CODEL MCCONNELL'S MEETING WITH MINDEF TANTAWI

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000666 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2019 TAGS: PREL PARM MASS MOPS KPAL IS IR EG SUBJECT: CODEL MCCONNELL'S MEETING WITH MINDEF TANTAWI REF: CAIRO 448 CAIRO 00000666 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Matthew H. Tueller for reasons 1 .4 (b) and (d). ¶1. Key Points - (S/NF) During an April 6 meeting, Minister of Defense Field Marshal Tantawi told CODEL McConnell that Egypt was "doing its best" to combat arms smuggling into Gaza. - (S/NF) Senior Advisor to the Minister of Defense MG al-Assar categorized the smuggling problem as "a threat to Egyptian national security," saying the Border Guard Force had discovered over 200 tunnels since January 2009. - (S/NF) Senator Chambliss encouraged Tantawi to swiftly implement BTADS and restore the satellite link. - (S/NF) Tantawi said Iran was a "danger" for Egypt and cautioned against using military force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. - (S/NF) On Somalia, Tantawi said Egypt was prepared to send peacekeeping troops under a United Nations mission. -------------- Counter Smuggling -------------- ¶2. (S/NF) On April 6, Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY),Saxby Chambliss (R-GA),John Barrasso (R-WY) and James Risch (R-ID) and Ambassador discussed counter smuggling, Iran, and Somalia with Field Marshal Tantawi. Tantawi said Egypt was "doing its best" to combat arms smuggling. MG al-Assar categorized the smuggling problem as "a threat to Egyptian national security," saying the Border Guard Force had discovered over 200 tunnels since January 2009. Tantawi noted that there was a short technical delay in implementing the FMF-sponsored BTADS project, but assured the delegation that MOD would fully implement the project (Comment: In February, Tantawi severed the satellite link necessary to calibrate seismic-acoustic tunnel detection equipment being installed along the Egypt-Gaza border, in addition to ordering the discontinuation of GPS technology used to accurately pinpoint tunneling activity (reftel). End Comment). ¶3. (S/NF) Senator Chambliss encouraged Tantawi to swiftly implement BTADS and restore the satellite link. There would be no solution to the Gaza conflict, Senator Chambliss continued, until Hamas stopped firing rockets into Israel. He also noted that Egypt plays a crucial role in combating smuggling as the tunnels along the Egypt-Gaza border were the primary smuggling routes. Tantawi replied that rockets were smuggled into Gaza by sea or were built inside Gaza. Senior Advisor to the Minister of Defense MG Fouad al-Helmi stated that "rockets have never been smuggled in through the tunnels," but admitted that small arms and explosives had been smuggled through the Egypt-Gaza tunnels. Al-Assar added that Egypt needed an Israeli commitment to open the Gaza border crossings to legitimate commercial trade, which would allow Egypt to focus on combating arms smuggling. -------------- Iran -------------- ¶4. (S/NF) Senator McConnell sought Tantawi's views on containing Iran. Tantawi replied that Iran was a "danger" for Egypt and the whole region. He declined to share his military strategy for dealing with the threat Iran posed, but said that the political release of advanced US weapons systems would help combat the threat. Tantawi cautioned against using military force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, saying he was confident the US could find a political solution. -------------- Somalia -------------- ¶5. (S/NF) Senator Chambliss asked Tantawi if the Egyptian military was involved in combating piracy off the Somali coast. Tantawi said Egypt was prepared to send troops to Somalia if the United Nations establishes a peacekeeping mission. He had no plans to deploy naval assets off the Somali coast and would instead focus on preventing piracy from spreading to the Red Sea. CAIRO 00000666 002.2 OF 002 SCOBEY