US embassy cable - 94ATHENS11383

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 011383 
 
 
SECSTATE FOR S/CT (REAP) 
 
E.O.  12356:  N/A 
TAGS:  PTER, TU, GR 
SUBJECT:  GREECE: 1994 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT 
 
REF:  STATE 286744 
 
1.  FOLLOWING IS EMBASSY'S SUBMISSION FOR THE 1994 
ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT. 
 
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A. PROSECUTIONS 
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2.  SUSPECTED TERRORIST GEORGE BALAFAS WAS ACQUITTED 
ON JULY 25 OF 20 CHARGES RANGING FROM MURDER AND 
ARMED ROBBERY TO MISDEMEANORS.  AN APPEAL TO THIS 
ACQUITTAL WAS GRANTED ON AUGUST 2, AND PROSECUTORS 
ARE NOW PLANNING A RETRIAL ON SOME OF THESE SAME 
CHARGES.  BALAFAS WAS RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 5 
PENDING THE NOVEMBER 18 START OF THE SECOND OF HIS 
THREE TRIALS, ON WEAPONS CHARGES STEMMING FROM 
EVIDENCE FOUND AT THE KALAMA SAFEHOUSE.  BALAFAS' 
THIRD TRIAL, ON ADDITIONAL WEAPONS AND NARCOTICS 
CHARGES, HAS NOT BEEN SCHEDULED.  HIS GIRLFRIEND 
VASILIKI MIHOU IS A CO-DEFENDANT IN THAT TRIAL. 
 
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B. EXTRADITIONS OR RESPONSES TO EXTRADITIONS 
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3.  NO EXTRADITIONS ON TERRORIST CASES WERE MADE 
EITHER TO OR FROM GREECE.  THERE WAS NO GOG ACTION 
ON THE LONG-PENDING EXTRADITION REQUEST BY THE U.S. 
FOR TERRORIST MOHAMED RASHID, CURRENTLY IMPRISONED 
IN GREECE. 
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C. IMPEDIMENTS TO GOG PROSECUTIONS AND EXTRADITIONS 
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4.  TWO BROAD CATEGORIES OF IMPEDIMENTS EXIST TO 
SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTIONS FOR TERRORISM.  THEY ARE 1) 
LACK OF A STRONG PUBLIC FEELING AGAINST TERRORISM, 
AND 2) PROBLEMS IN THE POLICE AND LEGAL 
INFRASTRUCTURE.  STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS HAVE INCLUDED 
INADEQUATE POLICE INVESTIGATIVE METHODS, HIGH 
TURNOVER AND POLITICIZATION AT ALL LEVELS IN THE 
POLICE DEPARTMENT, LACK OF A WITNESS PROTECTION 
PROGRAM, AND THREATS AGAINST JUDGES AND WITNESSES. 
SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE PRIORITY PAID BY 
DIFFERENT MINISTRIES TO COMBATTING TERRORISM 
UNDERMINES POLICE MORALE AND HAS PRODUCED AN UNEVEN 
RESPONSE AGAINST TERRORISM. 
 
5.  THE VISIT OF THE THEN-TRANSPORTATION AND 
COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER TO ACCUSED TERRORIST GEORGE 
BALAFAS, AND PUBLIC STATEMENTS BY GOVERNMENT PARTY 
PARLIAMENTARIANS CALLING FOR BALAFAS' RELEASE, 
REFLECTED POLITICAL AND POPULAR SUPPORT FOR BALAFAS, 
AND SUGGESTED TOLERATION OF TERRORISM IN GENERAL. 
THERE IS RELATIVELY LITTLE POPULAR AND POLITICAL 
REACTION TO TERRORIST ATTACKS, BASED IN PART ON 
GREEK POLITICAL HISTORY AND IN PART ON THE CHOICE OF 
VICTIMS, WHO ARE PERCEIVED BY SOME ELEMENTS OF GREEK 
SOCIETY AS DESERVING PUNISHMENT. 
 
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D. GOG RESPONSES - STATEMENTS AND INVESTIGATIONS 
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6.  COG OFFICIALS INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT AND THE 
PRIME MINISTER CONDEMNED TERRORISM ON NUMEROUS 
OCCASIONS, STATING THAT ERADICATION OF TERRORISM IS 
A GOG PRIORITY.  THEY PROMISED CLOSE COOPERATION 
WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS, PARTICULARLY WITH THE USG, 
IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISTS. 
 
7.  THERE WERE OVER TWENTY SIGNIFICANT TERRORIST 
ACTS IN GREECE IN 1994, INCLUDING ASSASSINATIONS OF 
A FORMER GOVERNOR OF THE NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE AND 
A TURKISH DIPLOMAT, AND THE BOMBING OF A POLICE BUS 
RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF A SENIOR POLICE OFFICAL 
AND INJURIES TO TEN CIVIL SERVANTS.  ROUTINE POLICE 
INVESTIGATIONS OF ALL THESE ATTACKS HAVE NOT 
RESULTED IN ANY BREAKTHROUGHS.  IN ADDITION, ON A 
MONTHLY BASIS GREECE EXPERIENCES AN AVERAGE OF 15-25 
TERRORIST-TYPE INCIDENTS (MOSTLY BOMBINGS), MOST OF 
WHICH ARE DONE BY ANARCHIST GROUPS OR APPEAR TO BE 
PERSONAL VENDETTAS.  THIS IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN 
EUROPE. 
 
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E. GOG COUNTER-TERRORISM EFFORTS 
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8.  INTERNAL GOVERNMENT DISSENSION AND LACK OF 
INTER-MINISTERIAL COOPERATION HAS BLUNTED EFFORTS TO 
CREATE AND ENFORCE EFFECTIVE COUNTER-TERRORISM 
PROGRAMS.  FOLLOWING THE BOMBING DEATH OF A SENIOR 
POLICE OFFICIAL ON SEPTEMBER 19, THE GOG DOUBLED THE 
REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE CAPTURE AND 
CONVICTION OF TERRORISTS TO 500 MILLION DRACHMAS 
(USD 2.1 MILLION). 
 
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F. GOG SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM 
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9.  THE ERNK (NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF 
KURDISTAN), THE POLITICAL WING OF THE PKK (KURDISTAN 
WORKERS' PARTY), MAINTAINS AN OFFICE IN ATHENS.  THE 
HEAD OF THAT OFFICE GAVE A PROVOCATIVE INTERVIEW TO 
THE GREEK PRESS IN WHICH HE WARNED THAT TERRORISM IN 
TURKEY WOULD CONTINUE, THAT GREEK TOURISTS AND 
BUSINESSMEN SHOULD AVOID TURKEY, AND THAT CASUALTIES 
WERE LIKELY THERE.  THERE WAS NO OFFICIAL GOG 
REACTION.  IN NOVEMBER, HOWEVER, THE PRESS REPORTED 
THAT THE GOG DENIED A VISA TO PKK LEADER KANI 
YILMAZ.  ALLEGATIONS OF CAMPS AND TRAINING IN GREECE 
FOR THE PKK WERE DENIED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BY THE 
GOG. 
 
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G. GOG SUPPORT FOR TERRORIST-SUPPORTING COUNTRIES 
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10.  NO SUCH STATEMENTS WERE MADE, ALTHOUGH GREECE 
MAINTAINS GOOD RELATIONS WITH SYRIA AND LIBYA. 
 
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H. MAJOR CHANGE IN GOG ATTITUDE TOWARDS TERRORISM 
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11.  UNFORTUNATELY, 1994 SAW NO IMPROVEMENT IN 
COUNTER-TERRORISM IN GREECE.  THE REPEAL OF THE 
COUNTER-TERRORISM LAW IN DECEMBER, 1993 WAS NOT 
HELPFUL IN THE COUNTER-TERRORISM EFFORT, NOR WAS THE 
SYMBOLISM SHOWN IN THE BALAFAS CASE.  THESE ACTIONS 
CONTRIBUTED TO AN ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH TERRORISTS 
WERE VIEWED WITH SOME SYMPATHY INSTEAD OF AS PUBLIC 
ENEMIES, AND HAD A STULTIFYING EFFECT ON EFFECTIVE 
COUNTER-TERRORISM. 
 
NILES