EGYPT "CONCERNED" BY NORTH KOREAN MISSILE TESTS;

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 004185 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PARM KNNP EG KN SUBJECT: EGYPT "CONCERNED" BY NORTH KOREAN MISSILE TESTS; POSTPONES UPCOMING MFA VISIT REF: STATE 111144 Classified by ECPO Counselor Catherine Hill-Herndon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Post delivered reftel demarche July 6 to MFA Cabinet staff member Moataz Zahran, stressing the importance of concerted international pressure on North Korea to curb its provocative missile tests and proliferation of missile parts and technology. Zahran acknowledged GOE concerns regarding the development, and pledged to promptly share the USG demarche with the foreign minister. Zahran shared a written press release from the MFA Spokesman issued earlier that day (text below) which expressed Egyptian "concern/interest" over recent developments and calls for "self-restraint" from the North Koreans. ¶2. (C) Moataz volunteered that, as a result of the missile launches, the Egyptian Foreign Minister instructed MFA Assistant Minister for Asian Affairs Ali El Hefny to postpone his planned late-July stop-over in Pyongyang, where he was scheduled to visit during a tour of East Asian nations. Similarly, a commemoration ceremony of 45 years of Egyptian-North Korean consular relations, planned to coincide with Hefny's visit, was cancelled by the Egyptians, Moataz said. Asked about Egypt-North Korea ties generally, Moataz said Egypt maintained "cultural" relations and "mild" trade ties with Pyongyang. Further explaining the latter point, Moataz noted an Egypt-South Korea-North Korea three-way deal involving donations of South Korean rice to the North purchased by Egypt. Also, Egypt recently gave North Korea for the second year in a row a "symbolic" donation of medicine worth approximately USD 17 thousand dollars. ¶3. (U) Embassy translation of July 6 MFA statement on North Korea missile tests: Begin Text: The official spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the foreign ministry's concern over the latest developments in the East Asian region which witnessed missile tests undertaken by North Korea. The MFA is following these developments and is emphasizing the importance of self-restraint along with non-escalation which could jeopardize peace and stability in that important region. The spokesman also called for the continuation of dialogue and negotiation among concerned parties to resolve the Korean issue, and urged them to return to the Six-Party negotiations. End text. RICCIARDONE