EGYPT STILL STUDYING PROPOSED UNSC RESOLUTION ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 008269 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2015 TAGS: PREL PTER IO LE SY EG SUBJECT: EGYPT STILL STUDYING PROPOSED UNSC RESOLUTION ON MEHLIS REPORT REF: A. STATE 197619 ¶B. USUN NEW YORK 02484 Classified by ECPO Minister Counselor Michael Corbin for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) In advance of the Ambassador's meeting with FM Aboul Gheit (scheduled for October 27 but postponed by the FM until October 29) ECPO MinCouns delivered Ref A demarche to the MFA's Assistant Minister for American Affairs Aly Houssam Al Hefny on October 27. Drawing on Refs A and B, MinCouns clarified that the proposed sanctions are targeted against individuals designated as criminal suspects by the Commission and not against governments and stressed that the USG believes that the P3 text strikes the necessary balance between support for the Mehlis Commission and pressure on Syria. ¶2. (C) Assistant Minister Al Hefny responded that the GOE is still studying the report, but underlined that the Syrian file receives President Mubarak's personal attention. "The GOE is eager," he said, to see justice done and "not to have any further complications in the region." Al Hefny also added that according to reporting from the GOE's New York office, the Russian, UK, French and Algerian FMs would all attend the Ministerial meeting on October 31. ¶3. (C) As for Egypt's reaction to the text, Al Hefny said that the GOE had taken into account NEA A/S Welch's telephone call to Egyptian UNSC PermRep Maged Abdel Fatah. The MFA's desk officer for American Affairs, Basil Ahmed, told us privately after the meeting that his MFA colleagues handling the resolution were working on alternative language for OPs 3, 4, and 5 (no further information). Al Hefny concluded by saying that the FM will discuss the proposed resolution in detail with the Ambassador when they meet on October 29. RICCIARDONE