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229623 10/14/2009 14:55 09CAIRO1960 Embassy Cairo CONFIDENTIAL 09STATE94763|09VIENNA438 VZCZCXYZ0017OO RUEHWEBDE RUEHEG #1960/01 2871455ZNY CCCCC ZZHO 141455Z OCT 09FM AMEMBASSY CAIROTO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3887INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0227RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 0408RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0062RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0150RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0155RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0312
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SUBJECT:

AMBASSADOR GOLDBERG DISCUSSES NORTH KOREA WITH MFA OFFICIALS REF: A. VIENNA 438 B. STATE 94763 Classified By: Ambassador Margaret Scobey per 1.4 (b) and (d).
1.(C) Key Points: -- During an October 4 meeting with Ambassador Goldberg, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Disarmament Khalid Shamma said Egypt supports the implementation of UNSCR 1874 and Six-Party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea. -- He noted that MFA shares information on implementing UNSCR 1874 with the relevant ministries, but Shamma declined to commit to any specific steps Egypt would take if a ship suspected of carrying illicit North Korean cargo transited the Suez. --Shamma stressed that strengthening the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) during the 2010 Review Conference (Revcon) would support our mutual nonproliferation goals throughout the world, including North Korea. -- Shamma said Egypt was satisfied with the result of the 2009 IAEA General Conference and cooperation with the U.S. on a consensus Middle East resolution despite the U.S. abstention. He looked forward to close cooperation on a successful NPT Revcon, but noted that "we have much work to do and very little time." --------------------------------------------- -------- Tougher Sanctions and Regional Proliferation Concerns --------------------------------------------- --------

¶2. (C) On October 4, Ambassador Goldberg, U.S. Coordinator for the Implementation of UNSCR 1874, and an interagency delegation that included representatives from Treasury, NSC, and DNI, met with MFA officials to discuss sanctions against North Korea and concerns over its regional proliferation activities. Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Disarmament Khalid Shamma headed the Egyptian side, which also included MFA officials covering East Asia and International Organizations, along with a Customs Authority representative. Treasury officials met separately with MFA's Coordinator for Counterterrorism and the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank (septel).

¶3. (C) Ambassador Goldberg stressed the importance of full and transparent implementation UNSCR 1874 and shared U.S. concerns over North Korea's regional proliferation activities given its historical links with many countries in the Middle East. Egypt is a strong partner on nonproliferation, he said, and plays a critical role in combating illicit shipments because of the Suez Canal. He noted that the United Arab Emirates recently seized a ship carrying North Korean military equipment that was destined for Iran. Ambassador Goldberg emphasized that UNSCR 1874 applied to all military shipments from North Korea, including conventional military goods and missile related items. He encouraged Egypt to advise its banks, trading companies, and cargo agents on the dangers of doing business with North Korea, including the resolution's prohibition on facilitating transactions that could be related to North Korean proliferation activities.

¶4. (C) Shamma welcomed President Obama's overarching goal of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation as stated in his April 2009 Prague speech and recent remarks during the UN General Assembly, but stressed the importance of concrete actions. He looked forward to working closely with the U.S. on the 2010 NPT Revcon. Despite the U.S. abstention, Egypt was "happy" with the outcome of Middle East issues at the 2009 IAEA General Conference (ref A), including the resolution calling for Israel to join the NPT and submit to full safeguard inspections. The Egyptian position, he continued, was that all nuclear facilities in the world must be subject to international inspections. Despite the fact that the U.S. abstained on the Middle Eastern Safeguards resolution, Shamma believed that the U.S. shared Egypt's views on the importance of safeguards. ----------------- Implementing 1874 -----------------

¶5. (C) Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Glaser stressed the broad view UNSCR 1874 took on banks' obligations, i.e., that it prevents banks from providing financial services that could support North Korea's WMD program. Ambassador Goldberg asked Shamma what the Egyptian response would be if a ship carrying suspected illicit material transited the Suez. Shamma noted that in general, Egypt "vigilantly" watched navigation through the Suez Canal and would implement measures in the "purview of national legislation and international navigation law" in cooperation with various Egyptian government agencies. Shamma requested that the U.S. share information on illicit shipments directly with the MFA, as the Egyptian agencies who usually receive the intelligence do not expeditiously share the information with the MFA. --------------- Six-Party Talks ---------------

¶6. (C) Ambassador Goldberg outlined the two paths the United States and its partners in the Six Party process are following on North Korea policy: (a) the resumption of Six-Party Talks aimed at the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner; and (b) full and transparent implementation of UNSCR 1874. Shamma said that Egypt respected Security Council resolutions as a matter of policy. He added that Egypt supported the Six-Party talks and the P5 1 talks with Iran in Geneva. ----------------------------- Nuclear-Free Middle East, NPT -----------------------------

¶7. (C) Shamma said President Obama's call for a nuclear weapons free world was a "positive" signal. He noted that Egypt first called for a nuclear weapons-free Middle East in 1974 along with, ironically, Iran. Shamma expressed disappointment with the initial U.S. response to Egypt's plans for advancing the 1995 NPT Revcon Middle East resolution (ref B), saying it "falls short of our expectations on what is achievable in this region." He suggested an "enhanced" U.S.-Egypt dialogue on nonproliferation issues, adding that extending the universality of the NPT would support efforts to denuclearize North Korea. Shamma looked forward to working closely with the U.S. ahead of the May NPT Revcon, but said that "we have lots of work ahead of us, but not much time."

¶8. (C) Colonel Charles Lutes, Director of Nonproliferation at the NSC, stressed that countries like Iran and North Korea directly threatened the NPT and required immediate action. He noted the U.S. wanted to work closely with Egypt to strengthen the NPT during next year's Revcon.

¶9. (U) Ambassador Goldberg and delegation cleared this message. Scobey