VZCZCXYZ0009
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHEG #3399 3381542
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041542Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7628
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS CAIRO 003399
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL EG
SUBJECT: NOTE VERBALE FROM FM ABOUL GHEIT TO SECRETARY RICE
ON FMF
Sensitive but unclassified. Not for internet distribution.
(SBU) On December 3, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit
delivered to the Ambassador a note verbale, dated December 1,
for Secretary Rice concerning the House of Representatives
proposal to condition USD 200 million in FMF for FY2008. The
full text of the note follows:
Begin text:
I would like to seek your good offices to address the
Congress once again regarding the unhelpful stipulation in
the House of Representatives' version of the State Department
and Foreign Appropriations Bill 2008 to withhold 200 million
dollars from the Foreign Military Finances (FMF) earmarked to
Egypt.
I have been personally following the contacts of our Embassy
in Washington with the members of the House of
Representatives and the Senate. I have come to the opinion
that a high level intervention by yourself is now timely and
much needed to give the final push towards lifting such
stipulations from the final version of the bill coming out of
the conference. I am confident as to your sincerity and
eloquence in transmitting the message, as you did before in
your joint letter with Secretary of Defense and again in your
testimony before the House Foreign Relations Committee, that
such conditionality can not be but detrimental to the
long-term relations between our two countries.
It is to the benefit of these mutual bilateral interests, and
for fear of an inevitable negative public reaction to the
adoption of language that would be widely considered in Egypt
as interventionist on the part of the United States, that I
seek your help on this matter. I look forward to your role
as I know you are a strong supporter of healthy and solid
Egyptian-American relations.
End text.
RICCIARDONE