VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #4559/01 2061603
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251603Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0125
INFO RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1376

UNCLAS CAIRO 004559 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR H/MORRIS PETERS TO PASS TO CODEL 
ROME PASS MFO HQ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OREP MARR PGOV PREL EG IZ
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR CODEL COLE, JULY 29-30 
 
REF: A. STATE 115260 
     ¶B. CODEL-CASTEEL EMAILS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
------- 
Summary 
-------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Embassy Cairo warmly welcomes your visit to Egypt 
on July 29-30.  Your visit to the Multinational Force and 
Observers' South Camp and other facilities will offer an 
opportunity to talk to U.S. commanders on the ground about 
MFO's operational mission and organizational structure, force 
levels and budgetary requirements of the U.S. contingent, and 
MFO's response to regional terrorist attacks and its 
monitoring of the Egyptian Border Guard deployment.  End 
Summary. 
 
--------------------------- 
Background and Organization 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an 
independent international organization created by the 1979 
Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel and the Treaty's 
1981 Protocol to supervise the implementation of the security 
provisions of Treaty and employ best efforts to prevent any 
violation of its terms.  It does so through combining static 
and mobile means of observation by air, land, and sea to 
execute its mission.  MFO began its mission on April 25, 
1982, the day that Israel returned the Sinai to Egyptian 
sovereignty.  The Protocol establishes four security zones, 
three of which are in the Sinai (Zones A, B, and C) and one 
in Israel (D).  The Protocol also stipulates limitations on 
military force levels and equipment within each zone.  MFO's 
expenses, less contributions from the governments of Germany, 
Japan, and Switzerland, are funded in equal parts by Egypt, 
Israel, and the United States.  Ten participating 
countries--Australia, Canada, Columbia, Fiji, France, 
Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, the United States, and 
Uruguay--provide the MFO with military contingents that make 
up the Force. 
 
¶3. (U) The Parties to the Treaty assigned the MFO the 
following tasks: 
 
--Operation of checkpoints, reconnaissance patrols, and 
observation posts along the international boundary and within 
Zone C. 
--Periodic verification of the implementation of the 
provisions of the Protocol, to be carried out at least twice 
per month, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties 
--Additional verifications within 48 hours after the receipt 
of a request from either Party 
--Ensure the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Tiran 
 
¶4. (U)  The Director General, Ambassador (ret.) James A. 
Larocco, leads the MFO from Rome.  The Director General 
exercises authority through his staff at the Headquarters in 
Rome; the Force Commander (Italian Major General Roberto 
Martinelli) and his staff in the Sinai; and the Director 
General's Representatives and their staff in Cairo and Tel 
Aviv.  The Force and Observers consist of: 
 
--a Headquarters with branches for Operations & Training, 
Liaison, Support, Engineering, Communications and Information 
Systems, and Personnel; 
 
--three infantry battalions; 
 
--a Civilian Observer Unit, which conducts reconnaissance 
missions of verification in the four Treaty zones; 
 
--a Coastal Patrol Unit; 
 
--a Fixed Wing Aviation Unit; 
 
--a Binational Transportation Unit; 
 
--an Engineering Unit; 
 
--a Force Military Police Unit; 
 
--a Flight Following Section; 
 
--and other multinational and military staff of the Force 
Commander. 
¶5.  (SBU)  These functions are carried out in Egypt at North 
Camp, the MFO's largest installation and site of the Force 
Commander's Headquarters, located in the northern Sinai at 
el-Gorah; at the smaller South Camp, near Sharm el Sheikh; 
and at thirty remote operational sites, including Sector 
Control Centers (SCCs), Observation Posts, and Check Points 
located throughout Zone C.  Both North Camp and South Camp 
are MFO facilities, not U.S. facilities, under the command of 
the Force Commander. The MFO exists and operates 
independently of the embassies of the contributing states and 
is not under the oversight of either the theater commander or 
the U.S. or other Ambassadors in Cairo and Tel Aviv. 
 
------------------- 
The U.S. Contingent 
------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  The MFO's Civilian Observer Unit (COU), 
established on April 25, 1982, is the only MFO element 
present in all four zones and the chief unit in charge of the 
MFO core mission of verification, observation, and reporting. 
 The unit currently consists of fifteen members, all of whom 
are U.S. nationals.  Roughly half are seconded from the U.S. 
Department of State; the other half are hired directly by the 
MFO. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The United States Army provides the largest 
contingent to the MFO based at both North and South Camp. 
The U.S. contingent consists of the U.S. Infantry Battalion 
(USBATT) and the U.S. Support Battalion (SPTBATT), in 
addition to Task Force Headquarters.  U.S. Forces are under 
administrative control of Third Army United States Army 
Central (ARCENT), but on deployment they are under 
operational control of the MFO. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  CENTCOM provides Force protection support for the 
MFO with Rome oversight, the result of an MOU signed between 
CENTCOM and the MFO in 1998.  The U.S. Battalion does not 
respond or send reports to MFO Headquarters in Rome.  It 
sends reporting through its chain of command, to MFO 
Headquarters at North Camp.  The Force Commander, Major 
General Roberto Martinelli, is the conduit for all reports, 
including violations.  Rome is the right place to ask 
questions about violations. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Task Force Headquarters is comprised of 27 U.S. 
soldiers, mostly officers and senior NCOs.  They are assigned 
to key leadership positions on the Force Commander's staff, 
including personnel, operations, logistics, medical, 
engineering, communications, force protection, safety, and 
aviation.  Many of these personnel are dual-hatted and also 
serve a staff function for Task Force Sinai (TFS), the 
internal U.S. headquarters organized to provide command and 
control to all U.S. soldiers assigned to the MFO.  The senior 
American in the Force serves as Chief of Staff (COS) and also 
commands TFS.  The MFO COS (who is also U.S. TFS Commander) 
is Col. Tim Parks (USA). Col. Parks will guide your visit, 
coming down from MFO Headquarters at el Gorah (North Camp) to 
take charge of the visit in Sharm. Col. Parks directs all 
staff actions within the Force and answers for the Force in 
the Force Commander's absence.  As TFS Commander, Col. Parks 
has been centrally-selected for brigade command in the US 
Support Battalion and the US Headquarters Contingent.  The 
Chief of Support is also an American Colonel and is 
responsible for the timely and effective logistical support 
to the entire force.  The Operations Officer manages the 
day-to-day execution of the MFO mission. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) USBATT occupies the southern sector of Zone C and 
observes and reports activity, in accordance with the Treaty 
and its Protocol.  USBATT is also responsible for the 
operation and security of South Camp.  From January 2002 to 
the present, the Army National Guard has provided the 
infantry battalions.  Arkansas, Oregon, Oklahoma, Iowa, 
Michigan and New Jersey provided the first six infantry 
battalions.  A battalion from the California National Guard 
assumed the mission in January 2005 and was the first unit to 
execute the mission for a full 12 months.  The Texas National 
Guard provides the current Task Force; Puerto Rico will 
follow in January 2007.  USBATT has been cut back in recent 
years to about 425 personnel.  Col. Parks will explain where 
the U.S. Battalion operates--and generally they are deployed 
from Taba to Sharm.  There is very little exposure to the 
Israeli border. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) SPTBATT, consisting of approximately 235 
personnel, provides logistical, aviation, medical and dental 
and explosive ordinance disposal support to MFO.  SPTBATT 
provides direct logistical support to all eleven continents 
within the MFO at both base camps and all remote sites 
 
 
---------- 
MFO Cairo 
---------- 
 
¶12.  (SBU)  You'll have the opportunity to meet Norm St. 
Pierre, MFO Director General Larocco's official 
representative in Cairo to the Egyptian government.  MFO 
Cairo deals with treaty issues, finance, security, and 
conducting MFO's day-to-day business with Egyptian government 
offices.  MFO Cairo also maintains liaison with local 
embassies of the MFO's Participating Donor States and serves 
as a contact for local press. 
 
------------------------ 
Recent Terrorist Attacks 
------------------------ 
 
¶13. (SBU) You'll also be briefed on how MFO has responded to 
terrorist attacks in the region. On April 26, 2005, a suicide 
bomber targeted an MFO Liaison vehicle 11 km north of North 
Camp by detonating a device while an MFO vehicle, carrying 2 
MFO personnel (from Norway and New Zealand) and two Egyptian 
officials, passed.  There were no injuries. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Monitoring the Egyptian Border Guard Deployment 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶14.  (SBU)  In September 2005, the MFO undertook to monitor 
the Egyptian Border Guard deployment along the Egyptian side 
of the border between Egypt and Gaza.  Egypt's decision to 
create a new Border Security Force of 1,000 trained and 
well-armed personnel troops for the Gaza border provided 
Israel with the confidence necessary for it to depart Gaza at 
that time. MFO's mission, its first new role since the its 
original responsibilities were defined, is to verify the 
border guard deployment is consistent with the Treaty. 
 
¶15.  (SBU)  Egypt remains fully engaged on Gaza security 
issues since Israel's withdrawal of troops and settlers from 
the Gaza Strip last September.  Egypt has improved its 
capacity to prevent cross-border smuggling into Gaza, and has 
worked to faithfully implement the November 15, 2005 
Agreement on Movement and Access - brokered by Secretary Rice 
- that provided Gazans an international border outside Israel 
for the first time since 1967.  Egypt also plays a unique and 
activist role in dealing with Palestinian political and armed 
factions, including efforts to broker a cease-fire with 
Israel and to resolve the crisis sparked June 25 when an 
Israeli soldier was kidnapped by Palestinian militants. 
 
----------------- 
Domestic politics 
----------------- 
 
¶16.  (SBU) After a period of substantial political reforms, 
the late 2005 parliamentary elections ended in violence, over 
a dozen deaths, and widespread allegations of fraud and 
ballot box manipulation.  Although NDP candidates won 360 of 
444 seats, Muslim Brotherhood candidates won 88 seats and 
thereby established a more open platform from which to attack 
the Mubarak regime and its policies favoring Arab-Israeli 
peace and close cooperation with the U.S.  Mubarak's elected 
term expires in 2011.  There is much public controversy over 
perceptions that Mubarak is aiming to establish his son Gamal 
as his successor.  Both President Mubarak and son Gamal deny 
such plans.  A series of incidents, including harassment of 
opposition activists and crackdowns against political 
demonstrations have called into question the GOE's commitment 
to political reform.  But the GOE is working on a package of 
constitutional amendments, said to slightly redistribute 
powers among the branches of the government and also to 
facilitate the enactment of anti-terror legislation based on 
western models.  It is too soon to tell if these measures 
will advance a meaningful reform process. 
RICCIARDONE