DAS GRAY DISCUSSES MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001832

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV KMFO KPAL EG IS
SUBJECT: DAS GRAY DISCUSSES MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE AND
OBSERVERS WITH MFA OFFICIAL

REF: SECDEF 201818

Classified by Charge d'Affaires Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) On June 13, NEA Deputy Assistant Secretary Gordon Gray
discussed the potential for a draw-down in the U.S. troop
contribution to the Multi-National Force and Observers (MFO)
with MFA Acting Assistant Minister for Legal Affairs and
Treaties Hussein Mubarak. The meeting was convened at
Mubarak's request. Mubarak reiterated Egypt's strong
objection to potential USG plans to decrease the U.S. MFO
troop contingent from 680 to 250 soldiers.


2. (C) Such a move, Mubarak said, would symbolize that the
Egypt, Israel, Levant region is of decreasing importance to
the United States. Now is a particularly bad time to signal
a lesser U.S. role in regional affairs, he continued, in the
midst of the escalating crises in Gaza and Lebanon. In
addition, Hussein said, the loss of U.S. troops would leave a
"psychological gap," even if replacements were found from
other countries. Hussein also critized the idea of replacing
U.S. soldiers with forces from private security companies,
saying that because the MFO represents state-to-state
relations, the troops should thus correspondingly be "formal
and official."


3. (C) Gray responded that a formal decision on whether or
not to decrease the U.S. MFO troop contingent has not been
made and will depend upon a review of the issue currently
being undertaken in the Department of Defense. Gray noted
that Secretary of Defense Gates had initiated this review
when Minister of Defense Tantawi raised similar points during
Gates' April 18 visit to Cairo (reftel).


4. (U) DAS Gray has cleared this message.
JONES