VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #0538 0581634
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271634Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3794

UNCLAS CAIRO 000538 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ELA AND DRL 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM EG
SUBJECT:  ALEXANDRIA GOVERNORATE PARTIALLY DEMOLISHES NGO MEDICAL 
FACILITY 
 
¶1. (SBU) A medical services NGO administered by the Anglican Church 
in Alexandria was partially demolished February 13 on orders from 
the Alexandria Governorate for operating in an unlicensed building. 
Similar demolitions have occurred elsewhere in Alexandria recently 
as part of a campaign by the new Governor of Alexandria to rein in 
unlicensed construction.  The Anglican NGO was the only building in 
its immediate neighborhood to be affected, raising suspicions among 
church officials and UK diplomats that it was singled out for 
association with a foreign group or a Christian entity, or both. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The medical facility was completed in late 2006 and 
provided basic medical and dental services to the local community 
which was underserved by the Egyptian health system.  Church 
activities and services were also held on the site.  The demolition 
resulted in the destruction of the center's walls but not its 
support columns.  To protect against building collapse, staff moved 
high-value medical equipment donated by UK-based church groups to 
the street where it was exposed to rain that began the same evening. 
   According to a church official present at the time, the building 
had to be surrounded by GoE security personnel during the demolition 
to prevent angry local residents from interfering with the work of 
the demolition crew. An Egyptian national priest was arrested for 
resisting the demolition and released later the same day.  According 
to church officials, he claimed to have been mistreated in custody 
including rough handling and beatings while his hands were bound. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The UK Consul General in Alexandria told APP Alexandria 
Principal Officer that the NGO had begun receiving written 
advisories from the Governorate of Alexandria of the demolition 
order starting in January 2007, but had been unsuccessful in its 
attempts to get a hearing with governorate officials to reconsider. 
The demolition was suspended only upon direct intervention of the 
British Ambassador with the Governor of Alexandria, who claimed 
ignorance of the specific case and agreed to meet with church 
representatives from Cairo. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Comment:  Demolitions of unlicensed buildings have been a 
central feature of Alexandria's new (since August 2006) Governor 
Adel Labib's program to instill stronger regulations and to bring 
order to the city's building program, the lack of which had led over 
the years to substandard construction, overbuilding, and poor urban 
planning.  Church officials claim, however, that the Anglican NGO 
(located in the Ras Al-Soda neighborhood) was the only building in 
the area targeted for demolition, though it was not the only 
unlicensed structure.  Church officials also complain that 
significant costs were incurred in the establishment of the clinic, 
including installation of diagnostic and other advanced medical 
equipment purchased by UK-based church groups valued at GBP 500,000, 
according to a church official. 
Ricciardone