EGYPT SUPPORTIVE OF MIDDLE EAST RESOLUTION AT THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 004356 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MOPS KPAL KWBG UNSC EG IS SUBJECT: EGYPT SUPPORTIVE OF MIDDLE EAST RESOLUTION AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL REF: A. STATE 114594 ¶B. CAIRO 4344 (NOTAL) Classified by DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) NEA Assistant Secretary David Welch and Deputy National Security Council Advisor Elliott Abrams discussed the draft UNSC resolution condemning military operations in Gaza with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa during separate July 12 SIPDIS meetings in Cairo. Aboul Gheit (approximately 90 minutes before news emerged of the Hizballah attack on Israel's northern border) told Welch and Abrams that Arab governments "had to be seen as doing something." Aboul Gheit claimed that he was not personally pressing his delegation in New York to push the resolution forward, but was apprised of the state of play. Moussa (shortly after the news of the Hizballah attack) responded to Welch and Abrams' recommendation to amend the draft text to ensure balance by blaming Israeli actions for creating the situation in which it now finds itself. ¶2. (C) On July 13, post delivered ref A demarche to MFA Cabinet staff member Amr Sherbiny (protect),noting the importance of delaying a vote at the Security Council on the Qatari draft resolution. Sherbiny told poloff that Egypt was "pushing the resolution in New York" fully expecting the U.S. to veto the draft. "We have to do something," he said, repeating the point the Minister had made the day before. Arab foreign ministers, he continued, would also meet at the Arab League on Saturday to address the situation on the Lebanon-Israel border following the July 12 Hizballah attack and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. It is likely the ministers will draft another resolution to send to the Arab Group in New York for presentation to the Security Council, Sherbiny added. The Qataris, he concluded, will not do anything that is not a product of Arab consensus. Predicting another "unbalanced" draft resolution on Lebanon, Sherbiny pointed out that Lebanon's foreign minister was a Shia with close ties to Hizballah. He believed the discussion at the Arab League would be contentious. ¶3. (C) A visiting Israeli diplomat based in Washington, Eynat Shlein-Michael, told poloff July 13 that GOE sources shared with her that morning that Egyptian President Mubarak had tried reaching Syrian President Asad by phone for three hours without response. An angry Mubarak, she said, dispatched Aboul Gheit and Awad to Damascus without informing the Syrians. When Asad learned that the Egyptian envoys were in the air only 30 minutes outside Damascus, Asad finally took Mubarak's call and committed to meet with the Egyptians. See ref B for the GOE read-out of that meeting. RICCIARDONE