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

021815Z Feb 06

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000646 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC STAFF FOR SINGH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KPAL EG IS MEPN
SUBJECT: EGYPT HOSTS PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT AND ISRAELI 
FOREIGN MINISTER 
 
 
Classified by ECPO Minister Counselor Michael Corbin for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  (C) Playing a central role in post-Hamas victory 
diplomatic contacts, Egypt hosted Palestinian President Abu 
Mazen and Israeli Foreign Minister Livni in Cairo February 1. 
 Livni met one-on-one with Mubarak for nearly 2 hours, and 
was hosted by Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit for a joint press 
conference and lunch.  The Israeli FM met Egyptian 
Intelligence Chief Omar Soliman before departing for Tel 
Aviv.  According to the Israeli Embassy, Livni's 
"unprecedented" meeting with Mubarak included efforts to 
deepen ties in a number of areas to be followed up during 
visits to Israel by the MFA Chef du Cabinet in February and 
by Aboul Gheit in March.  Palestinian President Abu Mazen 
also met with Mubarak February 1, as well as with Prime 
Minister Nazif, Intelligence Chief Soliman, and FM Aboul 
Gheit the previous evening.  Egypt pressed Abu Mazen to 
insist Hamas publicly accept ending violence toward Israel 
and adherence to international agreements between 
Palestinians and Israel before allowing it to form a 
government.  Abu Mazen sought assistance from Arab League 
Secretary General Amre Moussa to convince Arab leaders to 
 
SIPDIS 
provide emergency funding to the Palestinian Authority.  We 
have no indications that Abu Mazen met with any Hamas figures 
while in Cairo.  End summary. 
 
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"unprecedented" Israeli visit 
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¶2.  (C) In her first trip outside Israel as Foreign Minister, 
Tzipi Livni met privately in Cairo February 1 with President 
Mubarak, and attended a lunch hosted by Foreign Minister 
Aboul Gheit and joined by Egypt's Trade and Oil Ministers, as 
well as Presidential advisor Dr. Osama al Baz.  FM Livni and 
a senior GOI MFA delegation met last with Intelligence Chief 
Omar Soliman before returning to Israel.  After the visit, 
Israeli Ambassador Cohen shared with the Ambassador that the 
Israeli side was "very pleased" with Egypt's handling of the 
visit, with respect to both substance and tone.  Livni's 
morning meeting with Mubarak (originally scheduled for an 
hour) lasted two hours.  The Aboul Gheit-hosted lunch was 
preceded by a "very warm" joint press briefing, and the 
atmosphere of the lunch itself was extremely cordial. 
Before the meetings began, Intelligence Chief Soliman briefed 
the Israeli media.  Cohen characterized the treatment as 
"unprecedented", and said the GOI was very pleased with the 
results. 
 
¶3.  (C) Israeli Emboff offered additional details on FM 
Livni's visit, noting that as the one-on-one meeting with 
Mubarak continued and the planned expanded meeting did not 
occur, Livni's delegation and the Egyptian Foreign Minister 
realized the significance of such an "unprecedented" welcome 
by Mubarak.  The Egyptian President, related Emboff, had made 
a "huge gesture" in getting to know the new Israeli minister. 
 While uncertain of details of that private conversation, the 
Emboff suggested that Mubarak had counseled Israel to "take a 
deep breath" regarding Hamas' electoral victory and let Egypt 
take a stab at settling things down among the Palestinians. 
 
¶4.  (C) According to the Emboff, the Israeli Foreign Minister 
discussed expanding the bilateral "Common Dialogue Committee" 
(CDC) with Egypt to touch on topics other than agriculture, 
QIZs, and security.  The Egyptian MFA Chef du Cabinet, 
Ambassador Wafaa Bassim, would travel to Israel at the end of 
February to address this issue, and Minister Aboul Gheit 
would follow in March to "launch" the expanded CDC.  Livni 
had also proposed that the Israeli MFA begin sending its 
"cadets" to Egypt for short training seminars, as it had once 
done.  Livni also pressed Egypt to tone down its rhetoric and 
negativity toward Israel in multilateral fora.  The Emboff 
also noted Aboul Gheit's remark during the joint press 
conference that "the Roadmap cannot be executed under fire" - 
something she said had not been said in public before by a 
senior Egyptian official. 
 
¶5.  (C) Egyptian Intelligence Chief Soliman reportedly 
implored Israel to "not close the door" on the Palestinians, 
and let Egypt use its influence to calm the situation. 
Soliman shared that he had insisted with Abu Mazen that Hamas 
be given three ultimatums:  stop the violence, respect 
international agreements, and recognize Oslo.  These were the 
conditions that Hamas must meet before forming a government, 
Soliman reportedly had counseled Abu Mazen. 
 
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Visit by President Abu Mazen 
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¶6.  (C) Palestinian President Abu Mazen, in Cairo January 31 
- February 1, met with President Mubarak, Prime Minister 
Nazif, Intelligence Chief Soliman, and Foreign Minister Aboul 
Gheit, among others.  Arriving late in the afternoon of 
January 31, Abu Mazen was hosted at a dinner by Prime 
Minister Ahmed Nazif, joined by Intelligence Chief Soliman 
and Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit.  The following morning, Abu 
Mazen met with President Mubarak before heading to Jordan. 
According to Soliman (septel/notal), Mubarak and senior 
ministers encouraged Abu Mazen to apply certain core 
conditions to Hamas before allowing it to form a new 
government.  Those conditions, as Soliman told the Israeli 
media ahead of the President's meeting with FM Livni, 
included recognition of Israel, an end to violence, and a 
commitment to all international agreements signed with Israel. 
 
¶7.  (C) Abu Mazen stayed at the Andalous Palace where he met 
shortly after his arrival with Palestinian Ambassador Dajani, 
Arab League Assistant Minister for Palestinian Affairs 
Mohamed Subeih, and former Arab League Assistant Minister for 
Palestinian Affairs Said Kamal.  Kamal told poloff February 2 
that Abu Mazen believes he has a "three month window" in 
which to test a Hamas government.  During this time, Hamas 
must assure that its ministers are working together with its 
Israeli counterparts, and must collect weapons from its 
members.  If not, Kamal said, Abu Mazen would dissolve the 
Cabinet.  This three month window, he said, would also allow 
the PA to see the results of the expected Israeli elections. 
 
¶8.  (C) President Mubarak invited Arab League Secretary 
General Moussa to join for part of the meeting with Abu 
Mazen.  Abu Mazen briefed Moussa on the latest political 
developments and described the PA's desperate financial 
situation.  Abu Mazen sought Moussa's intervention with 
League members to quickly increase financial support to the 
PA, in order to meet its immediate budgetary needs.  Moussa 
said in a press conference following the meeting that he 
would undertake to elicit financial support for the PA. 
Contrary to some media reports, we have no indication Abu 
Mazen met with either Hamas representatives or with any of 
Livni's party during his time in Cairo. 
RICCIARDONE