This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS CAIRO 004025 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EG OVIP
SUBJECT: CHARGE BRIEFS DIPLOMATIC CORPS ON VISITS OF FIRST 
LADY AND PRIME MINISTER NAZIF, ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO PRESS 
EGYPT TO ACCEPT INTERNATIONAL ELECTION MONITORS 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 3953 (NOTAL) 
 
     ¶B. CAIRO 3952 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  The Charge briefed the diplomatic corps 
May 26 on the visits of Egyptian Prime Minister Nazif to the 
United States and First Lady Laura Bush to the Middle East. 
Sharing transcripts of public statements and media interviews 
related to the two recent visits, the Charge offered his 
analysis of the visits and answered questions on the status 
of U.S.-Egyptian relations, a bilateral Free Trade Agreement, 
and international monitors for Egypt's coming elections.  On 
the latter issue, the Charge repeated President Bush's May 7 
statement in Latvia calling for acceptance of international 
election monitors by Egypt and encouraged attendees to urge 
their governments to similarly press Egypt to accept them. 
End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) After describing the itineraries for the Prime 
Minister's U.S. visit and that of the First Lady to Egypt and 
the region, the Charge explained the context of their 
exchanges and the content of their respective agendas.  The 
Charge characterized both visits as excellent and as having 
contributed positively to efforts to improve the bilateral 
relationship.  The Prime Minister was well received and 
presented a serious message to the entire spectrum of key 
opinion-shapers in Washington and New York.  The First Lady, 
focusing on education, women's empowerment, and democratic 
transformation (ref A), was equally well-received by the GOE, 
with her public remarks on Egyptian political reform efforts 
eliciting praise from Egyptian officials and others (ref B). 
The Charge also called attention to Deputy Secretary 
Zoellick's address to the World Economic Forum, commending it 
to his counterparts as an authoritative overview of U.S. 
policy objectives in the region. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Among the questions asked by the group of 35 senior 
diplomats from the G-8, the European Union, and other select 
countries were whether a timetable existed for completion of 
a bilateral Free Trade Agreement; whether regional political 
issues were discussed with PM Nazif;  details of the First 
Lady's discussions with Egyptian women activists;  the 
meaning of President Mubarak's decision not to visit the U.S. 
this year; whether the Secretary of State intended to visit 
Egypt to pursue the Forum for the Future agenda; and whether 
Egypt would host an Iraq conference preparatory committee 
meeting in early June. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Attendees expressed particular interest in the 
issue of international election monitors for Egypt, with one 
diplomat asking for details of USG policy on the issue and 
another wondering if Deputy Secretary Zoellick's recent 
public remarks on "impartial monitoring" of Egypt's elections 
was intended to walk back President Bush's call for 
international monitors, by signalling Washington's acceptance 
of Egyptian judges playing the monitoring role alone.  In 
response, the Charge recalled President Bush's May 7 remarks 
in Latvia in which he said Egyptian elections "should proceed 
with international monitors, and with rules that allow a real 
campaign."  The Charge noted that Egypt already welcomes 
international monitoring of its political processes via 
international media observation and invitations to various 
international non-governmental organizations (including the 
International Republican Institute and the National 
Democratic Institute) to attend the ruling party's annual 
policy conferences.  Allowing international monitors to 
scrutinize elections (as in a multitude of countries, 
including the U.S.) is now normal electoral practise, the 
Charge said, and should be acceptable to Egypt.  Noting the 
shared goal among G-8 and other colleagues to encourage 
Egypt's acceptance of international election monitors, the 
Charge called upon his colleagues to encourage their own 
capitals to press the GOE to accept monitors for coming 
national elections. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Cairo's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo 
 
You can also access this site through the 
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. 
 
GRAY