EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY CONCERNED OVER SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002989 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC EG SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY CONCERNED OVER SECURITY FOR ITS WASHINGTON MISSION REF: ECPO - NEA/ELA E-MAILS Classified by DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) During a May 15 luncheon, MFA Assistant Minister for American Affairs Ambassador Salama Shaker pressed the DCM on GOE security concerns for its Washington, D.C. mission (ref). Shaker reported continuing GOE anxiety over what it perceives as inadequate notification by D.C. and federal authorities with respect to demonstrations at the Egyptian chancery and Ambassadorial residence, and a general sense of heightened threat against its personnel and facilities. In raising the issue, Shaker stated that she had never heard Egypt's Ambassador in Washington "so alerted" before over security concerns, having sent to Cairo "six faxes in one day" on the subject. Shaker added that the discovery of an empty cardboard box "next to the residence" -- "which has no fence" -- highlighted to the Egyptian Embassy staff the ease with which an attacker could approach the Ambassador. In her presentation, Shaker referenced the "extraordinary steps" that Egypt took to protect the U.S. Embassy and its personnel in Egypt and stated that it cost the GOE three hundred thousand dollars to provide protection to the American Embassy each year. ¶2. (C) Responding, the DCM acknowledged the excellent protection offered by the GOE for U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel and thanked the GOE for its continued support. He then explained that the USG takes Egyptian and all diplomatic personnel safety seriously, and acordingly spends millions of dollars every year on protection services. The basis for USG diplomatic security resource distribution decisions, he stressed, is threat levels and intelligence. At the moment, there was no such threat information regarding Egyptian interests in the U.S. to warrant further increases in the USG security posture for the Egyptian mission in Washington. Nevertheless, seeking to be responsive to the GOE's concerns, the DCM offered to organize a meeting between our Regional Security Officer and Embassy Legal Attache with MFA Assistant Minister for Security to further explain USG procedures in this field. Before moving to another subject, one of Shaker's staff noted that Egypt might be able to provide additional threat-related information that could help bolster its argument for added protections in D.C. RICCIARDONE