Cablegate: Egypt Supportive of Middle East Resolution at The

VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #4356 1941157
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 131157Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9927
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 004356

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MOPS KPAL KWBG UNSC EG IS
SUBJECT: EGYPT SUPPORTIVE OF MIDDLE EAST RESOLUTION AT THE
SECURITY COUNCIL

REF: A. STATE 114594
B. CAIRO 4344 (NOTAL)

Classified by DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

1. (C) NEA Assistant Secretary David Welch and Deputy
National Security Council Advisor Elliott Abrams discussed
the draft UNSC resolution condemning military operations in
Gaza with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Arab League
Secretary General Amre Moussa during separate July 12

SIPDIS
meetings in Cairo. Aboul Gheit (approximately 90 minutes
before news emerged of the Hizballah attack on Israel's
northern border) told Welch and Abrams that Arab governments
"had to be seen as doing something." Aboul Gheit claimed
that he was not personally pressing his delegation in New
York to push the resolution forward, but was apprised of the
state of play. Moussa (shortly after the news of the
Hizballah attack) responded to Welch and Abrams'
recommendation to amend the draft text to ensure balance by
blaming Israeli actions for creating the situation in which
it now finds itself.

2. (C) On July 13, post delivered ref A demarche to MFA
Cabinet staff member Amr Sherbiny (protect), noting the
importance of delaying a vote at the Security Council on the
Qatari draft resolution. Sherbiny told poloff that Egypt was
"pushing the resolution in New York" fully expecting the U.S.
to veto the draft. "We have to do something," he said,
repeating the point the Minister had made the day before.
Arab foreign ministers, he continued, would also meet at the
Arab League on Saturday to address the situation on the
Lebanon-Israel border following the July 12 Hizballah attack
and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. It is likely the
ministers will draft another resolution to send to the Arab
Group in New York for presentation to the Security Council,
Sherbiny added. The Qataris, he concluded, will not do
anything that is not a product of Arab consensus. Predicting
another "unbalanced" draft resolution on Lebanon, Sherbiny
pointed out that Lebanon's foreign minister was a Shia with
close ties to Hizballah. He believed the discussion at the
Arab League would be contentious.

3. (C) A visiting Israeli diplomat based in Washington,
Eynat Shlein-Michael, told poloff July 13 that GOE sources
shared with her that morning that Egyptian President Mubarak
had tried reaching Syrian President Asad by phone for three
hours without response. An angry Mubarak, she said,
dispatched Aboul Gheit and Awad to Damascus without informing
the Syrians. When Asad learned that the Egyptian envoys were
in the air only 30 minutes outside Damascus, Asad finally
took Mubarak's call and committed to meet with the Egyptians.
See ref B for the GOE read-out of that meeting.
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