EGYPT'S FOREIGN MINISTER NOT FLEXIBLE ON IAEA

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002781 SIPDIS SIPDIS ISN (KESSLER, DANIEL, DAVIS) E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2012 TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP IAEA EG IS SUBJECT: EGYPT'S FOREIGN MINISTER NOT FLEXIBLE ON IAEA RESOLUTION REF: A. STATE 119672 ¶B. VIENNA 492 ¶C. STATE 127158 ¶D. VIENNA 523 Classified By: DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On September 13, the Ambassador urged Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit to work towards a consensus agreement with Israel on the "Application of IAEA Safeguards in the Middle East" resolution and the "Israeli Nuclear Threat" (INT) agenda item. He said the U.S. did not see the proposed amendments to the resolution as a consensus document, and we could not vote for it. The Ambassador pressed Aboul Gheit to work with the Israelis on the draft language and noted that the basis for past consensus involved addressing the separate INT item via a procedural Presidential Statement. Aboul Gheit responded that Egypt will put Egypt's draft language to a vote, and if the U.S. votes against it, "so be it." The Ambassador again pressed Aboul Gheit to show flexibility to reach a consensus outcome on the Middle East agenda items, but Aboul Gheit underlined his commitment to Egypt's draft language. On Iran, Aboul Gheit said "we're with you, but you pain yourself by always trying to defend the Israelis and to confront Iran." ¶2. (C) Separately on September 13, MFA's Deputy Assistant Minister for Multilateral Affairs Ambassador el-Atta told the DCM that the September 12 meeting on the Middle East resolution between the Israeli and Egyptian Ambassadors in Vienna had gone "badly" (NFI) and that there were currently no plans for follow-up discussions. He urged the U.S. to facilitate a dialogue through the mission in Vienna. RICCIARDONE