US embassy cable - 05ATHENS433

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000433 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SE, EB/TRA, DS 
BRUSSELS FOR TSA, FRANKFURT FOR TSA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2115 
TAGS: EAIR, PTER, GR, AMB 
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF TRANSPORTATION ON SECURITY AT 
SECONDARY AIRPORTS AND MASS TRANSIT 
 
Classified By: Ambassador CPRies; reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
(C) 1.  On February 7, Transportation Minister Liapis told 
the Ambassador that the pilot program to use a private 
company for baggage screening at six of Greece's 39 secondary 
airports (outside of Athens) was operating successfully, but 
there are no immediate plans to extend the program to other 
secondary airports.  The Ambassador urged Liapis to ensure 
that Greece's remaining secondary airports (particularly 
those with seasonal, international charter flights) reach an 
acceptable level of security.  The local TSA Representative 
added that the approval of the newly developed Greek Civil 
Aviation Security Quality Control Program would enhance 
security at all Greek airports.  The Aviation Security 
Quality Control Program is under review by the Minister and 
is expected to be approved sometime this year.  On mass 
transit security, the lack of a central command for oversight 
and poor coordination between the Greek police, private 
security guards, and the Transportation Ministry continue to 
be an issue.  End Summary. 
 
Secondary Airport Security 
-------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) In a February 7 meeting with Minister of 
Transportation and Communications Michalis Liapis, the 
Ambassador discussed GoG's efforts to improve security at 
Greece's 39 secondary airports as well as its mass transit 
system.  Commending the Minister on his initiative (together 
with the Ministry of Public Order) to phase in private 
company screening of checked baggage at six secondary 
airports, the Ambassador asked if the program will be 
extended to Greece's remaining 33 airports.  Noting that the 
pilot program had been a success, Liapis indicated that his 
ministry had not yet developed plans for its extension to 
other secondary airports.  He noted that GoG's focus had been 
on airports with international charter flights such as Crete 
and Rhodes.  The Ambassador pointed out that there are 
considerable vulnerabilities at least 20 other airports 
(particularly in the Aegean islands) that also receive 
seasonal charter flights.  In many cases, the police are not 
properly trained to screen baggage and passengers and do not 
want the responsibility. 
 
3. (C)  Liapis agreed that this was a problem, and 
recommended that Embassy's TSA Representative discuss this in 
further detail with his senior advisor, George Tsovlas.  The 
Ambassador and TSA Rep urged the Minister to to proceed with 
the implementation of the Greek Civil Security Aviation 
Quality Control Program, which comprises EU and ICAO 
regulations on airport security.  (The Aviation Quality 
Control Program was signed by the Hellenic Civil Aviation 
Authority (HCAA) in December 2004 and sent to the Minister's 
office.) 
 
Mass Transit 
------------ 
 
4. (C)  The Ambassador complimented the GoG on its handling 
of the September 2004 bus hijacking in Athens, which 
demonstrated the effective interface between the Ministries 
of Transportation and Public Order that was developed in 
preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games.  Liapis added that 
since the Games, the GoG has installed security systems at 
all train stations, as part of the C4I system that was 
developed for the Olympics by the U.S. firm SAIC. However, 
the TSA Rep pointed out that the mass transit system, in 
particular the metro, still does not have a center command 
that provides security oversight and direction to the various 
security forces.  Tsovlas agreed that a central command could 
be useful but that "we don't need to  worry about the metro 
because it is well guarded."  The TSA Rep would continue 
discussions with the Ministry and other authorities to push 
for mass transit security improvements. 
 
Comment: 
------- 
 
5. (C)  In accordance with the recommendations of the April 
2004 Athens mass transit security assessment conducted by 
TSA, the GoG has yet to establish effective security 
 
SIPDIS 
coordination between the Greek National Police (GNP) and the 
Ministry of Transportation that would have direct liaison 
with metro, train, light rail and bus systems.   The 
Transportation Ministry is aware of the problem and is 
considering legislation that would address security oversight 
that would clearly define command, control, coordination, 
crisis response and training.  We will monitor this closely 
and continue to urge GoG to address these security 
vulnerabilities. End Comment. 
RIES