EGYPT AND AFRICA: BACKGROUND NOTES FOR U.S.-EGYPT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 001144

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD ECON EG SU
SUBJECT: EGYPT AND AFRICA: BACKGROUND NOTES FOR U.S.-EGYPT
AFRICA BILATERALS, FEBRUARY 24

REF: A. 05 STATE 1883

B. 05 STATE 1844

Classified by DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) Assistant Secretary Frazer, your bilateral
discussions February 24 with Egyptian MFA Assistant Minister
for African Affairs Mohamed Higazy in Washington will offer
an excellent chance to determine how Egypt and the U.S. may
be able to cooperate to address regional conflicts like
Darfur and Ethiopia/Eritrea, as well as transnational issues
like African peacekeeping, resource management, and the
HIV/AIDS pandemic.

--------------
Egypt and Africa
--------------


2. (C) Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit has successfully
broadened Cairo's traditionally Middle-East-focused foreign
policy southward toward Africa over the past year and a half
in office. Aboul Gheit's first foreign trip was to Sudan,
followed by numerous visits elsewhere on the continent,
particularly to neighboring Nile riparian capitals.
Ambassador Higazy, a distinguished diplomat with intimate
knowledge of the Nile Basin Initiative, has been directed to
strengthen Egypt's cooperation not only within Africa, but
with Washington and Europe on African issues. His companion
on this visit, Ambassador Marzouk, was Egypt's Ambassador to
Kampala before becoming the Director of Sudan Affairs, and
knows the Sudan/Darfur file extremely well, despite the
Foreign Ministry playing less of a strategic role there than
Egypt's Ministry of General Intelligence.

--------------
Egypt and Regional Institutions
--------------


3. (C) Egypt strongly desires a seat on any expanded UN
Security Council, and has been working assiduously to
position itself ahead of African power-rivals Nigeria and
South Africa. The same competition extends to the African
Union, where Egypt has recently increased its focus on
debates over Darfur and peace-keeping issues. Egypt's
assumption March 14 of the seat vacated by Libya on the AU's
Peace and Security Council will provide Cairo with additional
influence within the AU. Egypt is also active in planning
for the creation of an African Standby Force, and will play a
role in the G-8's Global Peace Operations Initiative. Last,
Egypt plays a dominant role within the Nile Basin
Initiative's group of 10 riparian states, and is leading
efforts to reach agreement on a revised legal arrangement for
Nile water usage. Ambassador Higazy will have just returned
from a tour of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi with his
Foreign and Water Resources Ministers, where this issue was
addressed at length.

--------------
Sudan and Darfur
--------------


4. (C) Egypt strongly supports implementation of the
north-south peace agreement (Comprehensive Peace Agreement -
CPA) and is working within bilateral and multilateral
channels to ensure the CPA remains on track. Egypt's primary
motivation is maintenance of Sudan's territorial unity upon
completion of the 6-year interim period addressed in the CPA.
In addition to providing the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
with 796 troops and 20 observers, Egypt is working to
strengthen institutional capacities of the southern
government through educational, agricultural, and other
assistance. Egypt has opened a branch of the University of
Alexandria in Juba, has offered numerous scholarships to
southern Sudanese, is building roads, and is strongly
encouraging its business community to assist in the south.
The violent clash between Sudanese asylum-seekers and police
December 30 in Cairo that resulted in 27 deaths has hurt the
Egypt-Sudan relationship, but there appears to be no change
in GOE policy toward Sudan.


5. (C) On UN santions and an International Court of Justice
(ICJ) war crimes tribunal for Sudan, Egypt has largely
fronted for Khartoum in opposing more forceful action to
bring senior GOS/Darfur figures to trial. While respectful
of UNSC resolutions, Cairo is concerned about the sequencing
of such actions and their potential impact on political
developments in the region. Egypt sees the West as siding
entirely with the Darfur rebels, and believes this has slowed
progress in Abuja talks and fueled expansion of conflict in
Chad. The GOE supports in principle a transition of AMIS to
a UN operation, as long as the AU's credibility is not
damaged in the process. Egypt fears that a transition from
AMIS to UN operations may complicate the Abuja political
track, and put Egypt's 33 civilian monitors and 18 medical
specialists at risk in Darfur. Ambassador Higazy will want
to hear USG thinking on this issue, and USG comment on some
press reports that Washington intends to insert U.S. forces
in Darfur.

--------------
Other Regional Conflicts
--------------


6. (C) In addition to Darfur/Sudan, Egypt is closely
watching events in Ethiopia/Eritrea, and has been actively
counseling moderation to both parties. Egyptian and
Ethiopian ties have improved tremendously in the past two
years, although Egypt remains reluctant to side too openly
with Addis. Egypt is also following developments in Somalia
closely, and has recently hosted visits by senior Somali
political figures. Cairo's main goal is to bring stability
to conflict areas in Africa, and to that end has contributed
troops in past years to multinational operations Liberia,
Western Sahara, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone,
and Sudan.

--------------
What They Want From Us
--------------


7. (C) Last year, your predecessor visited Cairo for
bilateral consultations and was asked by the GOE for
assistance to Egypt's efforts to develop a regional training
center for African peace keepers, greater cooperation and
coordination in regional technical/science projects, and USG
flexibility on a cotton trade regime (reftels). The
Egyptians also solicited USG financial contributions to
Egypt's Technical Fund for Cooperation in Africa. We expect
they will repeat these requests. They will also press you
for more formal and routinized bilateral consultations on
Africa. We strongly support these exchanges and welcome you
and your senior staff here in Cairo to explore African issues
in greater detail.


8. (U) Khartoum minimize considered.

RICCIARDONE