Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
01CAIRO6321
2001-10-04 16:03:00
SECRET
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:  

SHARING THE CASE AGAINST AL-QA'IDA WITH EGYPT

Tags:  PTER PINR EG 
pdf how-to read a cable
O 041603Z OCT 01
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4495
INFO ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
S E C R E T CAIRO 006321 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2010
TAGS: PTER PINR EG
SUBJECT: SHARING THE CASE AGAINST AL-QA'IDA WITH EGYPT

REF: STATE 170698

(U) CLASSIFIED BY DCM RENO HARNISH. REASON: 1.5 (B) AND (D).

--------------------------
MAKING THE CASE TO THE GOE
--------------------------

S E C R E T CAIRO 006321

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2010
TAGS: PTER PINR EG
SUBJECT: SHARING THE CASE AGAINST AL-QA'IDA WITH EGYPT

REF: STATE 170698

(U) CLASSIFIED BY DCM RENO HARNISH. REASON: 1.5 (B) AND (D).

--------------
MAKING THE CASE TO THE GOE
--------------


1. (S) ON OCTOBER 3 AND 4, DRAWING ON DOCUMENTS PROVIDED
REFTEL, MISSION STAFF MET WITH EGYPTIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
SECURITY, INTELLIGENCE, AND MILITARY OFFICIALS TO MAKE THE
CASE AGAINST AL-QAIDA. IN PREPARATION FOR THE BRIEFINGS, WE
HAD DISTILLED INFORMATION IN REFTEL INTO FOUR BASIC SECTIONS:
AL-QA'IDA'S INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE ATTACKS, TACTICAL
SIMILARITY TO EARLIER ATTACKS, LINKS BETWEEN THE TALEBAN AND
AL-QA'IDA, AND U.S. ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TALEBAN AND
AFGHANISTAN.


2. (S) DATT, OMC, ROAL CHIEFS BRIEFED DMI HEAD MG TOHAMY WHO
REACTED VERY POSITIVELY, ASSERTING THAT HE "UNDERSTOOD
EXACTLY" WHAT THE INTENT OF THE REPORT HAD BEEN, WISHED THAT
OTHERS IN THE U.S. HAD "LISTENED TO WHAT WE HAD TO SAY" PRIOR
TO THE ATTACKS, AND PROMISED TO INSURE THAT MINISTER OF
DEFENSE TANTAWY WAS FULL AWARE OF THE TEXT PRIOR TO
DISCUSSIONS WITH SECDEF RUMSFELD.

--------------
MAINTAIN CLOSE TOUCH
--------------


3. (S) DCM DISCUSSED THE REPORT WITH PRESIDENCY OFFICIAL
MAGID ABDEL FATTAH ABDEL AZIZ. HE WELCOMED THE BRIEFING,
TOOK EXTENSIVE NOTES, AND PROMPTLY BRIEFED PRESIDENT MUBARAK.
NEITHER OFFERED SUBSTANTIVE OBJECTIONS TO THE MATERIAL AND
TOOK IT AT FACE VALUE. ABDEL AZIZ DID NOTE THAT, WHILE
LIMITED DEMONSTRATIONS ACROSS CAMPUSES IN EGYPT HAVE BEEN
PROMPTED BY EVENTS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, WHEN THE U.S.
REACTION OCCURRED, THERE WOULD BE SOME FACTIONS WHICH WOULD
TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE TO EXPAND THEM. THE GOE, HE SAID,
WOULD LIKE AN HOUR OR TWO NOTICE BEFORE THE STRIKE AS IT
WOULD THEN TAKE EXTRA INTERNAL SECURITY PRECAUTIONS. ABDEL
AZIZ SAID THAT PRESIDENT MUBARAK MIGHT RAISE THIS WITH
VISITING SECDEF OCTOBER 4. HE URGED THAT THE U.S. MAINTAIN
CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE GOE ON THE SCOPE OF THE MILITARY
REACTION SO AS TO PRECLUDE HEZBALLAH/SYRIA FROM STOKING AND
DISSEMINATING CONSPIRACY THEORIES AS TO WHERE THE U.S. WAS
HEADING. IN ADDITION, HE SAID THAT PRESIDENT MUBARAK WAS
UNDER THE CLEAR IMPRESSION THAT THE U.S. HAD GIVEN ORAL
ASSURANCES TO OMAR SOLEIMAN THAT THE U.S. WOULD NOT HIT
SYRIA, LIBYA, OR LEBANON. CONCLUDING, FATTAH REITERATED
MUBARAK'S VIEW THAT FORMER KING ZAHIR SHAH WOULD NOT BRING
ANYTHING USEFUL TO THE PROCESS AND THAT PRESIDENT BUSH'S
STATEMENT ON PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD HAD BEEN GREATLY
APPRECIATED.

--------------
IT WON'T HAPPEN HERE
--------------


4. (S) THE AMBASSADOR MET OCTOBER 4 WITH SALAH SALAMA,
DIRECTOR OF STATE SECURITY INVESTIGATION SECTOR (INTERIOR
MINISTRY). SALAMA PREDICTED THERE WOULD BE DEMONSTRATIONS IN
THE EVENT OF A STRIKE ON AFGHANISTAN, BUT MAINTAINED THAT THE
GREATER POTENTIAL FOR SUCH ACTIONS WOULD RESULT FROM
CONTINUING VIOLENCE UNDERTAKEN BY ISRAELIS AGAINST
PALESTINIANS. HE ASSERTED THAT THERE WAS ALSO POLITICAL
AGITATION IN UNIONS AND SYNDICATES BUT THIS TOO RESULTED FROM
ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE. SALAMA PRAISED THE PRESIDENT'S
STATEMENTS (SHOWED GREAT "SERIOUSNESS") ON RESOLVING THE
MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT.


5. (S) CONTINUING, SALAMA DISMISSED THE POSSIBILITY OF
TERRORIST ACTION BY BIN LADIN IN EGYPT. HE DID
ALLOW,HOWEVER, THAT A "CRAZED INDIVIDUAL" OR PEOPLE COMING
FROM THE OUTSIDE WITH FORGED DOCUMENTS MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO
SOMETHING. SALAMA'S CONFIDENCE SPRANG FROM THE JULY ROUND-UP
OF A GROUP OF EGYPTIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD (EIJ) MEMBERS BY THE
SECURITY SERVICES. THE EIJ HAD BEEN ATTEMPTING TO RECRUIT
NEW MEMBERS FROM THE RANKS OF THE WEALTHY IN EGYPT.


6. (S) TO COMPLETE OUR BRIEFINGS, ECONOMIC/POLITICAL
MINISTER- COUNSELOR PROVIDED THE CASE TO MOHAMMED FARNAWANY
OF THE FM'S CABINET AND ROAL BRIEFED EGIS DIRECTOR OMAR
SOLEIMAN, WHO DISMISSING THE NEED TO HEAR THE EVIDENCE, WAS
MORE CONCERNED WITH A DISCUSSION ON NEXT STEPS AND ASSURANCES
HIS SERVICE WAS PREPARED TO COOPERATE FULLY..

WELCH