(C) MUBARAK CALLS AHMEDINEJAD "EXTREMIST," SAYS NO

S E C R E T CAIRO 000036 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2017 TAGS: PREL EG IR SUBJECT: (C) MUBARAK CALLS AHMEDINEJAD "EXTREMIST," SAYS NO PLANS TO RESTORE TIES WITH IRAN Classified By: ECPO Minister-Counselor William R. Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) Summary: President Mubarak told the Ambassador and visiting Congressman Steven Israel (D-NY) on January 6 that Iranian president Ahmedinejad is an "extremist," who does not think rationally, but who will nevertheless be re-elected. Egypt will not normalize diplomatic relations with Iran as long as there are several outstanding "security" issues to be resolved. Mubarak said he had warned former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami emphatically not to "tease" the U.S., and had described to him how the U.S. would proceed methodically to destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure if provoked. End summary. ¶2. (S) During the January 6 visit of the Ambassador and Congressman Israel to President Mubarak's Sharm El Sheikh retreat, Mubarak said he had advised Ahmedinejad to "stop teasing the Americans." Mubarak said he had also warned former Iranian president Mohammed Khatami, who responded that the Americans "would never invade Iran as they had Iraq." Mubarak said he had told Khatami there was no need for the Americans to invade -- all they had to do was to destroy Iran's air defenses and then strategically bomb all its nuclear sites. "The Americans can do what they need to do in a week without ever setting foot in Iran," Mubarak said he had underscored to Khatami. "So tell Ahmedinejad to stop taunting them." Mubarak said that Khatami had agreed with him, and told him that "I don't like Ahmedinejad." Nonetheless, despite his irrational behavior, "Ahmedinejad will be re-elected," Mubarak asserted. ¶3. (C) Mubarak said that every so often, the Iranians approach Egypt about normalizing diplomatic relations. But this can never happen, he said, until we resolve certain security issues. There are "three or four killers" in Iran, Mubarak said, who "murdered Sadat and others." We know them and where they are. We have given the Iranians their telephone numbers and home addresses, and told Tehran, "You give us these people, and we will think about restoring diplomatic relations." ¶4. (C) Mubarak said that when former Iranian nuclear negotiator and Khamenei aide Ali Larijani was in Egypt recently, he had asked to separate the "security element from the political element," to allow Iran to restore relations with Egypt. Mubarak rejected this. "Cairo is an open city," Mubarak said, "and Shia terrorists and malcontents from all over the region, supported by Iran, could easily come here and plot coups in their home countries. Iran is always stirring trouble. They tried to bring 30,000 books on Iran and Shia-ism to the Cairo Book Fair last year, and we refused them." ¶5. (U) Congressman Israel did not clear this message. Ricciardone