2013-02-02 17:03:45
Μέχρι σήμερα είχε χιλιοειπωθεί πως σημαντικό ρόλο για την «ακύρωση» της συμφωνίας Ελλάδας – Αλβανίας για τα θαλάσσια σύνορα έπαιξαν η Τουρκία και η Ιταλία, σήμερα η αλβανική εφημερίδα “SOT” επικαλείται δηλώσεις του αμερικανού πρέσβη των ΗΠΑ, Aleksander Arvizu, ο οποίος φέρεται να είπε σε συνάντηση που είχε προ ημερών με τον ηγέτη των Ερυθρόμαυρων Εθνικιστών της Αλβανίας πως "ο Μπερίσα έκανε παζάρια με την Αθήνα για το θέμα των θαλάσσιων συνόρων και δεν πρόδωσε μόνο τα συμφέροντα της Αλβανίας αλλά και τα συμφέροντα των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών της Αμερικής, κατηγορώντας τον ταυτόχρονα πως υπέγραψε κρυφά την «πώληση» της θάλασσας".
Μάλιστα ο αμερικανός πρέσβης Aleksander Arvizu εξέφρασε την εκτίμηση του προς όλους τους πολιτικούς παράγοντες που κατήγγειλαν την θαλάσσια συμφωνία, ενώ σχολίασε και τον τρόπο με τον οποίο η αλβανική πλευρά απέρριψε την συμμέτοχη των ΗΠΑ στις διαπραγματεύσεις μετά από υποτιθέμενες ισχυρές πιέσεις της Αθήνας.
Ο Αρβιζού δήλωσε επίσης ότι, «αν η αμερικανική πρεσβεία στα Τίρανα θα λάμβανε μέρος στις διαπραγματεύσεις, η συμφωνία θα ήταν διαφανής και δεν θα πέρναγε στην βουλή».
Το απόρρητο τηλεγράφημα των ΗΠΑ για την θαλάσσια συμφωνία Ελλάδας – Αλβανίας
Η σύγκρουση του Μπερίσα με τις ΗΠΑ για την θαλάσσια συμφωνία επιβεβαιώνεται και σε ένα από τα απόρρητα τηλεγραφήματα που έστειλε η αμερικανική πρεσβεία στα Τίρανα προς το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών των ΗΠΑ. Το τηλεγράφημα με κωδικό 08TIRANA745 το οποίο απεστάλη τον Οκτώβριο του 2008 έχει χαρακτηριστεί ως εμπιστευτικό και είχε ως τίτλο: «Η Ελλάδα ασκεί πίεση στην Αλβανία για το θέμα των συνόρων και των νεκροταφείων».
Στο τηλεγράφημα η αμερικανική πρεσβεία εξηγεί το πώς η Αθήνα πίεσε τον Μπερίσα να κρατήσει μακριά από τις διαπραγματεύσεις του αμερικανούς.
«Κατά τη διάρκεια των πρόσφατων συνομιλιών στα Τίρανα, ο Έλληνας αξιωματούχος επικεφαλής της αντιπροσωπείας έδωσε τελεσίγραφο προς την Αλβανική κυβέρνηση. Η ελληνική κυβέρνηση μπορεί να αποδειχθεί πρόθυμη να συμβιβαστεί όσον αφορά τα θαλάσσια σύνορα κοντά στην Κέρκυρα(πιθανώς λόγω των υφιστάμενων αμερικανικών στρατιωτικών ενδιαφέρον για την οικοδόμηση μιας αμερικανικής στρατιωτικής βάσης στο Jal, στη Νότια Αλβανία). Ωστόσο, ο Έλληνας αξιωματούχος προειδοποίησε την αλβανική αντιπροσωπεία, για την εκπλήρωση και της άλλης απαίτησης, την διατήρηση «των μακρινών δυνάμεων», και συγκεκριμένα των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών της Αμερικής, εκτός των συνομιλιών" - αναφέρει μεταξύ άλλων το απόρρητο διπλωματικό τηλεγράφημα.
Ακολουθεί ολόκληρο το τηλεγράφημα της Αμερικανικής πρεσβείας στα Τίρανα με τίτλο «Η Ελλάδα ασκεί πίεση στην Αλβανία για το θέμα των συνόρων και των νεκροταφείων»Reference IDCreatedClassificationOrigin08TIRANA7452008-10-09 13:28CONFIDENTIALEmbassy TiranaVZCZCXRO2226
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTI #0745/01 2831328
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091328Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7494
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 3531
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 2419
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITYC O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000745
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV GR AL
SUBJECT: GREECE PRESSURING ALBANIA ON BORDER, CEMETERY ISSUES
Classified By: CDA Stephen A. Cristina, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
¶1. (C) Summary: The Greek government is pressuring the GOA
to
accept its demands in bilateral negotiations to demarcate
the two countries' maritime border. Athens is also
threatening to refuse to ratify Albania's Stabilization and
Association Agreement with the EU over a contentious issue
involving Greek military cemeteries in Albania, in what the
GOA views as a repeat of Greek blackmail used against
Macedonia's NATO membership ambitions. Talks on the cemetery
Issue continue after the latest round of negotiations on
September 30
ended inconclusively. End Summary.
ALBANIA: GREECE MANIPULATING BORDER DEMARCATION METHODS
--------------------------------------------- ----------
¶2. (C) According to Ledia Hysi,
Director of Legal Affairs and Treaties at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, The Albanian and Greek governments have been
negotiating for several months to demarcate their maritime
border. The negotiations have
encountered multiple problems due to what she described as
the Greeks' "double standard" by using different
demarcation methods for different portions of the
coastline, while Albania uses one standard baseline
demarcation system employed under existing international
conventions. In other words, the Albanians charge
the Greeks with cherry-picking the most favorable borders
by using different
demarcation methods for separate points of the border.
During one
of the recent negotiating sessions in Tirana, the Greek
official heading the delegation gave his Albanian
counterpart an ultimatum. The Greek Government would be
willing to compromise on the maritime border near Corfu
(reportedly due to existing American military interests to
build a U.S. military installation in Jale, Southern
Albania). However, the Greek official warned the Albanian
delegation to comply with their other requests and to keep
"distant powers," namely the U.S, out of the negotiations.
An identical phrase was also used in a meeting in Tirana
by the Greek Ambassador during a meeting with Foreign
Minister Basha.
BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING UNREASONABLE DEMANDS?
--------------------------------------------- -
¶3. (C) Another contentious issue between Athens and Tirana
is Greek demands to build up to four
military cemeteries in southern and eastern Albania to
commemorate Greek soldiers who died in Albania fighting
Italian forces in 1920. The GOA opposes the Greek proposal
because it objects to Athens' plan for foreign military
cemeteries on Albanian soil that would be based on a
separate religious and ethnic identity, and also for giving
Athens a toehold to exercise historical Greek territorial
claims to southern Albania. In spite of repeated demands
by the GOA to establish an independent commission of
experts to determine the issue, Athens has always
maintained that the cemeteries issue is a "take it or leave
it" proposition.
¶4. (C) On September 30, Greek and Albanian negotiators
met in Tirana but failed again to hash out an agreement
on the cemetery issue. According to the Albanian Director
General
for Regional Affairs and chief negotiator,
Islam Lauka, the Albanians rejected a Greek
demand for four cemeteries in southern Albania, offering
instead one cemetery in Tirana. (NOTE: The remains of
British,
German and most other foreign troops killed in Albania during
WWI, WWII and the Balkan Wars were gathered and interred in
Tirana.
The remains of Italian troops were gathered and returned to
Italy. No
foreign troops have been buried in Albania "on the
battlefield," as
the Greek government has requested. END NOTE.)
¶5. (C) According to Lauka, after rejecting the initial Greek
offer,
the Albanian side agreed to allow one Greek cemetery in
southern Albania -
an offer Lauka characterized as a major concession, given the
fact that
all other cemeteries for foreign troops are in Tirana. The
TIRANA 00000745 002 OF 002
Greeks
made a counter-offer for 2 cemeteries in the south, with an
option for a
third cemetery later. The GOA turned down the Greek
proposal, thus ending
the talks inconclusively.
¶6. (C) Lauka noted that as it became clear to the Greek side
that
the talks were not going as planned, one of the Greek
negotiators told Lauka that because of domestic political
considerations it would be unacceptable for the Greeks "to go
home empty handed." Lauka told the Greek team that the
Albanians had their own domestic political considerations to
worry about
as well, referring to the ethnic-Albanian Cham population
that was expelled
from Greece following WWII and has ongoing property
restitution claims
with the government of Greece (to be reported septel).
GREECE THREATENS TO BLOCK ALBANIA SAA
-------------------------------------
¶7. (C) During a previous round of negotiations over the
cemeteries,
after passing the message to keep Washington out of the
negotiations, the Greeks gave the Albanians a second,
stronger ultimatum. While Albania's Stabilization and
Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union has
been ratified so far by 22 EU countries, Greece is among
the last three states that so far have not. The Greek
Ambassador told Basha that if the GOA does not agree to
Athens' terms regarding the military cemeteries, then the
Greek parliament will never ratify the SAA. He also told
Basha that on the same day that Albania signs off on the
cemeteries issue, the Greek Parliament will ratify Albania's
SAA. On the issue of the countries' maritime border -
and in spite of the fact that the Greek negotiating stance
is contrary to international conventions - Athens has said
that the border will either be agreed upon on its terms or
not at all. Hysi said the Greek position was a serious
threat to the long-term development of the southern coastal
area, as it will create obstacles for tourism, transport,
fishing, seabed oil and gas exploitation, and that it could
even lead to territorial incidents with Greece. With
memories still fresh over Athens' veto of Macedonia's NATO
invitation, the GOA believes the Greek positions on the
maritime border and the cemeteries issues to be serious
threats to Albanian interests and sovereignty.
COMMENT
-------
¶8. (C) The GOA at this point does not seem overly worried
about Greece's threat to block SAA ratification, apparently
believing
that as long as Albania continues to make a good-faith effort
to continue talks the Greeks won't want to isolate themselves
within the EU over an issue other EU countries will likely
see
as minor.
But in the wake of Greek success in blocking Macedonia's
NATO aspirations, the Albanians aren't convinced either that
the
Greeks are merely bluffing. At this point the GOA has not
asked for
U.S. assistance or intervention with Greece, preferring to
work
this out with the Greeks themselves.
CRISTINA
CRISTINA
http://aftonomi.gr/politiki/item/1173-presbis-ton-ipa-sta-tirana-i-symfonia-mperisa-gia-ta-thalassia-sinora-einai-enantia-sta-amerikanika-symferonta.html
GeopoliticsDailyNews
Μάλιστα ο αμερικανός πρέσβης Aleksander Arvizu εξέφρασε την εκτίμηση του προς όλους τους πολιτικούς παράγοντες που κατήγγειλαν την θαλάσσια συμφωνία, ενώ σχολίασε και τον τρόπο με τον οποίο η αλβανική πλευρά απέρριψε την συμμέτοχη των ΗΠΑ στις διαπραγματεύσεις μετά από υποτιθέμενες ισχυρές πιέσεις της Αθήνας.
Ο Αρβιζού δήλωσε επίσης ότι, «αν η αμερικανική πρεσβεία στα Τίρανα θα λάμβανε μέρος στις διαπραγματεύσεις, η συμφωνία θα ήταν διαφανής και δεν θα πέρναγε στην βουλή».
Το απόρρητο τηλεγράφημα των ΗΠΑ για την θαλάσσια συμφωνία Ελλάδας – Αλβανίας
Η σύγκρουση του Μπερίσα με τις ΗΠΑ για την θαλάσσια συμφωνία επιβεβαιώνεται και σε ένα από τα απόρρητα τηλεγραφήματα που έστειλε η αμερικανική πρεσβεία στα Τίρανα προς το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών των ΗΠΑ. Το τηλεγράφημα με κωδικό 08TIRANA745 το οποίο απεστάλη τον Οκτώβριο του 2008 έχει χαρακτηριστεί ως εμπιστευτικό και είχε ως τίτλο: «Η Ελλάδα ασκεί πίεση στην Αλβανία για το θέμα των συνόρων και των νεκροταφείων».
Στο τηλεγράφημα η αμερικανική πρεσβεία εξηγεί το πώς η Αθήνα πίεσε τον Μπερίσα να κρατήσει μακριά από τις διαπραγματεύσεις του αμερικανούς.
«Κατά τη διάρκεια των πρόσφατων συνομιλιών στα Τίρανα, ο Έλληνας αξιωματούχος επικεφαλής της αντιπροσωπείας έδωσε τελεσίγραφο προς την Αλβανική κυβέρνηση. Η ελληνική κυβέρνηση μπορεί να αποδειχθεί πρόθυμη να συμβιβαστεί όσον αφορά τα θαλάσσια σύνορα κοντά στην Κέρκυρα(πιθανώς λόγω των υφιστάμενων αμερικανικών στρατιωτικών ενδιαφέρον για την οικοδόμηση μιας αμερικανικής στρατιωτικής βάσης στο Jal, στη Νότια Αλβανία). Ωστόσο, ο Έλληνας αξιωματούχος προειδοποίησε την αλβανική αντιπροσωπεία, για την εκπλήρωση και της άλλης απαίτησης, την διατήρηση «των μακρινών δυνάμεων», και συγκεκριμένα των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών της Αμερικής, εκτός των συνομιλιών" - αναφέρει μεταξύ άλλων το απόρρητο διπλωματικό τηλεγράφημα.
Ακολουθεί ολόκληρο το τηλεγράφημα της Αμερικανικής πρεσβείας στα Τίρανα με τίτλο «Η Ελλάδα ασκεί πίεση στην Αλβανία για το θέμα των συνόρων και των νεκροταφείων»Reference IDCreatedClassificationOrigin08TIRANA7452008-10-09 13:28CONFIDENTIALEmbassy TiranaVZCZCXRO2226
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTI #0745/01 2831328
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091328Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7494
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 3531
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 2419
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITYC O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000745
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV GR AL
SUBJECT: GREECE PRESSURING ALBANIA ON BORDER, CEMETERY ISSUES
Classified By: CDA Stephen A. Cristina, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
¶1. (C) Summary: The Greek government is pressuring the GOA
to
accept its demands in bilateral negotiations to demarcate
the two countries' maritime border. Athens is also
threatening to refuse to ratify Albania's Stabilization and
Association Agreement with the EU over a contentious issue
involving Greek military cemeteries in Albania, in what the
GOA views as a repeat of Greek blackmail used against
Macedonia's NATO membership ambitions. Talks on the cemetery
Issue continue after the latest round of negotiations on
September 30
ended inconclusively. End Summary.
ALBANIA: GREECE MANIPULATING BORDER DEMARCATION METHODS
--------------------------------------------- ----------
¶2. (C) According to Ledia Hysi,
Director of Legal Affairs and Treaties at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, The Albanian and Greek governments have been
negotiating for several months to demarcate their maritime
border. The negotiations have
encountered multiple problems due to what she described as
the Greeks' "double standard" by using different
demarcation methods for different portions of the
coastline, while Albania uses one standard baseline
demarcation system employed under existing international
conventions. In other words, the Albanians charge
the Greeks with cherry-picking the most favorable borders
by using different
demarcation methods for separate points of the border.
During one
of the recent negotiating sessions in Tirana, the Greek
official heading the delegation gave his Albanian
counterpart an ultimatum. The Greek Government would be
willing to compromise on the maritime border near Corfu
(reportedly due to existing American military interests to
build a U.S. military installation in Jale, Southern
Albania). However, the Greek official warned the Albanian
delegation to comply with their other requests and to keep
"distant powers," namely the U.S, out of the negotiations.
An identical phrase was also used in a meeting in Tirana
by the Greek Ambassador during a meeting with Foreign
Minister Basha.
BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING UNREASONABLE DEMANDS?
--------------------------------------------- -
¶3. (C) Another contentious issue between Athens and Tirana
is Greek demands to build up to four
military cemeteries in southern and eastern Albania to
commemorate Greek soldiers who died in Albania fighting
Italian forces in 1920. The GOA opposes the Greek proposal
because it objects to Athens' plan for foreign military
cemeteries on Albanian soil that would be based on a
separate religious and ethnic identity, and also for giving
Athens a toehold to exercise historical Greek territorial
claims to southern Albania. In spite of repeated demands
by the GOA to establish an independent commission of
experts to determine the issue, Athens has always
maintained that the cemeteries issue is a "take it or leave
it" proposition.
¶4. (C) On September 30, Greek and Albanian negotiators
met in Tirana but failed again to hash out an agreement
on the cemetery issue. According to the Albanian Director
General
for Regional Affairs and chief negotiator,
Islam Lauka, the Albanians rejected a Greek
demand for four cemeteries in southern Albania, offering
instead one cemetery in Tirana. (NOTE: The remains of
British,
German and most other foreign troops killed in Albania during
WWI, WWII and the Balkan Wars were gathered and interred in
Tirana.
The remains of Italian troops were gathered and returned to
Italy. No
foreign troops have been buried in Albania "on the
battlefield," as
the Greek government has requested. END NOTE.)
¶5. (C) According to Lauka, after rejecting the initial Greek
offer,
the Albanian side agreed to allow one Greek cemetery in
southern Albania -
an offer Lauka characterized as a major concession, given the
fact that
all other cemeteries for foreign troops are in Tirana. The
TIRANA 00000745 002 OF 002
Greeks
made a counter-offer for 2 cemeteries in the south, with an
option for a
third cemetery later. The GOA turned down the Greek
proposal, thus ending
the talks inconclusively.
¶6. (C) Lauka noted that as it became clear to the Greek side
that
the talks were not going as planned, one of the Greek
negotiators told Lauka that because of domestic political
considerations it would be unacceptable for the Greeks "to go
home empty handed." Lauka told the Greek team that the
Albanians had their own domestic political considerations to
worry about
as well, referring to the ethnic-Albanian Cham population
that was expelled
from Greece following WWII and has ongoing property
restitution claims
with the government of Greece (to be reported septel).
GREECE THREATENS TO BLOCK ALBANIA SAA
-------------------------------------
¶7. (C) During a previous round of negotiations over the
cemeteries,
after passing the message to keep Washington out of the
negotiations, the Greeks gave the Albanians a second,
stronger ultimatum. While Albania's Stabilization and
Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union has
been ratified so far by 22 EU countries, Greece is among
the last three states that so far have not. The Greek
Ambassador told Basha that if the GOA does not agree to
Athens' terms regarding the military cemeteries, then the
Greek parliament will never ratify the SAA. He also told
Basha that on the same day that Albania signs off on the
cemeteries issue, the Greek Parliament will ratify Albania's
SAA. On the issue of the countries' maritime border -
and in spite of the fact that the Greek negotiating stance
is contrary to international conventions - Athens has said
that the border will either be agreed upon on its terms or
not at all. Hysi said the Greek position was a serious
threat to the long-term development of the southern coastal
area, as it will create obstacles for tourism, transport,
fishing, seabed oil and gas exploitation, and that it could
even lead to territorial incidents with Greece. With
memories still fresh over Athens' veto of Macedonia's NATO
invitation, the GOA believes the Greek positions on the
maritime border and the cemeteries issues to be serious
threats to Albanian interests and sovereignty.
COMMENT
-------
¶8. (C) The GOA at this point does not seem overly worried
about Greece's threat to block SAA ratification, apparently
believing
that as long as Albania continues to make a good-faith effort
to continue talks the Greeks won't want to isolate themselves
within the EU over an issue other EU countries will likely
see
as minor.
But in the wake of Greek success in blocking Macedonia's
NATO aspirations, the Albanians aren't convinced either that
the
Greeks are merely bluffing. At this point the GOA has not
asked for
U.S. assistance or intervention with Greece, preferring to
work
this out with the Greeks themselves.
CRISTINA
CRISTINA
http://aftonomi.gr/politiki/item/1173-presbis-ton-ipa-sta-tirana-i-symfonia-mperisa-gia-ta-thalassia-sinora-einai-enantia-sta-amerikanika-symferonta.html
GeopoliticsDailyNews
ΦΩΤΟΓΡΑΦΙΕΣ
ΜΟΙΡΑΣΤΕΙΤΕ
ΔΕΙΤΕ ΑΚΟΜΑ
ΠΡΟΗΓΟΥΜΕΝΟ ΑΡΘΡΟ
"Antica" στο Μοναστηράκι για τους λάτρεις του καλού φαγητού!
ΕΠΟΜΕΝΟ ΑΡΘΡΟ
Nα σταματήσει η μαζική δίωξη ζητά το ΚΚΕ
ΣΧΟΛΙΑΣΤΕ
