EGYPTIAN MFA DOWNPLAYS MUBARAK COMMENTS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 003124 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FO; NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV EG IS SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN MFA DOWNPLAYS MUBARAK COMMENTS ON FATAH-HAMAS DIALOGUE Classified By: ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL MINISTER-COUNSELOR WILLIAM R. STE WART REASONS: 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (SBU) Poloff spoke with MFA Spokesman and Senior Cabinet Advisor Hosam Zaki October 24 regarding press reports implying President Mubarak was willing to facilitate Hamas-Fatah negotiations based on his October 22 interview with Austrian newspaper "Der Standard." He said that Mubarak had said nothing new in the press conference following his October 22 meeting with Austrian President Heinz Fischer, but that he had not seen the text of the Der Standard interview. ¶2. (C) Nevertheless, Zaki said that there is no Egyptian policy shift. The GOE maintains low-level dialogue with Hamas. The GOE position is that PA President Abbas is empowered to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians, and that the burden is on Hamas to rejoin the Palestinian political system, so as to have Palestinian unity. Poloff noted that it was unfortunate that the formulations used by Mubarak had been vague enough to allow Hamas to use the interview for its benefit. RICCIARDONE