VZCZCXRO1149
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #1627 1511213
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311213Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5447
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS CAIRO 001627 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC KPKO EG SU
SUBJECT: EGYPT, ARAB LEAGUE PUBLICLY OPPOSE SUDAN 
SANCTIONS; MORE EGYPTIAN OBSERVERS TO DARFUR 
 
REF: A. STATE 73693 
     ¶B. CAIRO 1543 
     ¶C. KHARTOUM 837 
 
Sensitive but unclassified, please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Responding to ref A demarche, MFA Cabinet Advisor 
Ahmed Abu Zeid referenced Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul 
Gheit's May 30 statement criticizing increased U.S. bilateral 
economic sanctions on Sudan.  Aboul Gheit criticized 
escalating sanctions on Sudan "at a time when the political 
process in Darfur is witnessing a positive momentum," and 
said that such sanctions have historically proven "their 
ineffectiveness in realizing their objective."  Aboul Gheit 
repeated the GOE stance that we must "build confidence" 
between the international community and the GOS, and between 
the GOS and the non-signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement 
(DPA).  Aboul Gheit also highlighted Egypt's focus on 
political reconciliation in Darfur, and said that the GOS, UN 
and AU should work out the "technical" details of 
implementing the peacekeeping mission without 
"politicization."  (Ref B contains similar points that Abu 
Zeid told poloff May 24.) 
 
¶2. (U) Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa also 
released a May 30 statement criticizing the sanctions, saying 
that "it is not the time for sanctions, but for intensifying 
efforts to reach understandings."  Moussa said that 
"sanctions will lead to more tension," and that historically 
sanctions have "led to the worst harms and escalated 
problems." 
 
¶2. (SBU) On May 27, Egypt sent 78 more military observers to 
Darfur to join the African Union peacekeepers currently 
there.  Abu Zeid told poloff that these observers were an 
already agreed upon component of the light support package, 
and their deployment was not affected by the May 25 killing 
of an Egyptian UN military observer in Darfur (ref C). 
RICCIARDONE