US embassy cable - 05ATHENS866

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000866 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR EUR/SE AND H - PLEASE PASS CODEL ROGERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, OREP, GR, VISIT 
SUBJECT: CODEL ROGERS MARCH 30-31 VISIT TO ATHENS 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. 
 
1.  (U)  SUMMARY:  CODEL Rogers, in Athens March 23-26, 
toured the state-of-the-art security features at Athens 
airport and at Greece's main seaport of Piraeus, put in place 
in the run-up to the 2004 Olympic Games.  The CODEL focused 
particularly on the Container Security Initiative (CSI), 
designed to prevent dangerous cargo from reaching American 
ports and was given a practical demonstration of how the 
sophisticated x-ray scanning device works.  Chairman Rogers 
received a commitment by the head of Greek customs that 
Greece would purchase its own device by September 2005 (the 
current one is on loan from the U.S.).  Public Order Minister 
George Voulgarakis extolled U.S.-Greek security cooperation 
for the Olympics and expressed interest in deepening this 
cooperation to assist Greece in combating organized crime in 
the Balkan region.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Athens Airport: State-of-the Art Security Features 
 
2.  (U)  CODEL Rogers began its visit at the Athens 
International Airport, with presentations by Greek officials 
highlighting the successful airport security measures put in 
place for the 2004 Summer Olympics.  This included the 
advanced "in-line" hold baggage screening system, general 
security concepts, and immigration controls.  These officials 
also provided the CODEL with a tour of explosive detection 
system machines for screening baggage and newly installed 
nuclear and radiological detection equipment.  Regarding the 
latter, a representative from the Greek Atomic Energy 
Commission provided a system overview.  Chairman Rogers 
complimented the airport for having "one of the most 
efficient baggage screening systems I had ever seen."  Greek 
officials, including Public Order Minister Voulgarakis and 
the head of the civil aviation authority, later told the 
CODEL that they are working to bring the security level of 
Greece's secondary airports up to the standard of the Athens 
airport. 
 
CSI: Showcase of U.S.-Greek Security Cooperation 
 
3.  (U)  In the main Greek port of Piraeus, the CODEL boarded 
Greek coast guard vessels and were given a tour and a 
briefing on port security measures.  CODEL Rogers was 
particularly interested in the Container Security Initiative 
(CSI), designed to protect American ports from dangerous 
cargo and in place in Piraeus since July 2004.  The joint 
U.S.-Greek CSI team gave the CODEL a demonstration of the Non 
Intrusive Imaging (NII) x-ray device by inspecting two 
containers bound for the U.S.  Following the demonstration, 
the Director General of Hellenic Customs Vassilis 
Manolopoulos hosted the CODEL for lunch and spoke about the 
excellent cooperation between the U.S. and Greece with 
respect to CSI.  Asked by Chairman Rogers when Greece planned 
to purchase its own NII device (the current unit is on loan 
from us), Manolopoulos responded that Greece expects to 
purchase one by September 2005.  In support of this, he asked 
if Chairman Rogers would agree to send a letter to the 
Minister of Finance outlining the CODEL's support for the CSI 
program and the need for this purchase.  (Note: Chairman 
Rogers asked Embassy to draft such a letter and forward to 
his office for review.  End Note.) 
 
Public Order Minister Voulgarakis, Pointman on Olympic 
Security 
 
4. (SBU)  At a meeting with Public Order Minister George 
Voulgarakis, Chairman Rogers and other representatives 
congratulated Voulgarakis on a safe and secure Olympic Games 
and on the impressive security features at Athens airport. 
Voulgarakis thanked the chairman, noting that Greece had 
gained valuable experience from security cooperation with the 
U.S. during the Games and now wanted to expand that 
cooperation.  With this knowledge, he continued, Greece could 
play a critical role to help its neighbors combat organized 
crime, which he said was on the rise in the Balkan region. 
Voulgarakis said he had already discussed increased 
cooperation with his counterparts from Albania, Bulgaria, 
Romania and Turkey.  Ambassador added that Greece's 
experience had already paid off in light of the GoG's expert 
handling of a bus hijacking last November, which ended 
without loss of life. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Asked about migration to Greece and the potential 
for extremists/terrorists to enter the country, Voulgarakis 
answered that, due to Greece's thousands of Aegean islands 
and mountainous terrain in the north, border control remained 
a challenge.  From Turkey, Greece received many illegal 
migrants from Iraq (mainly Kurds), Iran, Egypt and even 
China, most of whom traveled in small boats to Greek islands. 
 From the north, most illegals were from Albania. 
Voulgarakis noted that in the past Greece had been more of a 
transit country, but now many illegals were staying. 
 
6.  (U)  CODEL Rogers did not have an opportunity to review 
this cable. 
Ries