US embassy cable - 05CAIRO3320

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 003320 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR DAS DIBBLE AND FOR NEA/ELA; 
DS FOR JOE MORTON AND FOR DSS AND IP/NEA; 
S/ES FOR AMBASSADOR HOFMANN; 
S/CT FOR MARGARET HAWTHORNE; 
CA FOR AMBASSADOR HARTY. 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, PGOV, KVPR, EG 
SUBJECT: MEETING OF THE EMBASSY'S HOMELAND SECURITY WORKING 
GROUP (MAY 4, 2005) 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 3184 
 
     B. CAIRO 3183 
     C. CAIRO 3062 
 
Classified by Charge Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
 
1.  (SBU)  The Charge chaired on May 4 a meeting of the 
Embassy's Homeland Security Working Group (HSWG).  A/DCM, 
RSO, LEGAT, ORA, DEA, CONS, and ECPO attended. 
 
2.  (C) HSWG members reviewed information and preliminary 
conclusions regarding the two April 30 terrorist attacks in 
Cairo (refs A and B) that left four foreign tourists wounded 
and three Egyptian perpetrators dead.  HSWG members agreed 
that while some of the details of these incidents remain 
obscure, the two incidents appeared to be premeditated 
attacks on foreigners conducted by members of the same group. 
 At least one person linked to this group remains at large. 
HSWG members are continuing consultations with GOE 
counterparts on these incidents and will refine threat 
assessments as warranted. 
 
3. (C) ECPO briefed HSWG members on a recent message from the 
Department concerning the posssible return to Egypt of two 
detainees currently held at Guantanamo.  HSWG members agreed 
on an approach for engaging the GOE on issues cited in the 
telegram. 
 
4. (SBU) ECPO updated HSWG members on plans to send six 
Egyptian judges and prosecutors to Washington in June for 
bilateral law enforcement consultations and preliminary 
discussions with the Egyptian Ministry of Justice on a 
regional law enforcement cooperation conference in Cairo 
proposed for November 2005 that would host representatives of 
seven Arab states plus Egypt.  The GOE, the Embassy, and 
USDOJ are collaborating in the discussions. 
 
5.  (SBU)  The Consul General advised HSWG members that 
Washington appreciates the regular stream of potential Viper 
entries Embassy Cairo has been providing.  He urged all 
members of the HSWG to remain vigilant for information that 
could be used for new Viper entries. 
 
6. (SBU) DEA advised HSWG members that he was departing soon 
for a meeting on maritime drug interdiction, to include a 
potential increase in interdiction operations on the Suez 
Canal.  DEA's counterpart agency from the GOE, in addition to 
Greece and Pakistan, are stepping up cooperation with the 
U.S. on this issue. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Cairo's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo 
 
You can also access this site through the 
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. 
 
GRAY