AMBASSADOR GOLDBERG DISCUSSES NORTH KOREA WITH MFA

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001960

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2019
TAGS: PREL KNNP PTER EFIN ECON PARM KN IR EG
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR GOLDBERG DISCUSSES NORTH KOREA WITH MFA
OFFICIALS

REF: A. VIENNA 438

B. STATE 94763

Classified By: Ambassador Margaret Scobey per 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Key Points:

-- During an October 4 meeting with Ambassador Goldberg,
Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Disarmament Khalid
Shamma said Egypt supports the implementation of UNSCR 1874
and Six-Party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea.

-- He noted that MFA shares information on implementing UNSCR
1874 with the relevant ministries, but Shamma declined to
commit to any specific steps Egypt would take if a ship
suspected of carrying illicit North Korean cargo transited
the Suez.

--Shamma stressed that strengthening the Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) during the 2010 Review Conference (Revcon) would
support our mutual nonproliferation goals throughout
the world, including North Korea.

-- Shamma said Egypt was satisfied with the result of the
2009 IAEA General Conference and cooperation with the U.S. on
a consensus Middle East resolution despite the U.S.
abstention. He looked forward to close cooperation on a
successful NPT Revcon, but noted that "we have much work to
do and very little time."

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Tougher Sanctions and Regional Proliferation Concerns
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2. (C) On October 4, Ambassador Goldberg, U.S. Coordinator
for the Implementation of UNSCR 1874, and an interagency
delegation that included representatives from Treasury, NSC,
and DNI, met with MFA officials to discuss sanctions against
North Korea and concerns over its regional proliferation
activities. Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for
Disarmament Khalid Shamma headed the Egyptian side, which
also included MFA officials covering East Asia and
International Organizations, along with a Customs Authority
representative. Treasury officials met separately with MFA's
Coordinator for Counterterrorism and the Deputy Governor of
the Central Bank (septel).


3. (C) Ambassador Goldberg stressed the importance of full
and transparent implementation UNSCR 1874 and shared U.S.
concerns over North Korea's regional proliferation activities
given its historical links with many countries in the Middle
East. Egypt is a strong partner on nonproliferation, he
said, and plays a critical role in combating illicit
shipments because of the Suez Canal. He noted that the
United Arab Emirates recently seized a ship carrying North
Korean military equipment that was destined for Iran.
Ambassador Goldberg emphasized that UNSCR 1874 applied to all
military shipments from North Korea, including conventional
military goods and missile related items. He encouraged
Egypt to advise its banks, trading companies, and cargo
agents on the dangers of doing business with North Korea,
including the resolution's prohibition on facilitating
transactions that could be related to North Korean
proliferation activities.


4. (C) Shamma welcomed President Obama's overarching goal
of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation as stated in his
April 2009 Prague speech and recent remarks during the UN
General Assembly, but stressed the importance of concrete
actions. He looked forward to working closely with the U.S.
on the 2010 NPT Revcon. Despite the U.S. abstention, Egypt
was "happy" with the outcome of Middle East issues at the
2009 IAEA General Conference (ref A),including the
resolution calling for Israel to join the NPT and submit to
full safeguard inspections. The Egyptian position, he
continued, was that all nuclear facilities in the world must
be subject to international inspections. Despite the fact
that the U.S. abstained on the Middle Eastern Safeguards
resolution, Shamma believed that the U.S. shared Egypt's
views on the importance of safeguards.

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Implementing 1874
--------------


5. (C) Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Glaser

stressed the broad view UNSCR 1874 took on banks'
obligations, i.e., that it prevents banks from providing
financial services that could support North Korea's WMD
program. Ambassador Goldberg asked Shamma what the Egyptian
response would be if a ship carrying suspected illicit
material transited the Suez. Shamma noted that in general,
Egypt "vigilantly" watched navigation through the Suez Canal
and would implement measures in the "purview of national
legislation and international navigation law" in cooperation
with various Egyptian government agencies.
Shamma requested that the U.S. share information on illicit
shipments directly with the MFA, as the Egyptian agencies who
usually receive the intelligence do not expeditiously
share the information with the MFA.

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Six-Party Talks
--------------


6. (C) Ambassador Goldberg outlined the two paths the United
States and its partners in the Six Party process are
following on North Korea policy: (a) the resumption of
Six-Party Talks aimed at the complete denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner; and (b) full and
transparent implementation of UNSCR 1874. Shamma said that
Egypt respected Security Council resolutions as a matter of
policy. He added that Egypt supported the Six-Party talks
and the P5 1 talks with Iran in Geneva.

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Nuclear-Free Middle East, NPT
--------------


7. (C) Shamma said President Obama's call for a nuclear
weapons free world was a "positive" signal. He noted that
Egypt first called for a nuclear weapons-free Middle East in
1974 along with, ironically, Iran. Shamma expressed
disappointment with the initial U.S. response to Egypt's
plans for advancing the 1995 NPT Revcon Middle East
resolution (ref B),saying it "falls short of our
expectations on what is achievable in this region." He
suggested an "enhanced" U.S.-Egypt dialogue on
nonproliferation issues, adding that extending the
universality of the NPT would support efforts to denuclearize
North Korea. Shamma looked forward to working closely with
the U.S. ahead of the May NPT Revcon, but said that "we have
lots of work ahead of us, but not much time."


8. (C) Colonel Charles Lutes, Director of Nonproliferation
at the NSC, stressed that countries like Iran and North Korea
directly threatened the NPT and required immediate action.
He noted the U.S. wanted to work closely with Egypt to
strengthen the NPT during next year's Revcon.


9. (U) Ambassador Goldberg and delegation cleared this
message.
Scobey