EGYPT: EMERGENCY LAW EXTENDED FOR TWO YEARS

UNCLAS CAIRO 002526

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

NSC STAFF FOR SINGH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT: EMERGENCY LAW EXTENDED FOR TWO YEARS


Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly.


1. (SBU) On the afternoon of April 30, Egypt's People's
Assembly voted in favor of the government's proposed two year
extension of the state of emergency. In a midday address to
the People's Assembly, Prime Minister Nazif alluded to last
week's terrorist attacks in Dahab, Sinai, as he asked PA
members to approve the extension. He argued that the GOE
must give security services the tools they need to defend the
nation.


2. (SBU) In protest, the PA's 88 members from the Muslim
Brotherhood, and several other opposition members, attended
the session wearing black sashes which read "No to the State
of Emergency." Only 278 of the PA's 454 members were in
attendance for the vote. Of those, 187 voted for the
extension and 91 opposed.


3. (SBU) The extension had been widely expected, and indeed
was previewed publicly by President Mubarak and other senior
GOE officials. In recent years, the law had been extended
for three year intervals. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs
Mufeed Shehab told the media this would be the last time the
emergency law would be extended.


4. (SBU) Campaigning for reelection in the summer of 2005,
Mubarak committed to rescinding the state of emergency, which
has been in force since he took office following Sadat's 1981
assassination, and replacing it with a modern
counterterrorism law. Several drafting committees are
working on a new CT law, but none of our GOE contacts expect
it to be ready this year. Several senior GOE contacts have
told us that the constitution will have to be amended to be
compatible with an effective CT law.


5. (SBU) Embassy civil society contacts, who have long
opposed the emergency law, reacted with resignation to news
of its extension, noting that the GOE had been clear in
indicating its intent to do so.


6. (SBU) Comment: The state of emergency was set to expire at
the end of May. The GOE may have expedited renewal in the
wake of last week's terror attacks in Sinai. The GOE's
extension by two rather than three years is consistent with
its stated time frame for replacing the state of emergency
with a modern CT law. End comment.


7. (SBU) If asked about the extension, the Department may
wish to draw from the following points:

-- The United States has long expressed concern about Egypt's
application of the State of Emergency and we are disappointed
at its extension;

-- We welcomed President Mubarak's commitment to replace the
emergency law with a modern counterterrorism law and we look
forward to seeing this commitment implemented as soon as
possible;

-- Egypt is a valued ally in the war on terror. Recent
events have highlighted the security challenges that it
faces.

RICCIARDONE