US embassy cable - 05CAIRO5513

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 005513 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2015 
TAGS: PREL, EG, KUNR, UN, UNSC 
SUBJECT: EGYPT'S POSITION ON THE G-4 PROPOSAL 
 
REF: STATE 132429 
 
Classified by:  Charge Michael Corbin for reasons 1.4(b) and 
(d). 
 
1.  (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche on July 18 to the 
MFA's Counselor for UN affairs, Dr. Hany al Selim.  Selim 
said that Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit had sent Chief of 
Staff Ambassador Sameh Shukry and Cabinet Member for UN 
affairs Amr Rushdy to New York for consultations on UNSC 
reform.  Their instructions, according to Selim, are that the 
GOE will not vote in favor of any proposal on UNSC reform 
that does not conform to the proposal adopted by the African 
Union (AU) in Sirte, calling for 2 permanent seats for 
African nations with full rights and privileges and five 
non-permanent seats.  Selim remarked, however, that he was 
not certain all AU members would adhere to the Sirte 
agreement. 
 
2.  (C)  Selim observed that the sensitive issue on UNSC 
reform will be who, among the African nations, gets any 
permanent seats that may become available.  There are 
currently eight competitors within Africa, including South 
Africa, Nigeria and Egypt.  Selim said that the AU agreed at 
the summit in Sirte that the decision as to which African 
nations would get the seats will be made on the basis of 
consensus among African nations.  The alternative way to 
resolve the issue (a vote) would be too divisive, he 
stressed.  In spite of this agreement, however, Selim said 
that a few countries (he named only South Africa and Nigeria) 
had already started lobbying for permanent seats.  However, 
he believes that the lobbying is being done by low level 
diplomats.  If their lobbying becomes too visible, he 
speculated, the ambassadors of the involved missions can 
order them to stop.  Until now, Selim said, the lobbying has 
not been "offensive." 
 
 
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. 
 
CORBIN