UNESCO DIRECTOR GENERAL - NEXT STEPS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 002584

SIPDIS

NSC FOR PASCUAL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNESCO SCUL EG
SUBJECT: UNESCO DIRECTOR GENERAL - NEXT STEPS

REF: A. SECSTATE 130916

B. CAIRO 2411

C. PARISFR 1185

D. PARISFR 1945

E. PARISFR 2220

F. PARISFR 2262

G. PARISFR 2227

H. OLIVER-SCOBEY TELCON 12-19-2008

Classified By: Ambassador Margaret Scobey
Reasons: 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) Summary. Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni's
candidacy to be Director General of UNESCO will likely create
a serious irritant in our bilateral relationship with the
Egyptians, as well as a public diplomacy challenge here and
in other Arab states. We have made clear our position and
our concerns about Hosni's record to the Egyptian Foreign
Minister. Rumors are circulating in Cairo that we will
"withdraw" from UNESCO if Hosni is appointed, and that we
object to Hosni because he is Arab and Muslim, a storyline
that will likely galvanize support for Hosni throughout the
region. We have been approached by a number of close contacts
from Egypt's liberal elite on behalf of Hosny, including by
one of his advisers.


2. (C) Summary continued. The identification of a serious,
alternative candidate who can defeat Hosni on the merits will
help to shift the discussion away from our views on Hosni,
and defuse a potentially damaging situation that could last
through the end of the UNESCO electoral process in October

2009. Possible options may be to back an Arab-American, or a
European who is Muslim, if such a qualified candidate exists.
End summary.


3. (C) The Egyptians have staked out their ground on Hosni
(reftel a) and we do not believe they will back away from
supporting his candidacy; he is very close to the first
family. Our suggestion that we work together to find a
suitable alternate Egyptian candidate was rebuffed by FM
Aboul Gheit (reftel b).


4. (C) Hosni's candidacy appears to have solid underpinnings
of support beyond Egypt, including from all Arab League
states, and possibly some Europeans. (Note: the French
Ambassdor briefed the Ambassador on the French-Egyptian
exchange on this issue during the recent visit of the French
Prime Minister. The matter was discussed in both meetings
with the Egyptian Prime Minister and President Mubarak. The
Egyptians acknowledged that Hosny's "book burning" comment
created a problem for the candidacy but argued that it was
not in keeping with his true record of supporting tolerance
and cultural normalization. They asked, and the French Prime
Minister agreed, that the French do nothing for the time
being to suggest their support is waning. The Egyptians
needed time to repair the damage.)


5. (C) Publicly we are taking the position that we do not
comment on how we intend to vote. However, just about all of
Cairo's liberal elite knows our position and several have
approached the Ambassador to reconsider our position, arguing
on behalf of Hosny, citing his virtues and minimizing his
faults. Rumors are also circulating that we will "pull out"
of UNESCO, or withdraw funding, if Hosni is elected. Hosni
said in a recent interview with local media that he believes
the U.S. is against his candidacy, "because they do not want
an Arab-Muslim to be the next UNESCO Director General."


6. (C) On December 23, Former AmCham President Taher Helmy
brought Hossam Nassar, an advisor to Hosni, to meet with the
Ambassador. Helmy stressed that he was seeking to facilitate
a "very informal and off the record" conversation to better
understand the American and Egyptian positions. The
Ambassador said that we had only one channel to Egypt on this
issue and that remains with the Foreign Ministry. However,
given Helmy's long friendship with the U.S. she would be
happy to discuss the matter in general terms and off the
record. She said that we had made our views known to the
government of Egypt. We understood the Minister's strong
record of opposing extremism and protecting free artistic
expression in Egypt. She stressed that we did not want this
issue to become a bilateral problem, nor did we want to in
any way have this issue be personalized or seen as an attack
on the Minister himself. The United States would cast its
vote for the candidate who would be the best qualified on at
least two main issues. The candidate should have a strong
management record and reputation for transparency; the
candidate should be able to forge consensus. The United
States did not want to have a director who would be
controversial.

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7. (C) Nassar pressed the case for Hosni, arguing that his
anti-Semitic remarks (burning Israeli books) had been taken
out of context, and that allegations of Hosni's involvement
in corruption were false ("trust me, he's the most honest man
I know"). Without addressing specifics, the Ambassador noted
that, as a long-serving minister in the Egyptian government,
Minister Hosny's public comments on many issues going back
years would be closely examined. She indicated that there
would be other statements beyond the "book burning" comment
to explain. She noted an interview from 1997 in "Ros al
Yusuf" that was troubling. She reiterated that the U.S. had
made its position known to the government and she did not
believe it would change, even with the new administration,
given that concerns have already been heard from the Hill.


8. (C) Helmy said that Egyptians had been told by the French
that the U.S. was threatening to withdraw from UNESCO or to
withdraw funding if Minister Hosny were elected. The
Ambassador said that the U.S. had not threatened anyone with
anything. The U.S. was focused on finding the most qualified
candidate for the job.


9. (C) Nassar and Helmy asked the Ambassador's advice on
when and who to approach in the Congress for Hosni to make
his case in Washington. The Ambassador said she could not
provide that advice and recommended that Ambassador Shoukry
in Washington guide them on this issue.


10. (C) Comment. From our perspective, the best solution is
for a strong, qualified candidate to emerge as soon as
possible who can defeat Hosni on the merits. It is important
to displace the current Egyptian media focus on American
opposition to Hosni with a positive story of a better
qualified candidate that we do support. Should we need to
expand our public commentary on the race, we recommend not
speaking directly to Hosni's candidacy, but rather note that
we are looking for a candidate with strong managerial skills
who is a consensus-builder.


11. (C) Comment continued. One attractive scenario would be
for a European of Arab/Muslim background (e.g. a
French-Moroccan or a Dutch-Turk),to emerge. This could
potentially gain support of the Europeans, provide them with
a basis to resist Egyptian pressure to support Hosni, and
eliminate the Egyptian contention that we will not support
Hosni because he is a Muslim (as FM Aboul Gheit has accused -
reftel b). Other possibilities, such as an Arab American
candidate, or Colombia's Ingrid Bettancourt (reftel e) are
likewise attractive. Whoever the candidate, we strongly urge
the Department to move quickly in order to defuse mounting
tension between the USG and Egypt, and potentially other
friendly Arab states (e.g. Jordan - reftel g).
SCOBEY