US embassy cable - 05CAIRO3780

UNCLAS CAIRO 003780 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO AND NEA/ELA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EG, UNSC, UNGA 
SUBJECT: EGYPT TO CONSIDER NOMINATION OF JUDGE BUERGENTHAL 
FOR ICJ RE-ELECTION;  INQUIRY ON REQUEST TO USG FOR SUPPORT 
FOR EGYPTIAN CANDIDACY TO UNESCO SEAT 
 
REF: STATE 80697 
 
1.  Poloff delivered reftel demarche May 12 on the candidacy 
of Judge Thomas Buergenthal to MFA Second Secretary in the 
Office of Specialized Agencies Ms. Sohad Sabry.  Sabry 
welcomed the diplomatic note and accompanying documentation 
relating to Mr. Buergenthal's candidacy for re-election as 
judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and 
promised to share the information with Assistant Minister 
Fathalla upon the latter's return from the NPT conference in 
New York.  Sabry would not speculate on the likelihood of GOE 
support for Buergenthal.  She did, however, note that the 
Egyptian judge currently serving on the ICJ, Ambassador Nabil 
Araby, would not be seeking re-election to the court.  The 
Arab seat, she said, would likely be contested by candidates 
from Algeria and Morocco. 
 
2.  During the May 12 meeting, Sabry - while implying no 
linkage or trading of support - asked if the U.S. would 
support Egypt's candidacy to UNESCO, which she said Egypt had 
requested recently from Washington in writing.  Post has 
since received a copy in Arabic of the Egyptian diplomatic 
note pertaining to the UNESCO candidacy and will forward to 
the Department in a separate message. 
 
 
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