US embassy cable - 05CAIRO3842

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 003842 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KPAL, EG, IS, ICRC 
SUBJECT: CHARGE PRESSES MDA ISSUE WITH FOREIGN MINISTRY 
CABINET CHIEF OF STAFF 
 
REF: A. BUCHE-HEGADORN MAY 18 E-MAIL 
 
     B. CAIRO 3752 
     C. STATE 89991 (NOTAL) 
     D. CAIRO 2515 (NOTAL) 
     E. CAIRO 2481 
     F. CAIRO 1798 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified by Charge Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) During a May 19 meeting with Chief of Cabinet Sameh 
Shukry (the second-ranking official at the MFA), the Charge 
urged Egypt to play a constructive role on the issue of the 
Third Protocol and Magen David Adom (MDA) membership in the 
Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement.  Noting earlier demarches to 
the GOE, the Charge emphasized the importance we attached to 
this issue and our interest in resolving this long-standing 
humanitarian issue.  Responding to the Charge's reference to 
reports that Egypt's current Ambassador in Geneva was playing 
an obstructionist role on the MDA issue there, Shukry stated 
that the current political "atmosphere" with respect to the 
Arab-Israeli conflict had not yet changed sufficiently to 
permit forward motion on Swiss efforts to convene a 
diplomatic conference.  Furthermore, on the technical side, 
the Israeli MDA had not yet resolved technical requirements 
for joining the International Red Cross/Red Crescent 
Movement, he asserted.  While agreeing with the Charge's 
characterization of the topic as a humanitarian issue, not a 
political one, Shukry asserted that the MDA issue had 
"unfortunately become politicized." 
 
2.  (C) Shukry, who is slated to become Egypt's next 
Ambassador in Geneva, believed that progress on Gaza 
withdrawal and positive Israeli steps to ease tensions and 
restrictions on Palestinians would help to "improve the 
atmosphere."  Nevertheless, the USG's "sense of urgency" and 
the high level of attention the issue was receiving were 
surprising to Egypt.  The GOE, he said, shared the strongly 
held views of other members of the Organization of Islamic 
Conferences (OIC) that the "timing was off" for moving 
forward.  Still, from what Shukry knew, the lack of a 
resolution to the Third Protocol/MDA issue had not prevented 
cooperation on the ground between the Israeli MDA and the 
Palestinian Red Crescent.  Therefore, he argued, there was no 
"humanitarian side-effect."  The Charge responded that it was 
the firmly held USG position that there should be no 
political linkage preventing resolution of this issue.  In 
closing, Shukry said that the issue was under review within 
the GOE and suggested that the completion by Israel of the 
remaining technical criteria ("five out of a total of ten") 
which would qualify the MDA for membership in the 
International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement would help the 
process. 
 
 
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http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo 
 
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State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. 
 
GRAY