Wikileaks: Greek Public Order Minister disgrades National Intelligence (EYP) tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wikileaks: Greek Public Order Minister disgrades National Intelligence (EYP)

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Politics

A  Wikileaks leak shakes Greece as former Minister for Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, spoke disparagingly about Greece’s  National Intelligence Service (EYP) to American ambassador Daniel Speckhard.

Three telegrams composed by the former American ambassador to Athens have been published by British daily Guardian, oddly enough without an accompanied text. The telegrams are dated January 22, 2010 and are published under the title “US embassy cables: Greece addresses counter-terrorism shortcommings“.

In one of the  telegrams sent  to Washington and several other US-embassies from Ankara to Podgorica and from Alma Ata to Helsinki , Daniel Speckhard reported about his meeting with Chrysochoidis, that took place at Minister’s office. Speckhard wrote on Minister’s disgrading view on the National Intelligence Service (EYP):

Chrysochoidis severely criticized the state of EYP, Greece’s domestic security and intelligence service. He said bluntly, “EYP is nothing.” It does not serve its mission of protecting Greece and in fact is dangerous to national security because of its many shortcomings, not the least of which is a unionize d labor force. As a result, Chrysochoidis declared, he intends to “collapse and rebuild it” via a draft law that is in the process of being drawn up. 

Chrysochoidis, who had taken office four months before his meeting with Speckhard, complained to him about the state of Greek Police forces (HNP) as well:

“As for the HNP, he repeated his many public comments that Greece’s police force is not up to task of safeguarding society.”

On domestic terrosism Michalis Chrysochoidis told Speckhard what security forces have been leaking to Greek media, on any occasion after an anarchist or terrorist attack: That they know the identities of culprits but they lack the evidence to prosecute them.

On domestic terrorism, Chrysochoidis said that the police know the identities of almost all the members of the current terrorist-anarchist groups, but they lack the evidentiary basis for arresting and imprisoning them.

 Chrysochoidis expressed full support for the ambassador’s proposal for a close cooperation (including training)  of American and Greek agencies to combat terrorism.

Chrysochoides expressed full support for the ambassador’s proposal for  a local counterterrorist working group consisting of HNP, EYP, and HCG (Hellenic Coast Guard) on the Greek side and FBI, DEA-ICE, and RAS on the American side.

According to Speckhard’s telegram, the Minister believed that there were links between some local terrorism groups with groups in the Middle East, including Iran and that far left groups are the basis for future terrorists.

He repeated earlier claims (Ref C) that there are links between some domestic terrorist groups and the Middle East, including Iran. Chrysochoidis expressed optimism that if his newly invigorated counterterrorist teams at EYP and HNP did their work well, especially their technical collection operations, they would succeed in wrapping up all of the main terrorist groups in the first half of 2010.

Speckhard informed Chrysochoidis about his proposal to National Police chief, Ikonomou, to create a local Greek Ministry-US embassy working group on counterterrorism.

He stated forcefully that he wanted outstanding cooperation with the United States and that the MCP (Ministry for Civil Protection) did not want to have any secrets from the American side when it came to work against terrorists. He welcomed training across the MCP’s agencies as each underwent fundamental reform.

The American ambassador also reported on the immigration and asylum policy of the PASOK government, which is the most important point of concern for Americans about the possible resurgence of Islamic radicalism.

“Without legal status, the absence of economic opportunities and social integration and responding to denials of the Greek government to build a mosque, illegal Muslim immigrants – especially young men from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia – could be vulnerable to Islamic extremism underground prayer halls held in major cities.

Speckhard noted in order to combat illegal immigration  “Greece also wanted to draw a line in the eastern Aegean, but needed the support of Turkey.”

Reading Speckhard’s telegrams, it is worth noting to see who has the upper hand during a “friendly chat” between an American ambassador and a Greek Minister, when it comes to security issues…

Michalis Chrysochoidis served as Minister for Public Order February 1999-March 2004 and October 2009-September 2010. He is currently Minister for Regional Development and Competitiveness.

Daniel Speckhard was US-ambassador to Athens November 2007-summer 2010.