MAY 10 MEETING OF EMBASSY'S INSTITUTIONS OF

UNCLAS CAIRO 003841

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

FOR NEA, NEA/ELA, NEA/PI
USAID FOR ANE (GOLD) AND DCHA/DG (KAUFMAN)
TUNIS FOR MULREAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KDEM KMPI PGOV PREL EG
SUBJECT: MAY 10 MEETING OF EMBASSY'S INSTITUTIONS OF
DEMOCRACY WORKING GROUP (IDWG)

REF: STATE 3177

Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.


1. (SBU) The Charge chaired the May 10 IDWG meeting, which
was attended by the Acting DCM; USAID Deputy Director and
USAID D&G staff; PA Counselor and PA staff; and ECPO staff.
MEPI Tunis Regional Director Peter Mulrean also attended.
The meeting opened with Mulrean's review of MEPI activities
in the region, including the increasing focus on activities
with a strong link to democracy promotion and support.
Mulrean underscored the willingness of his office to assist
Embassy Cairo in democracy promotion activities in Egypt in
connection with the planned presidential and parliamentary
elections.


2. (SBU) USAID briefed the IDWG on progress in making
directly-funded democracy grants, with an emphasis on
elections, to Egyptian and international non-governmental
organizations using USAID's Annual Program Statement (APS)
funding mechanism. USAID noted that it had reviewed 53
concept papers and is moving ahead with funding seven
projects. USAID described the process of turning concept
papers, many in Arabic, into bona fide proposals, and
outlined the financial management and other technical
assistance it was providing to Egyptian organizations which
are applying for grants under the APS. USAID noted that it
aims to fund the seven projects, for a total value of $1.5
million, by June. USAID has another nine proposals that it
aims to fund shortly thereafter. (Note: Subsequently, on
May 12, USAID/Cairo and the Embassy, along with
USAID/Washington and NEA/PI representatives, held a
conference call to confirm that a strong consensus exists
within the USG that the National Democratic Institute and the
International Republican Institute should be encouraged to
seek funding for Egyptian democracy activities under the APS.
End note.)


3. (SBU) USAID also briefed the IDWG on the elections
technical assistance that it plans to roll out through an
Indefinite Quantity Contract, noting that it aims to sign
agreements with Development Associates and/or International
Federation for Electoral Systems by mid-June and have
activities on the ground by July. (Note: Subsequent
revision to the request for proposals, resulting from the
conference call described in paragraph two, have added one
week to the procurement process. End note.)


4. (SBU) At the conclusion of the IDWG, Mulrean and USAID
and PA staff discussed coordination of media training and
support activities.


5. (U) MEPI Tunis Regional Director Peter Mulrean cleared
this cable.


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GRAY