PROMINENT REFORM ADVOCATE DISCUSSES CONSTITUTIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 003627

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EG
SUBJECT: PROMINENT REFORM ADVOCATE DISCUSSES CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT AND POSSIBLE POSTPONEMENT OF CONFERENCE ON
U.S.-EGYPT RELATIONS


Classified by Charge Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Shafik Gabr praised the recent amendment to
Egypt's presidential election law but said the GOE had done a
poor job of explaining it. He hoped a scheduled May 12 news
conference by Gamal Mubarak would clear the air. He was
impatient with opposition complaints about the amendment and
suggested they should stop grousing and start campaigning.
While supportive of international monitors for presidential
elections, Gabr expressed fear that President Bush's call for
them might backfire. Gabr said that he will travel to
Washington next week with Prime Minister Nazif, partly to
press for high-level USG participation in his upcoming
conference on U.S.-Egypt relations. Gabr said if he leaves
Washington without participation commitments from the highest
levels of the USG, he will postpone the conference for a
second time. End summary.


2. (C) The Charge met May 11 with well-connected Egyptian
businessman and prominent political reform advocate Shafik
Gabr to discuss the Article 76 amendment altering rules for
presidential elections. Gabr was very upbeat about the
amendment. He would have preferred that aspiring independent
presidential candidates be required to obtain a smaller
number of parliamentary signatures to run than currently
stipulated, but argued that the amendment was a significant
step forward nevertheless.


3. (C) Gabr added that the requirement that any party
wishing to put forward a candidate in future presidential
elections hold at least five percent of the seats in the
People's Assembly (PA) was a reasonable one. The Charge
cautioned that the rule could be considered reasonable only
if the upcoming parliamentary elections resulted in truly
diverse party representation in the PA. If the PA remains
wholly dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party
(NDP),the Charge argued, the amendment would be meaningless.
Gabr agreed.


4. (C) Gabr complained that the GOE had done a terrible job
of explaining the amendment publicly. He noted that the
amendment was complex, with different rules for elections
this year and for elections in the future. Because there is
so much misunderstanding about what the amendment means, Gabr
continued, it was easy for opposition parties to condemn it
and for other observers to assume the worst. Gabr explained
that NDP Policies Committee Chair Gamal Mubarak would hold a
press conference May 12 to explain the amendment and try to
clear up the confusion.


5. (C) Regarding the opposition parties, Gabr said they
"need to stop complaining and start running (candidates)."
In response to a question from the Charge, Gabr said that
nothing in the amendment would prevent the Tomorrow Party
from naming Ayman Nour as its candidate for the upcoming
election. Gabr could not say what impact conviction for
forgery would have on Nour's eligibility. (Note: Most
observers agree that under the current law on political
rights a conviction would make Nour ineligible for the
presidency. End note.)


6. (C) Gabr was critical of President Bush's recent call for
international monitors to observe upcoming elections. Gabr
stressed that he agreed with the principle and had been
pressing the Egyptian leadership to accept international
monitors, but that the President's public call would backfire
by prompting hard-liners to dig in their heels. Pressure for
international monitoring should be applied, Gabr said, but
privately rather than publicly.


7. (C) Gabr noted that he would be accompanying Prime
Minister Nazif on his upcoming visit to Washington and New
York. He was hopeful that discussion of Egyptian elections
would not overshadow Nazif's economic reform accomplishments,
but expressed confidence that Nazif could skillfully address
any political questions he faced.


8. (C) While in Washington, Gabr plans to seek high-level
USG participation in the June 3-5 conference - "Egypt and the
United States: Partnership in a Changing World" - sponsored
by his think tank, Egypt's International Economic Forum
(EIEF). He is frustrated that his efforts in Washington in
April did not generate any commitments from senior officials.
He said that he had been leaning toward postponing the
conference for a second time, but that his Washington partner
in organizing the conference had urged him to hold off until
he (Gabr) makes the rounds in Washington one more time.
Asked to be precise about the level of participation he would
require for the conference to go forward, he replied
"Secretary Rice or Deputy Secretary Zoellick."


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GRAY