end of 2005. 
 
7.  (C) Pointing out that while Greece still spent more money 
that any other Ally on defense except (and because of) 
Turkey, Spiliotopoulos noted that defense spending had fallen 
from a high two years ago of 4.5 percent of GNP to roughly 
2.9 percent of GNP.  Greece's dire economic straits were 
affecting procurement, and Spiliotopoulos was facing a 40 
percent decrease in procurement in 2005.  This was the "only 
way" Greece could comply with the EU requirement of 3 percent 
deficit spending.  Spiliotopoulos told Ambassador that the 
Prime Minister had decided to cut defense spending in order 
to salvage social programs.  After 2008, he hoped, Greece 
would be able to increase procurement with an emphasis on 
fighter planes and frigates.  For now, Spiliotopoulos claimed 
the MOD would only have money to pay off existing loans. 
 
8.  (C) Ambassador told Spiliotopoulos that Greece and the 
U.S. had enjoyed excellent defense cooperation in the past, 
and he looked forward to working on transformation and 
procurement issues together.  Ambassador's main priority was 
to ensure a level playing field and a transparent process for 
contracts. 
 
9.  (C) Emphasizing the state-of-the-art equipment available 
from U.S. companies, Ambassador noted that the current 
exchange rate offered excellent value for Greece. 
Spiliotopoulos assured Ambassador that transparency in the 
procurement process was a chief goal.  His staff was working 
on a revised legal framework for defense procurement to 
ensure transparency and to close all the loopholes in Greek 
legislation that had allowed previous questionable defense 
contracts to stand.  Spiliotopoulos noted that some of the 
revised legal framework had been drawn from U.S. 
anti-corruption legislation.  He assured Ambassador that his 
MOD would "stick to the rules of the game and the 
marketplace." 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
FAMILY TIES DON'T EQUAL GOOD BILATERAL RELATIONS 
--------------------------------------------- --- 

10.  (C) In a brief discussion of Turkey, Spiliotopoulos 
noted that while PM Karamanlis and Turkish PM Erdogan enjoyed 
good "family relations", these ties did not translate into 
improved bilateral relations, as recent incidents in the 
Aegean had demonstrated.  Greece had fully and openly 
supported a date for the EU to begin accession negotiations 
with Turkey; unfortunately, he said, Turkey did not yet 
understand that its "unilateral" claims (airspace, 
continental shelf) were unacceptable.  Turkey must respect 
international and European law.  That said, he agreed the 
progress made to put Turkey on a European path should be seen 
as a path to reduce tensions in the Aegean. 
 
-------------------------- 
VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES 
-------------------------- 

11.  (C) At the conclusion of the meeting, MOD Diplomatic 
Advisor Bourliyannis briefed Ambassador on Spiliotopoulos's 
spring travel plans, highlighting a proposed April 10-12 
visit to the U.S. and asking Ambassador to assist with a 
meeting between Spiliotopoulos and SecDef Rumsfeld. 
Spiliotopoulos, who noted he had enjoyed recalling fighter 
pilot days with SecDef, also mentioned that a meeting might 
be possible on the margins of NATO meetings in Nice or at 
Wehrkunde.