EGYPTIAN POLITICAL PARTY MEMBERS' SUCCESSFUL

UNCLAS CAIRO 000323 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE NSC STAFF FOR PASCUAL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM EG SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN POLITICAL PARTY MEMBERS' SUCCESSFUL NDI-ORGANIZED U.S. STUDY TRIP Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. 1.(SBU) A seven member delegation of senior members of Egyptian political parties returned to Egypt on February 8 after spending 10 days in the United States on a National Democratic Institute (NDI) organized study mission. USAID funded the study mission through a grant to NDI. The delegation, which included members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the opposition Democratic Front Party (DFP),attended presidential primary campaign rallies in Orlando, met in Washington with political activists and congressional and executive branch officials, and visited campaign headquarters and local election organizers in New York. Two members of the opposition Al Wafd party were also scheduled to participate, but had to cancel due to legal battles in Cairo over the party's leadership. ¶2. (SBU) According to Lila Jafer, NDI's program director for Egypt, who accompanied the delegation, the group's response to the trip was positive. NDI has struggled against government resistance to gain a foothold in Egypt, and she told us that the trip demonstrated to the delegation the extent to which NDI could serve as a resource for Egypt's political institutions. Participants, including Mohamed Kamal, the NDP's Secretary for Training and a key Gamel Mubarak advisor, reportedly expressed interest in a continued relationship with NDI, while stressing that it should be a consultative relationship, rather than one based on "training." Participants also reported that the trip served as a vehicle for strengthening ties between the NDP and DFP, ties that are, for the moment, being maintained now that the group is back in Egypt. ¶3. (SBU) We met on February 19 with Mohamed Kamal, who was extremely enthusiastic and positive about the NDI study mission and his experience in the U.S. He praised NDI's understanding of Egypt and, referring to the trip and to NDI's activities generally said "this is the way to do such things", comparing the International Republican Institute's activities in Egypt unfavorably with NDI's. He told us that NDI plans to invite NDP and other party representatives to the upcoming Democratic National Convention, and he "will enthusiastically accept the invitation." Jones