Wikileaks - CCCXXXVI
65658 5/26/2006 14:42 06ATHENS1375 Embassy Athens UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY VZCZCXYZ0028 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHTH #1375 1461442 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 261442Z MAY 06 FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5595 INFO RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA 1101 RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI 0314 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0197 RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 0458 RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0842 RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0646 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS UNCLAS ATHENS 001375
SIPDIS
SIPDIS SENSITIVE
DEPARTMENT ALSO G/TIP FOR DONNELLY DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS USAID FOR DAA WOODY MEFFORD TIRANA ALSO FOR AID DIRECTOR HARRY BIRNHOLZ
E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID, PHUM, GR, AL, RO, MK, BU, SR SUBJECT: HELLENIC AID DIRECTOR CONFIRMS DISBURSEMENT OF FIRST YEAR TACT FUNDS
This cable is sensitive but unclassified. Please treat accordingly.
1. (SBU) Hellenic Aid (HA) Director General Panayotis Goumas informed Economic Counselor May 25 that HA had disbursed 200,000 Euro as the GoG's first annual contribution to the Transnational Action against Child Trafficking (TACT) program in Albania. Goumas said that he believed the funds were currently being held at Greece's Embassy in Tirana, awaiting disbursement by the new Greek Ambassador to Albania, who is scheduled to arrive shortly. He also reconfirmed the GoG's commitment to disburse a total of 600,000 Euro over the coming three years. Goumas asked whether the GoG would be invited to sit on TACT's Steering Committee as a result of its significant contribution.
2. (SBU) During the meeting, HA's Coordinator for Activities against Trafficking, Niki Koutrakou, noted that she had proposed the creation of a new position at the GoG's Embassy in Albania dedicated to working on trafficking issues and charged with monitoring progress on TACT. She and Goumas stressed that no final decision had been made on this proposal. On a related note, Koutrakou described a new GoG initiative aimed at codifying and coordinating anti-trafficking legislation within the wider Balkan region. Deputy Foreign Minister Stylianides had kicked off this effort May 20 at a training seminar for 200 Greek attorneys. Koutrakou said the effort was being coordinated with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) based in Geneva, the European Center for Constitutional Law, and the Union of Greek Attorneys. She said the effort would kick off internationally with a meeting in June.
3. (SBU) Goumas noted that he remains interested in the possibility of additional HA-USAID cooperation in Georgia, particularly dedicated to fighting crime, which has badly affected the Georgia's Greek community. Economic Counselor promised to find out from USAID the status of discussions on such cooperation. Goumas also claimed to have confidential information relating to organ trade involving young children in Transnistria; He promised to provide details if the USG needed same. RIES
