Wikileaks: shining a light on Paulina Lampsa

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry reading the Wikileaks document that reports a December 2009 conversation between Paulina Lampsa – Pasok’s international secretary and special foreign policy adviser to Greek PM Giorgos Papandreou – and unnamed officials from the US embassy in Athens. The conversation largely relates Lampsa’s impressions of the state of play of the Cyprus negotiations following a recent visit to the island.

First, it should be said that Lampsa comes across as a big mouth who gives opinions on sensitive matters which she should be more guarded about. I don’t know if her willingness to open her heart to the Americans is connected to the Americans’ description of her as ‘a regular contact of the political section at Embassy Athens’.

Second, her views regarding Cyprus are ignorant. Lampsa clearly doesn’t have a clue about the Cyprus issue or about internal Cypriot politics.

For example, the Americans report that Lampsa told them that ‘a carefully crafted media and communication strategy is sorely needed [in Cyprus], in order to pave the way for public support for a solution.’

This is an astonishing assessment by a senior Greek official, who is not telling the Americans about the justice of the Cyprus cause and so on, but is arguing instead for a propaganda campaign to convince Cypriots, who she clearly thinks are sheep, to accept another Annan-type plan.

Lampsa then goes on to say, according to the Americans, that: ‘certain media and economic personalities in Greece are also opposed to a solution. In particular, Lampsa sees the Bobolos media group, including newspapers Ethnos, Protothemis [sic], Parent [sic], Makedonia (in Thessaloniki) and the Mega Channel on television as working against the process. On the other side, Lampsa said the Lambrakis media group (which includes Ta Nea, To Vima and the influential website INGR) and certain elements associated with Kathermerini are willing to support resolution of the Cyprus conflict.’

I don’t know since when the Greek media has taken much of an interest in Cyprus or has the role Lampsa says it has; a fact even the Americans (who seem to have a better knowledge of Cyprus than Lampsa) are aware of when they note: ‘In our estimation, the Greek newspapers referenced above are not necessarily as influential as the newspapers in Cyprus itself. Television stations in Cyprus may be somewhat anti-Annan plan but are not necessarily anti-solution.’