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Egypt Ruler Marshal Mohamed Tantawi's Classified Foreign Service Dossier
From Wikileaks:
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000524
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S AND NEA/FO WHITE HOUSE FOR OVP DOD FOR OSD
E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/16/28
TAGS: PARM, PREL, PGOV, MASS, MARR, PTER, IS, EG, XF
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR MINDEF TANTAWI’S VISIT TO THE U.S. MARCH 24-28
REF: A. CAIRO 452 B. CAIRO 488 C. CAIRO 507
CAIRO 00000524 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Ambassador Francis Ricciardone for reasons 1.4 (a)(b)&(d).
1. (S) Summary: Defense Minister Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi will travel to Washington, Tampa, and Chicago March 24-28. He will meet senior officials in Washington and at USCENTCOM HQ in Tampa, and view U.S. civil defense arrangements in Chicago. Mrs. Tantawi and as many as five senior generals will accompany him. Tantawi will seek assurances that the USG will not condition or reduce military assistance to Egypt in the future. He will emphasize Egypt’s continuing value to the United States as an indispensable ally in the region, and he will press to return BRIGHT STAR to a full field training exercise. The eighty-year-old veteran of five wars with Israel is committed to preventing another one ever. But he is also frozen in the Camp David paradigm and uncomfortable with our shift to the post-9/11 GWOT. Recognizing that he is reluctant to change, we nonetheless should urge Minister Tantawi towards a broader and more flexible partnership based on shared strategic objectives, including border security, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and civil defense. End Summary.
2. (S) Border Control: Egyptian effectiveness in preventing arms smuggling into Gaza is essential to stopping Palestinian rocket fire into Israel. When the Secretary pushed hard on smuggling in October 2007, the Egyptians finally got serious and agreed to open an FMF case that will deploy counter-tunnel technology to the Rafah border. The case also includes extensive training. The initial shipment of equipment is expected in June. Training will begin this spring in the US, due to Egyptian sensitivity towards having foreigners stationed at their borders. The Egyptians are also building a concrete barrier wall on the Egyptian side to avoid a repeat of the January incursion, in which thousands of Gazans poured into Rafah.
3. (C) The Egyptians insist that they are committed to do all they can to stop smuggling into Gaza. They acknowledge the threat that Hamas poses to their own security and to the peace process. They claim to have discovered more than 200 tunnels since November 2005. Tantawi will argue that Egypt is doing everything within its power but is not the only source of weapons in Gaza. He believes that Israeli politicians are blaming Egypt for domestic political reasons and resents the impact on Egyptian military assistance. He will also urge that the USG exert influence on Israel to ease humanitarian conditions in Gaza. EGIS Chief Omar Soliman has the lead on negotiations with Hamas but Tantawi will also likely urge that Rafah be opened to ease humanitarian pressures in Gaza.
4. (S) With Tantawi we should acknowledge that the counter-tunneling technology that we will introduce this summer will contribute to interdiction efforts but does not represent a complete solution. Indeed the Army Corps of Engineers experts who designed the system have told us that the Gaza border represents a “worst case scenario” for interdiction. In a March 6 meeting with NEA A/S Welch, Tantawi hinted that the Egyptians have adopted additional measures at the border. We are still interested in a trilateral meeting with the Egyptians and Israelis (ultimately perhaps to include the PA) to share intelligence and tactics. So far the Israelis have demurred. We should broaden the discussion to maritime interdiction efforts and also addressing the weapons trail, which starts in Yemen and Sudan.
5. (S) Civil Defense: The Red Sea ferry accident in February 2006 embarrassed the Mubarak government and cost more than 1000 lives. Tantawi will bring to Washington his mandate from President Mubarak to integrate the military into crisis response management. On this he needs and will be grateful for our help — a small but important advance against the MOD’s staunch resistance to engagement with us in shifting their priorities and transforming their forces. ASD for Homeland Defense McHale has suggested including Egyptian representatives in U.S.-based civil emergency exercises
CAIRO 00000524 002.2 OF 002
planned for spring and fall 2008, and inviting GOE officials to a civil defense symposium at the Army War College this fall.
6. (S) Peacekeeping: Egypt has contributed to all UN and AU peacekeeping efforts in Africa, and is sending 1300-1400 troops for the UN/AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Egypt has also offered UNAMID two additional mechanized infantry battalions; the UN has accepted one. Despite our repeated requests, the Egyptians declined to contribute helicopters; they simply do not have the logistical and operational capability to operate in Darfur’s challenging environment. We recommend that the helo request not be raised again.
7. (S) Reform: In the cabinet, where he still wields significant influence, Tantawi has opposed both economic and political reforms that he perceives as eroding central government power. He is supremely concerned with national unity, and has opposed policy initiatives he views as encouraging political or religious cleavages within Egyptian society. In a speech on March 9, Tantawi said one of the military’s roles is to protect constitutional legitimacy and internal stability, signaling his willingness to use the military to control the Muslim Brotherhood in the run-up to the April 9 municipal council elections. On economic reform, Tantawi believes that Egypt’s economic reform plan fosters social instability by lessening GOE controls over prices and production. Tantawi rejects any conditioning on Egyptian FMF on human rights or any other grounds. Before this year he thought that FMF was inviolable and regarded ESF as a layer of protection against possible cuts to FMF. He will argue that any conditions on military assistance are counter-productive. He will also state that the military is not behind human rights problems in Egypt and that U.S. Congressional human rights conditionally is mis-targeted.
8. (S) Washington interlocutors should be prepared to meet an aged and change-resistant Tantawi. Charming and courtly, he is, nonetheless mired in a post-Camp David military paradigm that has served his cohort’s narrow interests for the last three decades. He and Mubarak are focused on regime stability and maintaining the status quo through the end of their time. They simply do not have the energy, inclination or world view to do anything differently. Nonetheless, for the benefit of Tantawi’s omnipresent aides, we should focus discussions on the future and how to operate as strategic partners as we face the challenges of that future together. RICCIARDONE
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Welcome to Hussein-Change, Egypt.
Hey HH, I saw the 'food fight' you guys got into a few posts ago - If you remember Richard Jeni, here's his routine on dieting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7GnOyd_z1w
Food fight is right. Many people don't like new solutions. For example:
"He and Mubarak are focused on regime stability and maintaining the status quo through the end of their time"
I guess George Washington is right. Tantawi's similarity to the American founding fathers is just plain scary...
[sacasm off]
Does he play golf? Sounds like a good guy to hit the links with ...
What do you mean he shceduled to come to the US already?! A country in turmoil and he's taking a break....ooh wait we had that to. A la Bush.
it was scheduled before the revolution
This is a historical doc from at least a year, probably more, ago. The cables leaked (?) to Wiki were all 2008 or older, AFAIK.
Receiving his orders probably, that's how colour revolutions work. You have to corrupt element of the government before the protests begin, once you have loyal insiders ready to take charge then you orchestrate the protests in order to remove the old leader.
Sorry, I'm thinking of januay 26th when he visited the US, these cables are talking about an earlier visit. The point still stands though.
"...is essential to stopping Palestinian rocket fire into Israel".
Don't ya just love it?
http://redactednews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ken-okeefe-gordon-duff-new-atta...
In any other country intentionally destroying needed medical supplies would be considered a war crime... however this is Israel we are talking about and Israel is our special friend!
If they accidentally targeted this building (unlikely) then they should have an investigation into operational procedures. We'll see if that happens.
In the meantime lets's check out the existential threat to Israels security posed by the 1 million plus Israeli Arabs (Palestians living inside Israel as citizens) and all those Palesinian terrorists living in the West Bank and Gaza.
From Israeli sources: (Remember... an Israeli soldier killed in action killing Palestinian women and children is considered a victim of terror BTW... :)
Hmmm... less than 50 or so most years when Israel is not attacking the West Bank and Gaza.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/osloterr.html
And how does that compare to let's say traffic fatalities in Israel?
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/4603/fatalities6ye.gif
CRAP!!! About 400-500 Israelis per year!!!
Looks like we have a new existential threat to the Israeli state.... namely Israels drivers!
OOO TD you are going to piss someone off for posting this.
I couldn't help noticing that "food" was not on the list of "strategic objectives". That was one of the most important items in the minds of the opposition protestors. Not surprised.
code for if you dont do what we want we will kill u and/or invade your country. and oh yeah you can have the money as long as you do what we want. sellin your soul(country) to the devil. lets hope he can play a good fiddle boy cuz give the devils his dues hes bettin a fiddle of gold against your soul(charlie daniels)
Cause he thinks' he's better n' you.
The devil's got that kinda stuff they smoked in Vietnam.
+100
Weird AL, FTW!
This is just what US/Israel want - an old stodgy general with blood on his hands and skeletons in the closet to maintain the status quo. He's good enough to run the emergency laws and answer the Mubarak/Suleiman/Obama/Bibi 3AM hot-line.
The task at hand is to clear the streets, keep the price of bread down and co-opt any resemblance to liberal political organization. They are not going to fill the jails. They will be digging holes in the desert.
Until the Interior Ministry is torched, there was no revolution.
Dude, he is eighty years old. His regime cannot last longer than he will, if that long, unless, I dunno he has secret ancient egyptian longevity powers from the Stargate. That must be why the illuminati knew it was OK to bank on him.
The fact that he's eighty years old is a very good point.
It's like the pope election: IF HE SUCKS, HE WON'T BE ARROUND LONG ENOUGH TO MESS THING UP TO MUCH!!
Hey Mohamed, here's that torture manual you wanted to borrow
http://osd.dtic.mil/photos/Mar2006/060307-N-0696M-181.html
I know for a fact that Obama, Mubarak, Soros and Thiel all have one thing in common: they are all homos.
90% of left wingers are homos
How did you come to this conclussion? :)
cuz he is a closet homo, he is pissed at freedom lovin out of the closet homos, to much of a coward to come out ans say he loves it up the ass lololol im crackin my self up
and what exactly is the gorilla doing? and what genders are involved?
personal participation
How did you come to this conclussion? :)
To me all left wingers and globalists are homos.
So says the littler green troll dickus.
Crap it must be true.
You learned that blowing them for money for your Patek, in Davos.
wait just a second! i see an inconsistency in your otherwise airtight logic: earlier you said 90% of leftists were homos. now it is, seemingly, all of them. what happened? indoctrination at warp speed?
dbl post
Brilliant. I bet that you are very persuasive when you discuss politics and are able to bring people from opposing ideologies to your line of thinking with great frequency.
Hey Tantawi, you asshole, we're paying more than 1.5 Billion dollars per year to keep that little dredge canal open between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, so by all means necessary, KEEP IT OPEN!
If you're incapable of that one little act, then will show you what SHOCK and AWE is all about, Bush style.
By the way, enjoy your little tour of all our military headquarters, dipshit, and learn what it takes to run a real military dictatorship.
Wake-up. Look at agenda items 2, 3, and 4. What do these 3 have in common? Hint - It ain't the Suez canal.
i think bush shocked but did not awe. i think it was the thrown shoes that hinted at this.
Early on in the Egyptian protests:
“Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has sent his defense minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi in secret to Washington to ask for US backing for his embattled regime against the street protest movement which gained in violence on its second day, Wednesday, Jan. 26. debkafile's Washington sources report that in secret meetings, Tantawi warned top US officials that without a crackdown on the protesters, the regime was doomed. The Egyptian army is on emergency standby.
“He asked the Obama administration for an urgent airlift of advanced riot control equipment.
The American response to the case presented by Tantawi is not known.”
http://www.debka.com/article/20590/This guy will be dead in 6 months. The Muslims are through with him.
The Muslim Brotherhood will have to come out of hiding - where they've been the last 18 days - to affect anything.
Not only that, but they'll have to get their marching orders from Uncle Sam, too.
Bottom line: can't see this group of "wise guys" being too satisfactory to the REVOLUTION.
Did someone say TEOTWAWKI? I need some hopium!
And I think to myself, what a wonderful wooooorrrrrld.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVG80vqVfSA
ah, taking a break from your cynical realism I see..... charming, very charming
"The Red Sea ferry accident in February 2006 embarrassed the Mubarak government and cost more than 1000 lives."
Was there ever a more succinct demonstration of the relative value of things to a government parasite?
katrina?
"Charming and courtly, he is, nonetheless mired in a post-Camp David military paradigm that has served his cohort’s narrow interests for the last three decades. He and Mubarak are focused on regime stability and maintaining the status quo through the end of their time. They simply do not have the energy, inclination or world view to do anything differently."
That whole regime stability thing didn't work out so well for Muby Grape, so I wonder if Marshall Tantawi can dig deep and find the energy and/or inclination to change now? I think a C-130 air drop of 5-Hour Energy drinks on the palace is in order!
mubarak slams US in phone call to israel before he left egypt. ungreatful bastard.
http://nakedempire.wordpress.com/
Have I got this right? The Egyptians are celebrating the imposition of a military takeover?
What's not to like. All it took was a little pretending on the part of the tank anti-personnel personnel? Really?
This is from 2008, so what?
This is BULLISH!
Egypt is coming back to shop for US military products.
They took billions of US money over the years and I guess, the accounting didn't match up because those billions were going into Mubarak's personal accounts rather than to buy more weapons.
US foreign aid is fake money, thrown into the military machine to support the US economy.
If any other tin pot dictator out there fucks up, they're gone too! Remember, Arafat anyone?
He was hot until he was not.
"Duke" Cunningham was too busy snorting blow with hookers to match receipts.
I learn more from wikileaks than from my own government or media.
So, the new general is cast from the same Mubarack mold.
Good and bad. Mubarack was not good, but Muslim brotherhood is bad.
gwar5 is again talking up the Muslim Brotherhood, COWARDS that have sat out the entire REVOLUTION in the square and have ZERO chance of taking power.
He's doing so because he's an Islamophobic fountain of diarrhea cut-and-pasting Pat Robertson and John Hagee talking points.
Watch video of Suleiman's Annoucement of Mubarak Resignation. Head and body do not move together! Appears that his head is superimposed on someone else's body. Watch carefully of this fake video that has not been picked up in the media.
Egyptian History: Suleiman Announces Mubarak's Resignation & Crowd Reacts On Split Screen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu0MxwX1Yr8&feature=player_embedded
Great stuff TD! As to priorities. Notice that 3 of the first 4 agenda items have to do with addressing Israeli whishes.
Let's stop kidding ourselves. Who's calling the shots?
I too, like TD's posts.
Priorities.. of course the Israelis will attempt to influence Egypt, overtly or covertly. Of course the American Empire will attempt to manage its crumbling far abroad. Who's calling the shots indeed.
Personally, as well-wisher to all free people, I hope the Egyptian public will stay active and involved in charting their own destiny.
If they do not, certainly they will be oppressed anew. The message for all the would-be revolutionaries posting here could not be clearer.
Act, or be acted upon.
Cheers,
Beef
If it isn't us it will be the Chinese.
China is on a campaign to overtake Africa.
China is bribing our Ag. Equipment dealers and universities to build equipment over there (John Deere, etc.). The PLA pays 30% to a farmer for the cost of the tractor and John Deere makes out like a bandit on new business.
Only problem is, after 10-20 years they Chinese will know what they need to know and copy every damned advancement of American Ag for the past 100 years and start out-competing us. Whoever can feed the largest army can field the largest army.
Ooops.