EGYPTIAN VIEWS ON UPCOMING NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 005527

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2016
TAGS: PREL UNGA UNSC PHUM PTER EG CU VE GT
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN VIEWS ON UPCOMING NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT
SUMMIT IN CUBA

REF: STATE 145242

Classified by Minister Counselor for Economic and Political
Affairs William R. Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) During a September 5 meeting with MFA Office Director
for Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Affairs, Osama Khalil, poloff
delivered reftel demarche on topics expected to be discussed
at a September 11-16 NAM Summit in Havana, Cuba. Khalil
believed the summit would be uneventful, but noted the
"unpredictability" of the host nation leadership,
particularly given recent questions over Cuba's leadership
secession and general upset among NAM countries regarding the
Middle East. Khalil predicted debate over a Cuban proposal
to increase the number of NAM guiding "principles" from
10-17. These new principles would include calls to make the
work of the UN "more democratic," increased South-South
cooperation, a denunciation of "state terrorism," and other
positions generally at odds with USG positions. Khalil
believed the predicted attendance of at least 50 heads of
state/government at the summit signaled a public relations
victory of sorts for the Cubans. Khalil shared his view that
the Cubans timed the event to closely coincide with the UNGA
in New York in order to attract the world's attention toward
Havana.


2. (C) On the issue of terrorism and national liberation
movements, Khalil said Egypt does not object to the current
draft language in the NAM final declaration but took poloff's
point that targeting civilians in the name of liberation
movements can not be justified. Khalil had no reply on the
competition between Guatemala and Venezuela for a Security
Council seat, or on reftel talking points on democracy and
Cuba. Regarding the Middle East, Khalil, who had served
recently in Tel Aviv, was unsympathetic to reftel talking
points, but promised to convey the entire message to the
Minister and other senior MFA colleagues.


3. (C) Regarding Lebanon, Khalil read from the draft final
document (agreed to in principle during a May 27-30 NAM
ministerial meeting in Malaysia, and updated September 1 by
the NAM Coordination Bureau in New York) and confirmed that
the statement expresses solidarity for the government and
people of Lebanon (vice Hizballah),hails their "heroic
resistance," and "strongly condemns" Israel for its
"relentless aggression against Lebanon." Israeli actions
toward Lebanon are considered a "serious breach of the
principles of the UN Charter, according to the draft text,
and Israel should be "held accountable" for its "crimes,"
Khalil shared from the draft. On Shebaa Farms, the paper
expresses full support for the Government of Lebanon's
"7-point plan," and recognizes the importance of the UN
contributing to a settlement of the Shebaa issue along the
lines of UNSCR 1701 and the GOL's 7-point plan.
JONES