VZCZCXRO8524
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHTH #0842 1650958
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130958Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1988
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 5181
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA PRIORITY 2949
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 2026
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI PRIORITY 1891
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0970
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE PRIORITY 1187
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1023
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0258 UNCLAS ATHENS 000842 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:        
SUBJECT: GREEK, TURKISH JOURNALISTS BRING "EARTHQUAKE 
DIPLOMACY" FULL CIRCLE IN CRETE 
 
 
 1.  (SBU) Meeting for the fifth time since 1999's 
"earthquake diplomacy" brought them together openly, some 
70 members of the loosely-organized "Contact Group of Greek 
and Turkish Journalists" spent the weekend of June 6-8 at a 
luxury resort in Crete.  Greece's Minister of Tourism (and 
former government spokesman) Aris Spiliotopoulos sponsored 
the event, with Turkey's Minister of State Mehmet Aydin. 
The group is co-chaired ` hQess Courpiece of the Q by 
Athens-based Kappa Q 
public o0@reeks and Turks, alongside 
a fair amount of curiosity about one another.  For example, 
only 13 percent of the Greeks felt that bilateral relations 
would be "peaceful" and "cooperative" a decade from now, 
versus 55 percent of Turks.  Still, about a quarter of the 
Greeks questioned had travelled to Turkey, and many more 
said they would go to Istanbul by 2010, when it is the 
designated European cultural capital.  Among the few 
surprises on foreign policy, the survey showed that 40 
percent of the Turks questioned were ready to adopt 
Greece?s position on the Macedonia name issue in exchange 
for support of their own EU aspirations.  On perceptions of 
the media, identical percentages (54 and 56 percent) agreed 
that what they read, hear, and see at home "cultivates 
tensions."  Support for meetings between journalists like 
this one was slightly stronger on the Turkish side. 
 
 3.  (SBU) Comment:  Past such gatherings took place under 
the sponsorship of the two countries' Foreign Ministers, 
and these very senior, very seasoned Greek and Turkish 
opinion makers were clearly quite comfortable together. 
But fundamental philosophical differences remain.  The 
Greek journalists complained to us that their Turkish 
counterparts won't engage politically; the Turks told us 
that they just can't go there, being journalists rather 
than politicians...especially now, given the uncertainty 
about Turkey's domestic political situation and European 
Union prospects.  After nine years, this cycle of 
"earthquake diplomacy" is complete, one of the Greek 
organizers remarked, but it is not clear that the group 
will move to register as an NGO anytime soon. 
 
 4.  (U) Ambassador, IO, and Embassy Athens' senior 
Information Specialist attended the event, while the 
Russian and Chinese embassies regretted.  The Turkish 
Embassy press attache was present, but the country?s 
Ambassador to Greece regretted.  SPECKHARD