VZCZCXRO6042
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #0145 0271456
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271456Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1481
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS CAIRO 000145 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR PASCUAL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EG
SUBJECT: SENIOR EGYPTIAN OFFICIAL WELCOMES RECENT POTUS 
COMMENTS 
 
Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Internet distribution. 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Egyptian leadership is taking notice of, and 
welcoming, President Obama's recent outreach to Egypt, and 
focus on the Middle East peace process.  Safwat El Sherif, 
the powerful secretary-general of the ruling National 
Democratic Party and speaker of the Shura Council (Egypt's 
upper house of parliament), has long been chilly to the U.S., 
disdaining contact with USG officials and often making 
negative public remarks about the USG.  In an 
uncharacteristic move, Sherif, arguably the most influential 
politician in Egypt after Hosni Mubarak, made comments to 
journalists on January 24 that were relatively warm towards 
President Obama.  In a statement that was highlighted in the 
premier government newspaper "Al Ahram" and subsequently on 
the ruling party's website, Sherif said that the President's 
January 21 call to Hosni Mubarak "is an initiative that 
reflects a change (in U.S. policy). demonstrating that the 
new U.S. administration is keen to listen to the views of the 
most important country in the Middle East (Egypt)."  Sherif 
also flagged President Obama's January 22 comments at the 
State Department on U.S. policy in the Middle East, noting 
that they were "positive." 
 
¶2. (SBU) Sherif underscored "the importance of the U.S. 
approach in the coming phase, as it works to regain its 
credibility as a neutral partner in the peace process," and 
stressed his hope that the USG would stop using "double 
standards" when dealing with Israel and Arab countries. 
While Sherif's comments may seem unremarkable, the relatively 
positive tone towards the U.S. is quite unusual in the 
current Egyptian context, and significant coming from someone 
 normally so critical of the USG.  Sherif's commentary, and 
the subsequent orchestrated highlighting of his remarks in 
GOE mouthpieces, is a clear signal of the Egyptian 
leadership's appreciation of administration moves to date. 
SCOBEY