VZCZCXYZ0008
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTH #0065 0201338
ZNY CCCCC ZZH(CCY ADX1F0782 MSI4494 540A)
O 201338Z JAN 09 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3037
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA PRIORITY 1342
RUEHVB/AMEMBASSY ZAGREB PRIORITY 0362
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0411 C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000065 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y  PAR 3 GARBLED 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2019 
TAGS:          
SUBJECT: GREECE: UPDATE ON RATIFICATION OF NATO ACCESSION 
PROTOCOLS FOR CROATIA AND ALBANIA 
 
REF: A. ZAGREB 00015 
      B. HOVENIER/HOLTZAPPLE EMAIL OF 1/13/2009 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR DANIEL V. SPECKHARD.  REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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 1.  (C) MFA Secretary General Agathocles told Ambassador 
Speckhard 1/15 that the NATO accession protocols for Croatia 
and Albanian are pending in Parliament and should be approved 
"soon."  Although contacts in the MFA NATO Department and the 
Office of the President of the Parliament report that 
Agathocles was slightly ahead of himself and that the 
protocols have not yet been transferred from the Prime 
Minister's office to the Parliament, they also confirmed that 
the Parliament should vote on the matter in "February or 
early March."  We do not expect the Parliament to object to 
the protocols.  The Croatian Charge has confirmed this is her 
understanding as well, and is not aware of any linkage 
between approval of the protocols and references to 
"Macedonians" in Croatia's Law on Minorities (ref A).  End 
Summary. 
 
 2.  (C) In a 1/15 meeting, Ambassador Speckhard raised with 
MFA Secretary General Agathocles the status of Parliamentary 
approval for the NATO accession protocols for Croatia and 
Albania.  Ambassador Speckhard emphasized our collective 
interest in ensuring that all Allies have completed the 
ratification process well in advance of the April 4 - 5 NATO 
Summit.  Agathocles responded that the protocols were now 
pending "in the Parliament," adding that "we should be 
finished soon." 
 
 3.  (C) A/Political Counselor separately raised the issue 
with Theodoros Daskarolis, the Deputy Director the MFA 
Department for NATO and International Security.  Daskarolis 
confirmed that the accession protocol is "out of the 
ministries", and it is with the Prime Minister's office 
which, following Greek bureaucratic process, must formally 
transfer the protocols to the Parliament for approval. 
Daskarolis said that the protocols had already been reviewed 
by the Ministry of Finance which is a required step for all 
treaties.  Daskarolis added that he expected the Prime 
Minister's office to forward the protocols to Parliament 
later this week or early next week.  Finally, he said the MFA 
expects the protocols to be approved formally by Parliament 
in February or early March at the latest.  A/Political 
Counselor also raised the issue with Alexandros Ioannidis, 
diplomatic advisor to the President of the Greek Parliament. 
Ioannidis confirmed that his office expected to receive the 
accession protocols from the Prime Minister's office "in the 
next few days" and that the President of the Parliament 
intended to have them voted on in "February or early March at 
the latest."  A/Political Counselor emphasized the importance 
of rapid parliamentary review of these protocols.  Ioannidis 
added that it was the assessment of the President of the 
Parliament that approval of these two protocols would not/not 
be problematic. 
 
 4.  (C) A/Political Counselor also spoke with the Croatian 
Charge Mirjana Pusic to follow up on concerns expressed to 
Ambassador Bradtke in Zagreb (ref A).  Pusic said that it was 
her understanding that the accession protocols were "out of 
the Ministry" and "on its way to the Parliament."  When asked 
about inferences that a reference to "Macedonians" in the 
Croatian law of minorities could complicate Greek approval of 
the accession protocols, she responded that no Greek official 
has raised this issue with the Croatian Embassy in Athens nor 
in Zagreb, and she discounted this as a problem. 
SPECKHARD