BLUE LANTERN: VERIFYING BONA FIDES FOR BROKER

UNCLAS CAIRO 002401 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL ETTC MASS EG SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN: VERIFYING BONA FIDES FOR BROKER SHERIF EL SAID - CASE NO.2001 REF: STATE 99501 ¶1. (SBU) In response to reftel request, Poloff met with registered broker Sherif El Said, President of TETCO. His brother Hassouna El Said (Vice President) and son Mahmoud El Said (Program Manager) also attended the meeting. He confirmed that he was authorized by the Egyptian Ministry of Defense to conduct brokering activities in Egypt. TETCO began operations in 1978 and has 15 employees. The company provides consulting and technical support for the Ministry of Defense, including providing maintenance for radio systems and communications switches for the Navy Signal and Army Signal Departments. Apart from providing on-site maintenance for the equipment, El Said said the company does not physically handle any of the equipment. The American manufacturer DRS ships the equipment directly to the Egyptian military. If any parts need off-site repairs or replacement, the Egyptian military ships the equipment directly to the manufacturer. El Said confirmed that he was familiar with restrictions on USML items, including the unauthorized re-transfer and re-export of items. ¶2. (SBU) El Said said the Egyptian military was his only client for sensitive equipment like switches. The firm also does some commercial telecommunications work for private companies, but only involving items that are not on the United States Munitions List. Scobey