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