THE DEPUTY SECRETARY,S MAY 20 MEETING WITH GAMAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 003235 SIPDIS NEA FOR ELA NSC FOR SINGH E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM EG SUBJECT: THE DEPUTY SECRETARY,S MAY 20 MEETING WITH GAMAL MUBARAK ¶1. (U) Classified by: Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶2. (U) MAY 20, 2006; 5:30PM; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt ¶3. (C) Participants: U.S. -------------- The Deputy Secretary Ambassador Ricciardone NEA DAS Scott Carpenter D Executive Assistant Mike Matera D Special Assistant Aaron Jost Egypt -------------- Gamal Mubarak, General Secretary of the Policy Committee of the National Democratic Party Karim Haggag, Aide to Mr. Mubarak ¶4. (C) Summary: The Deputy Secretary and Gamal Mubarak discussed political reform in Egypt on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. End Summary. ¶5. (C) Mubarak assessed that he had had a good visit to the United States. He had sensed tension on Capital Hill, particularly concerning political reform, however, this was due to a "gap in perception" on the issue: while there may be challenges or disagreements on the issue, reform on all fronts is moving forward. For instance, many in the United States discussed the extension of the Emergency Law (which the Government of Egypt had never claimed could not be extended) but few seemed to note the provision that the Emergency Law will expire when a counterterrorism law passed - this is significant step towards the end of the Emergency Law. There were unrealistic expectations on the timeline for reform, though he is "fairly confident" that a "great deal" of his father's political reform agenda will have been dealt with by the end of the legislative session. In particular, he hoped reforms to the judiciary, criminal procedures and press libel laws would be completed by the end of the year, while discussions within the legislature on constitutional reforms would continue. Many oppose reforms and the constitutional review will generate intense debate, some of it unexpected. Mubarak provided the Deputy with a National Democratic Party paper entitled "President Mubarak's Electoral Program and Egypt's Agenda for Reform" (provided to NEA/ELA). ¶6. (C) The Deputy Secretary noted the importance of Egyptians making their case directly to Congress and the international community. The U.S. administration understands the benefits of a close relationship, including cooperation on important issues such as Sudan, and will back its request for assistance to Egypt. The political reform agenda on which President Mubarak campaigned was a solid starting element of the necessary political reform, and progress on legislative implementation was needed. However, the Government of Egypt was creating real challenges for itself by, for instance, imprisoning Ayman Nour. ¶7. (C) Mubarak countered that the Ayman Nour case demonstrated his father's respect for the independence of the judiciary; the President had refrained from interfering in case out of principle even when some in the judiciary had urged him to do so. (NOTE: Gamal repeated this assertion in a one-on-one conversation with Ambassador the following day. Ambassador responded that senior judges were saying, before the May 18 high court rejection of Nour's appeal, that a top aide to Mubarak, specifically Zakaria Azmi, had signaled Palace intent at least with respect to the severe sentencing, which is at the heart of the issue. Granted that even if this story is true, Azmi may have been free-lancing, nonetheless the damage to Mubarak's credibility over this case has been substantial. Gamal angrily rejected such rumors as deliberate attempts by opposition elements to undermine Mubarak. End note) ¶8. (C) Responding to a question from the Deputy, Mubarak described the mood in Egypt towards reform as mixed. The 2005 presidential campaign had been an eye opener for the Egyptian people, and many had since told Mubarak that they wished they had registered to vote. On the other hand, the intense debate of important issues witnessed so far this year was new to Egypt and this worried some Egyptians. Mubarak tells such Egyptians that they should be concerned, and that their concern should motivate them to participate in the debates. In Mubarak's view, such concerns were to be expected when important changes are considered, and leaders must guide the people forward. ¶9. (C) The Deputy Secretary reiterated the need for Egypt to find a solution to the Ayman Nour case and press ahead with reforms. Egypt should demonstrate leadership on reform by taking steps it was not being pressured to do. For instance, allowing the International Republic Institute and the National Democratic Institute - institutions that clearly did not pose a security threat - to the register as NGOs. Working with them would show the government's seriousness about democratic reform. ¶10. (C) Mubarak inquired about a regional micro-lending program proposed to be part of the Fund for the Future. The Deputy Secretary pledged to look into the issue and encouraged Mubarak to also speak to the members of Congress attending the conference about the proposal. ¶11. (U) The Deputy Secretary's party has cleared this cable. RICCIARDONE