VZCZCXRO5125
OO RUEHBW RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTH #0736/01 1491518
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 281518Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1877
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000736 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE, EUR/SCE AND ISN; SECDEF FOR DASD DOUGLAS 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  05/27/2018 
TAGS:          
SUBJECT:  PSI: GREECE OBJECTS TO NAME TO BE USED FOR 
MACEDONIA AT 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY EVENT 
 
Classified by A/Pol Counselor Jeff Hovenier for 1.4 (b) and 
(d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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 1.  (C) In a May 28 meeting with DCM, MFA Secretary General 
Agathocles said Greece would "leave" the PSI fifth 
anniversary meeting in Washington, should Macedonia be 
present as "Macedonia" or "Republic of Macedonia." 
Agathocles said Greece had raised its concerns with how PSI 
refers to Macedonia with DOD DASD Douglas on the margins of 
the February 2008 PSI Operational Experts Group (OEG) 
meeting, and thought that this issue had been resolved.  If 
this is not resolved, Greece will be forced to "leave" the 
meeting, as to do otherwise could be misconstrued as a 
change in Greece's position vis-a-vis the name issue.  DCM 
pushed back, suggesting Greece could defend its position by 
stating on the record at the meeting that its participation 
is not and should not be construed as a change in the Greek 
position.  The DCM noted the value the U.S. places on 
Greece's participation in PSI, and urged that Greece remain 
at the PSI event, should the question of Macedonia's 
participation not be resolved on Greece's terms. 
Agathocles said the GOG had considered this option, but had 
concluded it must "leave" the meeting in the event 
Macedonia is present as "Macedonia."  DCM made clear this 
meeting is not intended to send a signal either to Skopje 
or Athens on the name issue, termed any potential Greek 
departure from the meeting unfortunate, and urged that 
responses remain low-key, whatever the outcome.  Agathocles 
said Greece would seek to keep the issue low-key, but added 
that the issue would likely "come out" in public.  End 
Summary. 
 
----------------------------- 
Greek Concerns with PSI Event 
----------------------------- 
 
 2.  (C) Agathocles urgently requested a meeting May 28 in 
response to reports from the Greek Embassy in Washington 
that Macedonia would be participating in the May 28 PSI 5- 
year anniversary event as "Macedonia."  Agathocles began 
the meeting stating that Greece is "astonished" by this 
development.  Agathocles said Amb. Rallis, the head of the 
Greek delegation to the February 2008 meeting in London of 
the PSI OEG had met with the head of the U.S. delegation to 
the OEG, DOD DASD Richard Douglas, and had raised the 
issue, noting that some PSI documents (including the 
Department of State's website listing of PSI participating 
states) had referred to Macedonia as "Macedonia" instead of 
"the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia."  Rallis felt 
that as a result of this meeting, the issue would be 
resolved.  Therefore, the Greek MFA did not follow up with 
Embassy Athens or in Washington. 
 
 3.  (C) Agathocles said he had just spoken with Greek 
Ambassador Mallia`shington, who reported the referred to as "Macedonia" or the 
"Republic of Macedonia," Greece would have "no choice but 
to leave the meeting."  Agathocles said MFA lawyers advised 
that to do otherwise could establish a precedent for claims 
that Greece's position on the name issue had changed and 
that this could be misused by Skopje. 
 
 4.  (C) DCM pushed back making the following points: 
 
-- The U.S. understands the sensitivity of the name issue 
and also highly values Greece's role within PSI.  Greece 
has been a major contributor to PSI and to the OEG. 
 
-- No one in the world - including in Skopje Q could 
mistake the Greek position.  Nobody would take the fact of 
Greek attendance at the PSI meeting as a sign that Greece's 
position on the name issue had changed. 
 
-- Greece could protect its position, however, by stating 
on the record at the meeting that its position on the name 
issue is "known" and that its presence at the meeting 
should in no way be construed as a change in the Greek 
position. 
 
-- Should Greece leave the meeting, it runs the risk of 
 
ATHENS 00000736  002 OF 002 
 
 
leaving the false impression that PSI is not important to 
Greece.  The people at the PSI meeting are experts on 
proliferation, not on the Balkans.  Neither they - nor the 
U.S. officials who actually follow the name issue - would 
easily understand a Greek decision to withdraw entirely 
from an important event rather than to make its legal point 
in an unambiguous but less dramatic manner. 
 
-- Regardless of how this comes out, we also advise that 
Greece not make "too much" of the situation.  This meeting 
is not intended to send signals either to Greece or 
Macedonia on the name issue - it is a meeting about PSI 
matters.  The DCM said he hoped that the MFA had given Amb. 
Mallias explicit instructions not to take the issue to the 
press, regardless of whether it was solved to Greece's 
satisfaction or not. 
 
 5.  (C) Agathocles said that Greece had considered 
carefully its various options, and that he had discussed 
them with FM Bakoyannis.  However, Greece would have no 
choice but to leave the meeting if Macedonia is not seated 
as "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia," or if that 
is not the name used in any documents/statements coming out 
of the meeting.  He said that the GOG will seek to keep the 
issue low-key, and he affirmed that he had already 
instructed Amb. Mallias to this effect, but added that the 
story will likely "get out" in public somehow. 
 
SPECKHARD