US embassy cable - 05CAIRO2640

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002640 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KDEM, KPAL, EG, IS 
SUBJECT: EGYPT PRESSING PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP TO BETTER 
MANAGE DOMESTIC SITUATION AHEAD OF ITS JULY ELECTIONS 
 
 
Classified by Charge Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) MFA Chief of Staff Sameh Shukry telephoned the Charge 
April 4 under instructions to convey that the Government of 
Egypt had communicated its "deep concerns" to Palestinian 
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) regarding the 
struggle for authority among Palestinians and particularly 
over the role Hamas is playing.  Skukry also said that Egypt 
had raised with Abu Mazen its growing concerns regarding the 
"Palestinian Authority's management style" - a concern Shukry 
said the GOE understood was shared by Washington.  Egypt had 
encouraged Abu Mazen to "take steps to contact Israel to 
discuss and coordinate the Gaza disengagement plan."  The 
conversation with Abu Mazen, Shukry pointed out, was part of 
Egypt's ongoing dialogue with the Palestinians.  Egypt is 
"trying to be helpful" in achieving the goals of the Roadmap, 
he noted, before requesting the Charge to convey the message 
to Washington. 
 
2.  (C) Subsequently on April 4, the Charge spoke with 
Presidential Spokesman Soliman Awad, who raised the subject 
of Palestine.  Without reference to the earlier contact by 
Shukry, Awad shared that President Mubarak had called Abu 
Mazen immediately after last week's shooting incident in 
Ramallah.  The Egyptian President argued forcefully to Abu 
Mazen, Awad said, that the latter must "strike while the iron 
is hot" in order to "end the chaos among the Palestinian 
factions." 
 
 
Visit Embassy Cairo's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo 
 
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State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. 
 
GRAY