CODEL PRICE MEETING AT PARLIAMENT ELICITS PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001641 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC FOR WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KISL EG SUBJECT: CODEL PRICE MEETING AT PARLIAMENT ELICITS PUBLIC CRITICISM FROM PRESIDENTIAL PALACE CLASSIFIED BY: DCM STUART E. JONES, FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (SBU) IN A MAY 27 MEETING AT THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY, PRESIDED OVER BY SPEAKER FATHI SUROUR, CODEL PRICE MET WITH SEVERAL EGYPTIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS, INCLUDING HEAD OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD (MB) PARLIAMENTARY BLOC MOHAMED SAAD AL KATANI, NDP PARLIAMENTARY LEADER ABDEL AHAD GAMALEDDIN, AL WAFD LEADER MAHMOUD ABAZA, AND THE HEADS OF FIVE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES (ALL NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY MP'S). THE MEETING DID NOT TOUCH UPON EGYPTIAN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, BUT RATHER, THE EGYPTIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS FOCUSED THEIR REMARKS ON THE NEED FOR AN "UNBIASED AND BALANCED" U.S. APPROACH TO THE PEACE PROCESS, PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI PEACE AS THE KEY TO STABILITY IN THE REGION, THE NEED FOR U.S. FORCES TO WITHDRAW FROM IRAQ "ON A TIMETABLE THAT IS NOT ABRUPT, BUT NOT SLOW, AND THAT HAS REGIONAL CONSENSUS," AND CRITICISM OF THE U.S. FOR NOT ADVOCATING FOR A NWFZ IN THE MIDDLE EAST. ¶2. (SBU) AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE THE AFTERNOON OF MAY 27 (FOLLOWING A PRESIDENT MUBARAK MEETING WITH THE VISITING PRESIDENT OF GHANA),PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN SOLEIMAN AWWAD WAS ASKED ABOUT CODEL PRICE'S MEETING AT PARLIAMENT, AND RESPONDED: "WE KNOW THE U.S. DOES NOT ESTABLISH RELATIONS WITH BANNED GROUPS, WHETHER IN EGYPT OR ELSEWHERE, AND THAT WHEN IT MAKES CONTACTS WITH INDEPENDENT MP'S IT DOES SO BECAUSE THEY ARE MP'S AND NOT BECAUSE THEY REPRESENT A SPECIFIC POLITICAL TREND. BUT THIS CONTRADICTS WITH ANOTHER AMERICAN POLICY POSITION. THE U.S. SAYS IT IS MEETING WITH THE MB AS PARLIAMENT MEMBERS, BUT DOES NOT MAKE THE SAME DISTINCTION WHEN IT COMES TO HAMAS, AND REFUSES TO TALK WITH HAMAS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE PARLIAMENTARIANS, OR EVEN MINISTERS IN THE PALESTINIAN CABINET. THE U.S. CAN DO WHATEVER IT LIKES, BUT WE WILL DO WHATEVER WE LIKE TO PROTECT EGYPT'S NATIONAL SECURITY, PRINCIPLES OF CITIZENSHIP, AND TO PREVENT MIXING RELIGION WITH POLITICS. THOSE WHO THINK THAT EGYPT'S NATIONAL SECURITY IS LESS SIGNIFICANT THAN OTHER COUNTRIES' INTEREST IN THEIR OWN NATIONAL SECURITY (INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES) ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE." ¶3. (SBU) ON MAY 29, THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ENGLISH-LANGUAGE WEBSITE (WWW.IKHWANWEB.COM) POSTED A STATEMENT FROM KATATNI REGARDING THE CODEL PRICE MEETING AND AWWAD'S RESPONSE. KATATNI "EXPRESSED HIS ANGER AT THE PRESIDENTS SPOKESPERSON FOR OVERSTEPPING HIS AUTHORITY AND UNDERMINING THE INTEGRITY OF MEMBERS OF THE PARLIAMENT IN GENERAL AND THE MB IN PARTICULAR." KATATNI ADDED THAT, "AMBASSADOR AWWAD WAS WRONG TO DESCRIBE THE DOUBLE STANDARDS BY THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE HAMAS GOVERNMENT AND THE MB IN EGYPT, WHEN THE EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT ITSELF IS DOING EXACTLY THE SAME BY INVITING AND RECEIVING PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS AND FATAH MEMBERS AND MINISTERS, BUT REFUSES TO DEAL WITH PA PRIME MINISTER ISMAIL HANIYA AND HAMAS MINISTERS." KATATNI SAID THAT, "THE MEETING WITH U.S. CONGRESSMEN WAS A ROUTINE DIALOGUE BETWEEN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD AND WAS NOT SECRET," AND REITERATED, "THE MB'S FIRM STANCE NOT TO MEET WITH OFFICIALS FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT UNLESS IN COORDINATION WITH THE EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY." ¶4. (C) COMMENT: AWWAD'S TESTY PUBLIC STATEMENT REGARDING THE CODEL PRICE MEETING AT PARLIAMENT IS INDICATIVE OF GOE CONCERN THAT MEETING WITH MB-AFFILIATED MP'S IS BECOMING STANDARD PRACTICE FOR VISITING CODEL'S. THE CODEL PRICE MEETING WAS THE SECOND TIME IN TWO MONTHS THAT A CODEL HAS MET WITH MB PARLIAMENTARY BLOC LEADER KATATNI (ON APRIL 5, CODEL HOYER MET TWICE WITH KATATNI IN GROUP SETTINGS - FIRST AT A SIMILAR MEETING IN PARLIAMENT, AND SUBSEQUENTLY AT A LARGE RECEPTION FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, PARLIAMENTARIANS, CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISTS, AND BUSINESSMEN AT THE AMBASSADOR'S HOME). ¶5. (U) THIS CABLE WAS NOT CLEARED BY CODEL PRICE. RICCIARDONE