VZCZCXRO9718
OO RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHTH #2053 2881423
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 151423Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0524
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0050
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0253 C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 002053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2017 
TAGS:            
SUBJECT: GREECE "WON'T BE LAST" EU STATE OPPOSING EU IRAN 
SANCTIONS 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 143223 
      B. ATHENS 2046 
 
Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, A.I. THOMAS COUNTRYMAN.  REASONS 1.4 
(B) AND (D). 
 
 1. (C) On October 12, Charge delivered ref a points on 
French-proposed autonomous EU sanctions on Iran to MFA 
Secretary General Aristides Agathokles.  Charge emphasized 
 
SIPDIS 
that the EU-U.S. common program regarding Iran has been 
amongst the most successful examples of EU-U.S. cooperation 
in recent years and one in which the U.S. has worked hard to 
follow the lead of the EU Three.  We had seen evidence that 
UN sanctions had gotten the attention of the Iranian 
leadership, but as long as Iran could maintain relatively 
normal economic relations with Europe, the Iranian leadership 
was unlikely to stop its nuclear development program.  Thus, 
the EU should support not only UN sanctions but parallel EU 
sanctions as well. 
 
 2. (C) Agathokles granted the force of these arguments and 
noted Greece's desire to stop Iran from developing a nuclear 
capability.  Greece, however, was in a difficult position, 
due to its proximity to Iran and to the readiness of Turkey 
to step in whenever Greece sided with the EU against Iran or 
Syria.  Agathokles cited a recent example of Syria's opening 
ferry service to Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus following 
Greece's decision to join consensus with the EU against Syria 
(exact issue unspecified). 
 
 3. (C) Charge responded that wh, indeed, 
could playot allow its larger 
Qbe subverted by the Greek/thokles concluded by noti 
not be the last EU me 
French-proposed paraIran. 
COUNTRYMAN