ENSURING A PEACEFUL GAZA DISENGAGEMENT: EGYPTIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 006279 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KPAL EG IS GZ SUBJECT: ENSURING A PEACEFUL GAZA DISENGAGEMENT: EGYPTIAN RESPONSE REF: STATE 147192 (NOTAL) Classified by Charge Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) The Charge delivered reftel demarche on August 14 to Presidential Spokesman and Policy Advisor Soliman Awad. Awad confirmed Egypt's keen desire to see a successful Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and stated that the GOE had communicated with all Palestinian factions to encourage cooperation and non-violence in the wake of the Israeli withdrawal. Egypt, Awad stressed, was following events closely, continued to maintain trainers and advisors in Gaza to assist the Palestinian Authority to manage the process professionally, and was prepared to deploy its border guards to the Egyptian side of the Gaza border once final agreement with Israel was reached. Furthermore, President Mubarak was actively encouraging his Arab counterparts, Awad said, to redirect any support away from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and toward the Palestinian Authority. The President, he continued, during his consultations to arrange an Arab Summit in Egypt, had stressed the importance of establishing the PA as the sole government for the Palestinian people. ¶2. (C) In a separate meeting August 15 to discuss UN issues (septel),the Charge delivered reftel demarche to Acting MFA Chef du Cabinet Yasser Morad. Stressing that Egypt had shown tremendous leadership in supporting the disengagement process already, the Charge noted that our demarche was being delivered in a number of other local capitals where support had been less forthcoming. Morad responded that the GOE was doing everything it could to encourage a successful and peaceful disengagement. Furthermore, he committed to sharing the U.S. message within the GOE bureaucracy. 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. JONES