CHARGE PRESSES MDA ISSUE WITH FOREIGN MINISTRY

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 003842

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL EG IS ICRC
SUBJECT: CHARGE PRESSES MDA ISSUE WITH FOREIGN MINISTRY
CABINET CHIEF OF STAFF

REF: A. BUCHE-HEGADORN MAY 18 E-MAIL


B. CAIRO 3752

C. STATE 89991 (NOTAL)

D. CAIRO 2515 (NOTAL)

E. CAIRO 2481

F. CAIRO 1798 (NOTAL)

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


1. (C) During a May 19 meeting with Chief of Cabinet Sameh
Shukry (the second-ranking official at the MFA),the Charge
urged Egypt to play a constructive role on the issue of the
Third Protocol and Magen David Adom (MDA) membership in the
Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. Noting earlier demarches to
the GOE, the Charge emphasized the importance we attached to
this issue and our interest in resolving this long-standing
humanitarian issue. Responding to the Charge's reference to
reports that Egypt's current Ambassador in Geneva was playing
an obstructionist role on the MDA issue there, Shukry stated
that the current political "atmosphere" with respect to the
Arab-Israeli conflict had not yet changed sufficiently to
permit forward motion on Swiss efforts to convene a
diplomatic conference. Furthermore, on the technical side,
the Israeli MDA had not yet resolved technical requirements
for joining the International Red Cross/Red Crescent
Movement, he asserted. While agreeing with the Charge's
characterization of the topic as a humanitarian issue, not a
political one, Shukry asserted that the MDA issue had
"unfortunately become politicized."


2. (C) Shukry, who is slated to become Egypt's next
Ambassador in Geneva, believed that progress on Gaza
withdrawal and positive Israeli steps to ease tensions and
restrictions on Palestinians would help to "improve the
atmosphere." Nevertheless, the USG's "sense of urgency" and
the high level of attention the issue was receiving were
surprising to Egypt. The GOE, he said, shared the strongly
held views of other members of the Organization of Islamic
Conferences (OIC) that the "timing was off" for moving
forward. Still, from what Shukry knew, the lack of a
resolution to the Third Protocol/MDA issue had not prevented
cooperation on the ground between the Israeli MDA and the
Palestinian Red Crescent. Therefore, he argued, there was no
"humanitarian side-effect." The Charge responded that it was
the firmly held USG position that there should be no
political linkage preventing resolution of this issue. In
closing, Shukry said that the issue was under review within
the GOE and suggested that the completion by Israel of the
remaining technical criteria ("five out of a total of ten")
which would qualify the MDA for membership in the
International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement would help the
process.


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GRAY