EGYPT PRESSING PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP TO BETTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002640 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KPAL EG IS SUBJECT: EGYPT PRESSING PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP TO BETTER MANAGE DOMESTIC SITUATION AHEAD OF ITS JULY ELECTIONS Classified by Charge Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) MFA Chief of Staff Sameh Shukry telephoned the Charge April 4 under instructions to convey that the Government of Egypt had communicated its "deep concerns" to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) regarding the struggle for authority among Palestinians and particularly over the role Hamas is playing. Skukry also said that Egypt had raised with Abu Mazen its growing concerns regarding the "Palestinian Authority's management style" - a concern Shukry said the GOE understood was shared by Washington. Egypt had encouraged Abu Mazen to "take steps to contact Israel to discuss and coordinate the Gaza disengagement plan." The conversation with Abu Mazen, Shukry pointed out, was part of Egypt's ongoing dialogue with the Palestinians. Egypt is "trying to be helpful" in achieving the goals of the Roadmap, he noted, before requesting the Charge to convey the message to Washington. ¶2. (C) Subsequently on April 4, the Charge spoke with Presidential Spokesman Soliman Awad, who raised the subject of Palestine. Without reference to the earlier contact by Shukry, Awad shared that President Mubarak had called Abu Mazen immediately after last week's shooting incident in Ramallah. The Egyptian President argued forcefully to Abu Mazen, Awad said, that the latter must "strike while the iron is hot" in order to "end the chaos among the Palestinian factions." 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