STATUS OF CONTAINER SECURITY PROGRAMS IN EGYPT

UNCLAS CAIRO 002580 // C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - ADDRESSEE DHS CORRECTED // SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA/ELA FOR SCHALL EEB FOR HAYWOOD ENERGY FOR NNSA MUSTIN AND BEDKE DHS FOR HORTON AND BAIG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EWWT PTER EG SUBJECT: STATUS OF CONTAINER SECURITY PROGRAMS IN EGYPT REF: SIDEREAS-HUIZENGA EMAIL 12/17/08 Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3. ¶2. (SBU) Implementation of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) program at the Port of Alexandria has been stalled since June 2008. The U.S. and GOE agreed to pursue a CSI program in Alexandria in a memorandum of understanding known as a Declaration of Principles (DoP) between the Egyptian Customs Authority (ECA) and the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security/Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Energy (DOE) in June 2006. In June 2008, ECA notified the embassy that the Egyptian interagency wanted to renegotiate the 2006 DoP as a cooperative agreement strictly between the ECA and CBP. In August 2008, ECA Senior Advisor Galal Abou el Fotouh told CBP, DOE and econoff that the GOE interagency will not allow ECA to engage directly with DOE on container security programs and wants to conclude a Customs agency to customs agency agreement and limit scanning to U.S.-bound containers only. ¶3. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Relevant stakeholders at CBP, DOE and Embassy Cairo agreed to this approach in a conference call on December 17. We ask that CBP and DOE, in consultation with NEA/ELA, prepare a new DoP in line with the GOE's request. We also request a memorandum articulating how implementation of CSI in Alexandria will proceed to help the GOE understand next steps. ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: While the Egyptian position falls short of our full request, we believe that getting the program established and operational will increase GOE comfort level with the program and set the stage for future expansion. END SCOBEY