AYMAN NOUR APPRECIATIVE OF PRESIDENT'S PRAGUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001793 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC FOR WATERS AND DAVIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM EG SUBJECT: AYMAN NOUR APPRECIATIVE OF PRESIDENT'S PRAGUE SPEECH; AL GHAD LEADERSHIP FACING POTENTIAL CHARGES REF: A. CAIRO 1603 ¶B. CAIRO 1625 ¶C. CAIRO 1502 ¶D. CAIRO 1727 Classified By: Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs Catherine Hill-Herndon, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) In a positive June 10 meeting with Gameela Ismail, wife of imprisoned Al Ghad party leader Ayman Nour, and Amir Salem (Nour's lawyer),Ismail told poloff that Nour is "deeply appreciative" that the President mentioned him in his June 5 speech in Prague. Ismail read to poloff a letter from Nour, in which he had written, "I no longer feel forgotten ... A man that I have never met, a man that does not know me, has restored some of my dignity.8 ¶2. (C) Poloff discussed the Ambassador,s May 29 meeting with Interior Minister Habib El Adly (ref A),and the strong negative message from Adly regarding the possibility of health-based release for Nour. Ismail and Salem seemed to agree that all indications regarding a potential release of Nour were quite negative, days prior to the June 5 POTUS speech. Both focused on the choice of a "clearly biased judge" in the May 31 rushed ruling on Nour's case (ref B) as a clear sign that the GOE was "not serious" about giving Nour humanitarian parole. Ismail anticipates that at the June 12 hearing on Nour's appeal for a health-based release, a ruling will be delayed, as apparently no new medical report on Nour has been prepared, as had been requested by the State Council at the last hearing (ref C). Poloff will attend the June 12 hearing. ¶3. (C) Ismail said she was summoned to the Public Prosecutor's offices on June 10, and questioned for hours by state prosecutors regarding new allegations that she and other Ghad Party leaders have "started an underground organization, called Al Ghad" and were "working against the state." According to Ismail, eight others in the Ghad Party leadership, including Al Ghad president Ehab Al Khouly and former vice-president Wael Nawara, are facing the same allegations. Salem said the "preposterous charges" were filed on June 6 (the day after the President's speech in Prague),and have greatly impacted Al Ghad's leadership, which is "running scared." Ismail noted that Al Ghad President Khouly is particularly frightened, fearing a "fate like Nour's," and thus had made some particularly negative public comments about the President's June 5 speech, in an effort to appease state security services. (Note: Egyptian newspaper Nahdet Masr on June 10 quoted Khouly as "refusing" President Bush's speech, "coarsely swearing at the man, and describing Bush's administration as the worst ever," and asserting that he "refuses to meet with U.S. officials." End note). Ismail asserted that her interrogators had commented approvingly to her about Khouly's remarks. She said that, Nour, however, is furious with Khouly for being "over the top critical of the speech" and "sounding too anti-American." Salem said that it is not clear as yet whether the charges against the Ghad leadership are "simply harassment, or something more serious." ¶4. (C) Ismail noted that while she is happy to meet with any visiting congressional delegations, she thinks the GOE would feel more pressure if CODEL's requested a visit with Nour, even though such visits would doubtless not be approved by the government. The mere fact that CODEL's are requesting visits "would be positive for Nour." She also recommended that CODEL's request visits to the hospital at Torah Prison (where Nour is incarcerated),so they can "see for themselves the miserable health conditions ... there is no emergency or advanced care available for a patient like Nour who has a serious heart condition. A stethoscope is the most modern instrument they have." JONES