

Currently released so far... 6230 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Amsterdam
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Browse by tag
ASEC
AF
AE
AR
AORC
AJ
AU
AM
ABLD
AL
AMGT
ASUP
AFIN
APER
ABUD
AVERY
APCS
AEMR
ADCO
APECO
ASIG
AG
AA
AS
AFFAIRS
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AMED
AO
ACOA
AX
AROC
ATFN
ASEAN
AFGHANISTAN
AFU
AER
ALOW
AODE
ATRN
AID
AC
AGMT
CH
CO
CS
CE
CU
CLINTON
CG
CVIS
CMGT
CI
CJAN
CF
COM
CASC
CA
CBW
CM
CDG
CR
COUNTER
CD
CWC
CKGR
CN
CPAS
CJUS
CV
CONS
CT
CY
COUNTERTERRORISM
CIA
CACM
CDB
CAN
COE
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CONDOLEEZZA
CARSON
CL
CIS
CODEL
CTM
CB
ECON
EFIN
EAIR
EUN
EINV
ENRG
EG
ETRD
EPET
ETTC
ELAB
EU
ER
ET
EAGR
ECPS
ECIN
ELTN
EAID
EMIN
EWWT
EFIS
EIND
EC
ES
EN
EI
ENVR
ENGR
ENIV
EUNCH
ENVI
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ELN
EZ
EXTERNAL
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EINT
EUR
ECINECONCS
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EK
ELECTIONS
ECUN
EINVEFIN
ECIP
EINDETRD
EUC
EREL
ECA
ENERG
ENGY
ETRO
EFTA
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
ECONEFIN
EINVETC
EINN
ESA
ETC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ESENV
ETRDECONWTOCS
IN
IC
IR
IZ
IS
IAEA
IT
ICTY
IO
IA
IWC
ID
ICRC
ILC
INTELSAT
IMO
ISRAELI
IACI
ILO
ITRA
IBRD
IMF
ICJ
ICAO
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
INTERPOL
IV
IQ
IPR
INRB
ITPHUM
IIP
IL
INR
ITPGOV
IZPREL
IRC
INRA
INRO
IRAJ
IEFIN
IF
KDEM
KCRM
KJUS
KTIA
KWBG
KPAL
KIPR
KTIP
KE
KNNP
KGHG
KICC
KV
KTFN
KU
KCFE
KDRG
KWMN
KSCA
KGIC
KCOR
KFRD
KPKO
KSUM
KPRP
KPAO
KBCT
KIRF
KCFC
KISL
KREC
KSPR
KHIV
KBIO
KMCA
KMPI
KFLU
KSTH
KBTR
KS
KOMC
KOMS
KSEP
KPRV
KFLO
KHLS
KN
KWWMN
KUNR
KLIG
KSTC
KZ
KG
KRAD
KOLY
KTBT
KTDB
KOCI
KAWK
KCIP
KNPP
KWAC
KMDR
KAWC
KIDE
KSAF
KX
KWMNCS
KNEI
KCRS
KVPR
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KACT
KO
KFSC
KR
KPWR
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KFIN
KGCC
KPIN
KPLS
KIRC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KGIT
KBTS
KERG
KWMM
KRVC
KNSD
KVIR
KNUP
KTER
KDDG
KHSA
KMRS
KHDP
KTLA
KPAK
KNAR
KREL
KPAI
KTEX
KCOM
KNNPMNUC
KPOA
KRFD
KHUM
KDEV
KNUC
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MO
MX
MCAP
ML
MTCRE
MR
MP
MY
MU
MIL
MAR
MC
MRCRE
MTRE
MA
MEPI
MV
MPOS
MD
MZ
MEPP
MOPPS
MAPP
MASC
MT
MERCOSUR
MK
MDC
MI
MAPS
MCC
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MTCR
MG
OREP
OVIP
OFDP
ODIP
OPDC
OAS
OTRA
OSCE
OECD
OIIP
OEXC
OPCW
OPIC
OPRC
OVP
OSCI
OTR
OSAC
OIC
OFFICIALS
OIE
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PREF
PTER
PARM
PBTS
PINR
PINS
PHSA
PK
POL
PM
PINT
PE
PINF
PEL
PA
PARMS
PO
PLN
PROP
PALESTINIAN
PAO
PL
POV
PG
POLITICS
PEPR
PSI
PSOE
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PBIO
PECON
PAK
POGOV
PINL
PKFK
PMIL
PY
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PRAM
PMAR
PGOVLO
PUNE
PORG
PHUMPREL
PF
POLINT
PHUS
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PNAT
PGOVE
PRGOV
PRL
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
SENV
SY
SZ
SOCI
SO
SR
SNAR
SA
SP
SW
SMIG
SU
SCUL
SC
SAN
SN
SL
SG
SYR
SEVN
SF
SI
STEINBERG
SIPRS
SH
SNARCS
SOFA
SANC
SHUM
SK
ST
TRGY
TU
TBIO
TH
TS
TSPL
TT
TPHY
TSPA
TI
TK
TIP
TERRORISM
TZ
TX
TW
TD
TP
TC
TO
TNGD
TINT
TRSY
TR
TFIN
TURKEY
UK
UNGA
UN
UNHRC
UNMIK
UNO
UZ
UNSC
UP
UG
UNHCR
UNDC
US
UNAUS
USTR
UV
UNEP
UY
UNESCO
USUN
UAE
USEU
UNDP
UNCHS
UNVIE
UNCHC
UE
UNDESCO
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 09CAIRO1559, PDAS COUNTRYMAN MEETS WITH MOD OFFICIALS TO
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09CAIRO1559.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09CAIRO1559 | 2009-08-11 11:11 | 2011-02-16 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Cairo |
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHEG #1559/01 2231141
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 111141Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3389
INFO RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001559
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2019
TAGS: PREL MASS ETTC PARM EG
SUBJECT: PDAS COUNTRYMAN MEETS WITH MOD OFFICIALS TO
DISCUSS END-USE ISSUES
REF: A. STATE 62775
¶B. CAIRO 1114
¶C. CAIRO 458
¶D. CAIRO 805
Classified By: Ambassador Margaret Scobey per 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1. Key Points:
-- (C) On August 2, PM PDAS Tom Countryman led an interagency
visit to Cairo to discuss recent potential violations of the
Government of Egypt,s (GOE) end-use, retransfer, and
security obligations involving U.S.-provided defense articles
and defense services with the Ministry of Defense. He
stressed the importance of Egypt demonstrating that it is
taking concrete actions to prevent further violations.
-- (C) MOD agreed to continue an OMC-provided end-use
training course, create a new MOD-administered periodic
training course, name a high-level official to be a point of
contact on end-use issues, and add end-use issues to the
agenda for the annual Military Cooperation Committee
meetings. MOD declined to sign any written agreement
outlining these steps.
-- (C) Assistant Minister of Defense Mohammed al-Assar
emphasized that Egypt took its end-use obligations "very
seriously" and was taking "all measures" to prevent further
incidents. He added that recent violations involved "junior
officers making mistakes" without any high-level involvement.
--------------------------------
End-Use Monitoring Working Group
--------------------------------
¶2. (C) On August 2, PM PDAS Tom Countryman led an
interagency visit to Cairo to discuss recent potential
violations of the Government of Egypt,s (GOE) end-use,
retransfer, and security obligations involving U.S.-provided
defense articles and defense services (ref A) involving U.S.-
origin equipment and technology with the Ministry of Defense.
The delegation included representatives from PM/RSAT,
NEA/ELA, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff
and U.S. Central Command. Major General Mohammed al-Assar,
Assistant Minister of Defense for Policy, led the Egyptian
side, accompanied by Major General Fouad Abdel Halim,
Assistant Minister of Defense for Armament and Major General
Ahmed al-Moataz, Chief of the U.S. Relations branch.
¶3. (C) Al-Assar said he had "high hopes" for establishing a
"new dialogue" with the U.S. following President Obama's June
speech in Cairo. Egypt's relationship with the U.S.
is "tremendously important," he continued, viewing the
military-military relationship as the "backbone" of bilateral
cooperation. PDAS Countryman expressed appreciation for the
strategic relationship with Egypt and strong security
cooperation over the last 30 years.
¶4. (C) PDAS Countryman noted that overall, Egypt has a good
record of protecting its large inventory of U.S. equipment
and technology. Many countries, however, expend great energy
to illegally obtain U.S. technology. In order to provide our
partners with the best military equipment available, strict
protections must exist to prevent compromise, he added. PDAS
Countryman stressed the important role Congress plays in
monitoring end-use compliance. He explained that the
Department, through the PM Bureau, was required to notify
Congress of any potential end-use violations.
¶5. (C) PDAS Countryman emphasized the importance of a clear
and transparent picture of Egypt's end-use performance,
including the measures being taken to prevent further
violations. He noted that Egypt had more potential Section 3
violations than any other country in the world over the last
several years. Cases involving the Chinese, he continued,
were of particular concern (ref A). If Egypt cannot
demonstrate that it is taking the necessary steps to prevent
future violations, the necessary Congressional consent for
important Foreign Military Financing (FMF)-funded programs
could be delayed, such as M1A1 co-production and the proposed
purchase of F-16 aircraft.
¶6. (C) SDO/DATT Major General Williams offered his
assessment of the recent potential violations, saying that
the cases demonstrated a lack of awareness amongst MOD
officials on end-use rules. He explained that the Office of
Military Cooperation (OMC) had already begun a training
program for mid-level Egyptian officials to address the lack
of awareness, noting that OMC had received full cooperation
from MOD on delivering the course (ref B). General Williams
added that the MOD had agreed to include end-use issues in
the agenda for the annual Military Cooperation Committee
meeting. He also highlighted the increase in third-party
transfer requests from the MOD, indicating that the training
program had increased awareness of end-use regulations.
¶7. (C) Major General Abdel Halim, who is responsible for
the FMF program, stressed that Egypt follows all regulations,
including the end-use, retransfer and security obligations
included with every purchase of U.S. equipment made by the
GOE. He noted that until the last four years, Egypt had no
Section 3 violations, adding that the recent violations were
a "minor thing" that could be overcome. On the recent
violations, he said that MOD had been very transparent with
the Embassy on discussing each individual case. Al-Assar
stressed that Egypt takes its end-use obligations "very
seriously" and was taking "all measures" to prevent further
incidents. He said that recent violations involved "junior
officers making mistakes" without any high-level involvement.
In the case of the reverse engineering of a 155 mm gun tube
(ref C), the MOD quickly fired the engineer involved and said
the engineer "did not know it was a violation."
-----------
Way Forward
-----------
¶8. (C) PDAS Countryman acknowledged Egypt,s good faith
efforts to report and redress apparent violations. He
outlined several steps Egypt could take to demonstrate its
commitment to preventing further end-use violations.
Al-Assar replied that the MOD cooperated fully with OMC and
was already taking the appropriate measures to prevent a
reoccurrence, including naming a point of contact responsible
for end-use issues. Al-Assar said that the MOD considered
raising end-use awareness amongst its officials to be an
important goal, but stressed that training had to be
conducted "carefully" in order to prevent the appearance of
"U.S. interference." Major General Abdel Halim suggested
that the MOD could provide periodic training (every two
months) to the "consigned officers" responsible for
protecting U.S. equipment and technology under the auspices
of the Armament Authority. This training would then filter
down to the operators of U.S. equipment at the unit level.
Having MOD officials quietly deliver the training, instead of
Americans, would allow MOD to frame the training as
"self-protection" of Egyptian equipment and not as a new
restriction from the U.S.
¶9. (C) PDAS Countryman commented on the recent violations,
saying that in the case of the 155 gun tube, MOD did the
right thing by taking swift action against the engineer
responsible, adding that the case did not raise much concern.
The case involving the visit of a Chinese military official
to an F-16 base (ref D), however, did raise genuine concerns
about the transfer of US technology. He noted that U.S.
concerns over the visit had already delayed Egypt's request
to purchase F-16 aircraft. PDAS Countryman stressed the
importance of receiving a consistent story of what happened
during the Chinese official's visit (Note: We have received
conflicting reports from MOD officials on what the Chinese
official saw during his tour. End Note). PDAS Countryman
suggested that the MOD should conduct an internal analysis of
the eight potential Section 3 violations over the last four
years to identify the reason behind each violation, which
would help guide any solution. An analytical review would
also help determine if training is reaching the right
audience.
¶10. (C) Al-Assar did not respond directly, but said MOD was
open to any program that would increase awareness of its
end-use, retransfer and security obligations. PDAS
Countryman urged the MOD to take proactive, concrete steps to
demonstrate its determination to prevent future violations.
He suggested MOD agree in writing to the following actions:
1) Conduct an internal analysis of the eight potential
violations to be shared with the OMC, 2) Commit to an end-use
training plan, and 3) Identify one senior official as a point
of contact for end-use issues. PDAS Countryman understood
MOD's reluctance to sign a document during the meeting, but
promised to provide a text for the MOD's review. Al-Assar
agreed to review the text for accuracy, but did not commit to
signing any document.
¶11. (C) Subsequent to the meeting, al-Assar reviewed the
proposed text, but declined to sign the document. He
verbally concurred that the MOD would continue OMC-provided
end-use training, create a new MOD-administered periodic
training course, name a high-level official (MG Abdul Halim)
to be a point of contact on end-use issues, and add end-use
issues to the agenda for the annual Military Cooperation
Committee meetings. He declined to conduct an internal
analysis on the end-use violations.
-------------------
Mil-Mil Cooperation
-------------------
¶12. (C) At the conclusion of the end-use monitoring portion
of the meeting, al-Assar raised several issues related to
bilateral military cooperation. He urged the U.S. not to
allow a third-party (Israel) to delay the political release
of advanced weapons systems to Egypt. Al-Assar had "high
hopes" that the new U.S. Administration would be more
supportive of releasing weapons systems to Egypt. (Note:
Egypt has long requested the release of certain weapons
systems, like the TOW 2B, LONGBOW, and JAVELIN. Egypt is
prevented from acquiring some systems because of Minister of
Defense Tantawi's refusal to sign the necessary security
agreement (CISMOA). The GoE also believes that concerns over
Israel's Qualitative Military Edge have prevented weapons
systems from being released to Egypt. End Note).
¶13. (C) Al-Assar also emphasized the importance of
maintaining the 2:3 ratio for FMF provided to Egypt and
Israel established after the Camp David Peace accord, in
order to sustain the "regional balance." He noted that over
the last 10 years, Israel's FMF level has grown
substantially, while Egypt's annual FMF level has remained at
$1.3 billion. The modernization of the Egyptian military was
critical to Egypt's ability to defend its territory, he
continued, stressing that "we want to proceed with our
modernization plan with the United States." Any delay in the
political release of weapons systems and Congressional
conditioning of bilateral assistance was "not good" for the
modernization plan.
¶14. (C) PDAS Countryman repeated that the U.S. appreciates
the strategic importance of Egypt. While US political
constraints on weapons sales are a real factor, they had not,
he believed, prevented Egypt from building a military
adequate to its regional responsibilities. He noted that
Egypt could best help itself with the Administration and with
Congress by insuring the proper protection of U.S. technology
and equipment, and by continuing its efforts to interdict
Iranian shipment of weapons bound for Hamas and Hizballah.
¶15. (U) PDAS Countryman cleared this cable.
SCOBEY