VZCZCXRO4498
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHHM RUEHKUK RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #1419 1341442
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141442Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5175
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS CAIRO 001419 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, EUR/SCR FOR HANISH, OES FOR LAWRENCE 
AMMAN FOR WHITTLESEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV PGOV ECON SOCI EG
SUBJECT: GOVERNOR PLANS FOR A CLEANER, GREENER CAIRO 
 
¶1.  (U)  Cairo Governor Abdel-Azim Wazir presented his vision 
for grappling with Cairo's burgeoning population, congested 
traffic, and environmental degradation in an April 30 meeting 
with former Ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner and Management 
Counselor.  Wazir's vision will be codified in a plan to make 
the city a more welcoming cultural and political capital, to 
be entitled "Cairo 2020" or "Cairo 2050." 
 
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POPULATION AND TRAFFIC CRUNCH TOP PRIORITIES 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U)  Expressing frustration with the unregulated swelling 
of the 16-million person megalopolis with an estimated 
additional 3 million daily commuters, Wazir spoke of a plan 
to decrease the congestion in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square 
by down-sizing two of its most infamous bureaucratic 
institutions: the 12,000 employee Mogamma, just steps from 
Embassy Cairo, and the 38,000 employee Ministry of 
Information Radio and Television Building.  In addition to a 
proposed plan to move many of these employees to alternate 
locations, Wazir emphasized that the government is strictly 
enforcing a moratorium on building new government offices, 
factories, and schools.  Greater Cairo is already home to 
seven universities, 3,316 schools, 460 hospitals, and 82 
hotels, in addition to numerous government buildings. 
 
¶3. (U)  Wazir also stressed the importance of creating a new 
"Government Zone" to be constructed on outskirts of Cairo. 
Thirteen new ministy buildings are set to be built along the 
Ring Road, and the GOE is inviting foreign embassies to 
relocate there in coming years.  Wazir hopes that this 
relocation, in addition to the commencement of the long 
awaited third phase of Cairo's subway line, will cut down on 
the estimated 1.6 million cars clogging the city's streets. 
 
------------------------------- 
GOE TO ENGAGE ON CLIMATE CHANGE 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U)   Wazir is hopeful that international cooperation and 
expertise can be employed to deal with some of Cairo's many 
environmental challenges.  Three representatives from the 
Governor's office, including Deputy Governor General Abdel 
Hady Gad Al-Mawla, will represent Cairo at the mid-May "Large 
Cities Climate Summit" hosted in New York City by Mayor 
Bloomberg.  The conference is part of a larger plan to 
provide technical assistance to large cities in reducing 
greenhouse gases by mobilizing international experts in areas 
like building efficiency, transport systems, renewable 
technologies, waste management, and water distribution. 
Partner cities will work with local technical experts to 
develop an implement programs to reduce emissions. 
 
¶5.  (U) Cairo's environmental challenges are enormous.  To 
cite just one example, every fall since 1999, Cairenes 
witness a ghastly reminder of the horrific air pollution with 
the appearance of the infamous "black cloud," a toxic result 
of a mix of burning rice crop waste, auto and industrial 
pollution, and thermal inversion.  A 2002 World Bank report 
estimates the cost of environmental degradation in Egypt is 
16.4 million Egyptian pounds annually (USD 2.9 million). 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶6.  (SBU)  While Cairo has seen some minor improvements in 
green space in recent years, such as the opening of the Aga 
Khan foundation's Al-Azhar Park, a far more coordinated plan 
addressing urban sprawl, under-regulated pollution, and 
chaotic traffic, is needed to effect any substantial change 
for the better. 
RICCIARDONE