VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEGA #1641 1511417
ZNY CCCCC ZZH ZUI RUEWMCE0177 1511407
P 311417Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC0000
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001641

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR WATERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KISL EG
SUBJECT: CODEL PRICE MEETING AT PARLIAMENT ELICITS PUBLIC
CRITICISM FROM PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

CLASSIFIED BY: DCM STUART E. JONES, FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D).

¶1. (SBU) IN A MAY 27 MEETING AT THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,
PRESIDED OVER BY SPEAKER FATHI SUROUR, CODEL PRICE MET WITH
SEVERAL EGYPTIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS, INCLUDING HEAD OF THE
MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD (MB) PARLIAMENTARY BLOC MOHAMED SAAD AL
KATANI, NDP PARLIAMENTARY LEADER ABDEL AHAD GAMALEDDIN, AL
WAFD LEADER MAHMOUD ABAZA, AND THE HEADS OF FIVE LEGISLATIVE
COMMITTEES (ALL NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY MP'S). THE MEETING
DID NOT TOUCH UPON EGYPTIAN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, BUT RATHER, THE
EGYPTIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS FOCUSED THEIR REMARKS ON THE NEED
FOR AN "UNBIASED AND BALANCED" U.S. APPROACH TO THE PEACE
PROCESS, PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI PEACE AS THE KEY TO STABILITY IN
THE REGION, THE NEED FOR U.S. FORCES TO WITHDRAW FROM IRAQ
"ON A TIMETABLE THAT IS NOT ABRUPT, BUT NOT SLOW, AND THAT
HAS REGIONAL CONSENSUS," AND CRITICISM OF THE U.S. FOR NOT
ADVOCATING FOR A NWFZ IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

¶2. (SBU) AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE THE
AFTERNOON OF MAY 27 (FOLLOWING A PRESIDENT MUBARAK MEETING
WITH THE VISITING PRESIDENT OF GHANA), PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN
SOLEIMAN AWWAD WAS ASKED ABOUT CODEL PRICE'S MEETING AT
PARLIAMENT, AND RESPONDED: "WE KNOW THE U.S. DOES NOT
ESTABLISH RELATIONS WITH BANNED GROUPS, WHETHER IN EGYPT OR
ELSEWHERE, AND THAT WHEN IT MAKES CONTACTS WITH INDEPENDENT
MP'S IT DOES SO BECAUSE THEY ARE MP'S AND NOT BECAUSE THEY
REPRESENT A SPECIFIC POLITICAL TREND. BUT THIS CONTRADICTS
WITH ANOTHER AMERICAN POLICY POSITION. THE U.S. SAYS IT IS
MEETING WITH THE MB AS PARLIAMENT MEMBERS, BUT DOES NOT MAKE
THE SAME DISTINCTION WHEN IT COMES TO HAMAS, AND REFUSES TO
TALK WITH HAMAS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE
PARLIAMENTARIANS, OR EVEN MINISTERS IN THE PALESTINIAN
CABINET. THE U.S. CAN DO WHATEVER IT LIKES, BUT WE WILL DO
WHATEVER WE LIKE TO PROTECT EGYPT'S NATIONAL SECURITY,
PRINCIPLES OF CITIZENSHIP, AND TO PREVENT MIXING RELIGION
WITH POLITICS. THOSE WHO THINK THAT EGYPT'S NATIONAL
SECURITY IS LESS SIGNIFICANT THAN OTHER COUNTRIES' INTEREST
IN THEIR OWN NATIONAL SECURITY (INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES)
ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE."

¶3. (SBU) ON MAY 29, THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ENGLISH-LANGUAGE
WEBSITE (WWW.IKHWANWEB.COM) POSTED A STATEMENT FROM KATATNI
REGARDING THE CODEL PRICE MEETING AND AWWAD'S RESPONSE.
KATATNI "EXPRESSED HIS ANGER AT THE PRESIDENTS SPOKESPERSON
FOR OVERSTEPPING HIS AUTHORITY AND UNDERMINING THE INTEGRITY
OF MEMBERS OF THE PARLIAMENT IN GENERAL AND THE MB IN
PARTICULAR." KATATNI ADDED THAT, "AMBASSADOR AWWAD WAS WRONG
TO DESCRIBE THE DOUBLE STANDARDS BY THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION
REGARDING THE HAMAS GOVERNMENT AND THE MB IN EGYPT, WHEN THE
EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT ITSELF IS DOING EXACTLY THE SAME BY
INVITING AND RECEIVING PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS
AND FATAH MEMBERS AND MINISTERS, BUT REFUSES TO DEAL WITH PA
PRIME MINISTER ISMAIL HANIYA AND HAMAS MINISTERS." KATATNI
SAID THAT, "THE MEETING WITH U.S. CONGRESSMEN WAS A ROUTINE
DIALOGUE BETWEEN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD AND
WAS NOT SECRET," AND REITERATED, "THE MB'S FIRM STANCE NOT TO
MEET WITH OFFICIALS FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT UNLESS IN
COORDINATION WITH THE EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY."

¶4. (C) COMMENT: AWWAD'S TESTY PUBLIC STATEMENT REGARDING THE
CODEL PRICE MEETING AT PARLIAMENT IS INDICATIVE OF GOE
CONCERN THAT MEETING WITH MB-AFFILIATED MP'S IS BECOMING
STANDARD PRACTICE FOR VISITING CODEL'S. THE CODEL PRICE
MEETING WAS THE SECOND TIME IN TWO MONTHS THAT A CODEL HAS
MET WITH MB PARLIAMENTARY BLOC LEADER KATATNI (ON APRIL 5,
CODEL HOYER MET TWICE WITH KATATNI IN GROUP SETTINGS - FIRST
AT A SIMILAR MEETING IN PARLIAMENT, AND SUBSEQUENTLY AT A
LARGE RECEPTION FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, PARLIAMENTARIANS,
CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISTS, AND BUSINESSMEN AT THE AMBASSADOR'S
HOME).

¶5. (U) THIS CABLE WAS NOT CLEARED BY CODEL PRICE.
RICCIARDONE