SENATOR DODD'S APRIL 21-23 VISIT TO EGYPT

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002500 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM EG LE IR SUBJECT: SENATOR DODD'S APRIL 21-23 VISIT TO EGYPT Classified by DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. During an April 21-23 visit to Egypt, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) met Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the wife of imprisoned political figure Ayman Nour, a group of Egyptian civil society and business leaders, and attended a Coptic Easter Mass with the Ambassador. The Senator discussed a range of issues, including Lebanon, Iran, the peace process, Ayman Nour, and domestic political reforms with the Foreign Minister, and encouraged Egypt to welcome the Peace Corps. Ayman Nour's wife complained about her husband's treatment in jail and the legal appeal process. Senator Dodd also heard complaints from business leaders on the status of U.S.-Egypt trade talks. End summary. ¶2. (C) After an Embassy request for Dodd to visit jailed political figure Ayman Nour in prison was ignored by the Government of Egypt, Senator Chris Dodd and Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer Janice O'Connell met with Nour's wife Gameela Ismael April 22 in their Cairo home. Gameela complained to the Senator about the treatment her husband was receiving in prison, and expressed anxiety over the expected May 18 response to Nour's legal appeal. ¶3. (SBU) In addition to a lively discussion with leading Egyptian reform figures, the Senator was hosted for lunch by the Executive Council of the Egyptian Council on Foreign Relations, comprised of former diplomats, business leaders, and government officials. The group expressed concerns over reports of USG plans to strike Iran, a move they argued would strengthen regional tensions and fuel Islamic anger toward Washington. The President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt lamented the lack of progress on a bilateral free trade agreement and cautioned against linking trade talks to political conditions in Egypt. Failure to move forward on the FTA, he argued, had undermined Egypt's economic reformers. ¶4. (C) Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit hosted the Senator April 23 for lunch, where they discussed Lebanon, Iran, the Al Manar satellite television station, and bringing the Peace Corps to Egypt. On Lebanon, Aboul Gheit counselled patience on both the presidency issue and Hizballah's disarming, noting Syrian and Iranian meddling and strong influence. Aboul Gheit lamented the recent expanded influence of Iran in 
particular, noting that its growing regional influence must be "checked." Egypt, he said, was the only state in the region willing and able to take on such a challenge. One way of countering negative Iranian influence, he added, was to ensure Israel-Palestinian peace talks remained on track. Egypt would seek to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, press Hamas to move toward the established peace process, and bring Israeli PM Olmert and Abbas (separately) to Egypt in the coming months. Senator Dodd thanked Egypt for its vital role in promoting the peace process and acknowledged Aboul Gheit's decision to avoid meeting with visiting Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Zahar. ¶5. (C) On Syria, the Senator requested that Egypt do all it could to convince the Syrian regime to end its support for radical Palestinian rejectionist groups resident in Damascus, citing an Israeli statistic on suicide bombing attempts sponsored by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. Aboul Gheit noted that President Mubarak frequently presses his Syrian counterpart on this topic and is blunt and direct in his discussions with Asad. Still, Egypt's impression is that the Syrian regime feels less pressure from Washington of late on Iraq and the UNIIIC investigation of PM Hariri's murder. On that investigation, Aboul Gheit believed Asad and his close family members would only begin cooperating on Lebanon and other issues were they to feel there was no danger from Brammertz's efforts. ¶6. (C) On Iran's nuclear program, the Foreign Minister argued forcefully against economic sanctions and/or military strikes against Iran - both of which he believed would be damaging to the region and to direct U.S. interests locally. A diplomatic deal should be found that permits careful monitoring of the Iranian program in return for a package of incentives, Aboul Gheit argued. The Russians vice Chinese, he concluded, were the key to any such deal. ¶7. (SBU) Turning to the issue of Lebanese Hizballah's broadcast channel Al Manar and its incendiary programming, Senator Dodd requested Egypt take decisive steps to end broadcasting of the station on Egypt's Nilesat television satellite. Aboul Gheit politely acknowledged the request, stating he would take the issue up with Information Minister Fikky. ¶8. (SBU) After raising concerns over the case of Ayman Nour and the need to bolster Egypt's democratic institutions, Senator Dodd made a strong pitch for bringing the Peace Corps to Egypt, an organization in which he had been a volunteer and for which he remained a fervent advocate. Aboul Gheit sought additional information on why the Corps had never operated in Egypt. The Senator promised to share additional information. ¶9. (U) The Senator accompanied the Ambassador to an April 22 Coptic Easter Mass led by his Holiness Pope Shenouda at the Coptic National Cathedral. The otherwise uneventful mass was notable for the Ambassador and the Senator receiving the loudest applause of all dignitaries whose names were announced and welcomed by the Pope. ¶10. (U) The delegation did not have the opportunity to clear this message. RICCIARDONE