US embassy cable - 05CAIRO4261

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 004261 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EAID, EIND, ECON, EG, IZ, EUN, Iraq 
SUBJECT: DELIVERABLES FOR THE US-EU INTERNATIONAL 
CONFERENCE ON IRAQ:  EGYPT TO PARTICIPATE BUT NO NEWS ON 
PLEDGES OF ADDITIONAL SUPPORT 
 
REF: A. STATE 10322 
 
     B. CAIRO 4125 
     C. STATE 93742 
 
Classified by ECPO Counselor John Desrocher for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Following a June 2 Iraq Steering Group meeting in 
Cairo (septel), Post delivered demarches in refs A and C to 
MFA Cabinet Staff member Alaa Hadidi, drawing on ref A 
talking points to encourage Egypt to show its support to the 
Iraqi Transitional Government during a June 22 Iraq 
ministerial meeting to be held in Brussels.  Hadidi confirmed 
the expected attendance of Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit 
at the Brussels meeting and pledged Egypt's continued support 
and participation in planning for the conference.  Hadidi had 
no response to poloff's request for an update on Egyptian 
assistance to Iraq nor on a request for Egypt to provide 
additional training for police and military forces or 
humanitarian supplies.  Hadidi committed to sharing the 
contents of the demarche with MFA Chief of Cabinet Sameh 
Shukry and the Minister. 
 
2.  (C) Responding to Post's request for Egypt to fully 
upgrade its diplomatic relations with Iraq, Hadidi put the 
ball in Baghdad's court, arguing that Iraqi Foreign Minister 
Zebari had been told several times by Aboul Gheit that Iraqi 
Ambassadorial nominee Sofia Soheil was welcome to come and 
begin working at any time.  She could present her credentials 
at any time to the Foreign Minister, he said, and she would 
be treated like any other Ambassador in Cairo.  However, the 
Iraqi nominee wants to have a specific appointment with 
President Mubarak before she comes to Egypt, Hadidi asserted. 
 This was impossible, Hadidi confided, as President Mubarak 
was not fond of diplomatic credentialing ceremonies and was 
awaiting a large enough group of applicants before holding a 
mass ceremony.  Citing the Jordanian Ambassador as an example 
of a senior Arab diplomat not yet formally accredited but 
actively working in Cairo, Hadidi said that there was no 
restriction to Soheil's working in Cairo beyond "her own 
desire not to come."  Hadidi cited a report from the Egyptian 
mission in Baghdad suggesting that Soheil was not interested 
in actually serving in Cairo and was "playing politics." 
 
3.  (C) Hadidi (protect), stating that his comments were "off 
the record," admitted that he had been instructed to "turn 
the page" with respect to the previous week's episode over 
Russian participation in the Steering Group meeting in Cairo 
(ref B).  Nonetheless, in wake of Russia's inclusion in the 
June 2 meeting, Hadidi predicted that China and perhaps 
others not invited to Cairo "might make trouble" in Brussels. 
 
 
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 
 
#4261