US embassy cable - 05CAIRO8269

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 008269 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, IO, LE, SY, EG 
SUBJECT: EGYPT STILL STUDYING PROPOSED UNSC RESOLUTION ON 
MEHLIS REPORT 
 
REF: A. STATE 197619 
     B. USUN NEW YORK 02484 
 
Classified by ECPO Minister Counselor Michael Corbin for 
reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1. (C)  In advance of the Ambassador's meeting with FM Aboul 
Gheit (scheduled for October 27 but postponed by the FM until 
October 29) ECPO MinCouns delivered Ref A demarche to the 
MFA's Assistant Minister for American Affairs Aly Houssam Al 
Hefny on October 27.  Drawing on Refs A and B, MinCouns 
clarified that the proposed sanctions are targeted against 
individuals designated as criminal suspects by the Commission 
and not against governments and stressed that the USG 
believes that the P3 text strikes the necessary balance 
between support for the Mehlis Commission and pressure on 
Syria. 
 
2.  (C)  Assistant Minister Al Hefny responded that the GOE 
is still studying the report, but underlined that the Syrian 
file receives President Mubarak's personal attention.  "The 
GOE is eager," he said, to see justice done and "not to have 
any further complications in the region."  Al Hefny also 
added that according to reporting from the GOE's New York 
office, the Russian, UK, French and Algerian FMs would all 
attend the Ministerial meeting on October 31. 
 
3.  (C)  As for Egypt's reaction to the text, Al Hefny said 
that the GOE had taken into account NEA A/S Welch's telephone 
call to Egyptian UNSC PermRep Maged Abdel Fatah.  The MFA's 
desk officer for American Affairs, Basil Ahmed, told us 
privately after the meeting that his MFA colleagues handling 
the resolution were working on alternative language for OPs 
3, 4, and 5 (no further information).  Al Hefny concluded by 
saying that the FM will discuss the proposed resolution in 
detail with the Ambassador when they meet on October 29. 
 
 
RICCIARDONE