O 161043Z SEP 86 FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7648 INFO AMCONSUL ALEXANDRIA
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 21221
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PINS PINR EG
SUBJECT: MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD: EAGER FOR U.S. CONTACTS,
FEARFUL OF GOE
¶1. S-ENTIRE TEXT.
¶2. SUMMARY. THREE STRONG IMPRESSIONS EMERGED FROM
EMBOFF'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON THE NEW MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
LEADERSHIP SEPTEMBER 10: (1) CURRENT LEADERSHIP IS KEEN
TO ESTABLISH A DIALOGUE WITH THE U.S. EMBASSY; (2)
AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS VERY WORRIED ABOUT AVOIDING
PROBLEMS WITH THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR; AND (3)
NEW SUPREME GUIDE ABUL NASR APPEARS MORE A FIGUREHEAD
THAN THE REAL POWER WITHIN THE LEADERSHIP, WHO MAY BE
DEPUTY MUSTAFA MASHHUR. END SUMMARY.
¶3. POLOFF AND POL FSN MADE FIRST OFFICIAL CONTACT
WITH MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD LEADERSHIP SINCE DEATH LAST MAY
OF PREVIOUS SUPREME GUIDE OMAR TALMASSANI, MEETING AT
OFFICES PREVIOUSLY USED BY BANNED MB MAGAZINE AL-DA'WA
SEPTEMBER 10. CORDIAL BUT SHORT MEETING WAS DEVOTED
ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY TO WHY THE MEETING COULD NOT TAKE
PLACE AT GREATER LENGTH AS PLANNED. DEPUTY SUPREME
GUIDE MUSTAFA MASHHUR HAD POSITIVELY AND PROMPTLY
RESPONDED TO EMBASSY REQUEST SEPTEMBER 9 FOR THE CALL
ON NEW SUPREME GUIDE MUHAMMED HAMAD ABUL NASR, BUT HAD
ASKED EMBASSY TO SECURE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR CLEARANCE.
WISHING TO AVOID THE PRECEDENT OF REQUESTING SUCH
ADVANCE CLEARANCE FOR DIPLOMATIC WORK, EMBOFF
APPEARED AT THE APPOINTED TIME AND PLACE WITHOUT
MININT CLEARANCE. HE EXPLAINED THAT THE CALL WAS
ROUTINE COURTESY CALL.
¶4. MASHHUR AND ABUL NASR CORDIALLY WELCOMED POLOFF AND
FSN, OFFERED THE CUSTOMARY SWEETS, AND MET WITH THEM FOR
ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES. HOWEVER, IN THE PRESENCE OF
A MALE SECRETARY TAKING APPARENTLY VERBATIM NOTES,
MASHHUR AND ABUL NASR REPEATEDLY INSISTED ON THE NEED
FOR THE EMBASSY TO SECURE WRITTEN PERMISSION FOR THE
MB TO MEET WITH EMBOFFS -- INSISTING EQUALLY STRONGLY
UPON THEIR WELCOME OF CONTINUED CONTACTS WITH THE
EMBASSY. THEY STATED THEIR WILLINGNESS TO MEET EMBOFF
AT LENGTH ASAP -- EVEN LATER THE SAME DAY, OR IN THE
NEXT FEW DAYS -- PROVIDED THE WRITTEN PERMISSION WAS
FORTHCOMING FROM THE MININT. THEY EXPLAINED THAT IN
THE PAST THE GOE HAD PROVIDED VERBAL APPROVAL FOR MB
CONTACTS WITH THE BRITISH EMBASSY, AND YET HAD CITED
THESE CONTACTS AS ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES WHEN IT FOUND THIS
USEFUL AGAINST THE MB. POLOFF NOTED, TO NO AVAIL,
THAT EMBASSY OFFICERS HAD HAD PERIODIC TALKS WITH
TALMASSANI IN THE TWO YEARS PRECEDING HIS DEATH.
MB INTERLOCUTORS CONCEDED THIS POINT, ACKNOWLEDGED THAT
EMBASSY MAINTAINS CONTACTS EVEN WITH POLITICAL OPPOSITION
FIGURES IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF ITS WORK, AND NOTED
THAT THE MB IS ALSO FREE TO MEET WITH JOURNALISTS .
NONETHELESS, THEY INSISTED THAT EGYPTIAN LAW REQUIRES
THE MB TO SECURE PERMISSION TO MEET REPRESENTATIVES
OF ANY FOREIGN GOVERNMENT. THEY WERE CAREFUL TO
ASK THAT EMBASSY SECURE A GENERAL MININT CLEARANCE
THAT WOULD PERMIT REPEATED CONTACTS WITH MORE THAN
ONE EMBASSY OFFICER, SO THAT WRITTEN PERMISSION WOULD
NOT HAVE TO BE OBTAINED FOR EACH MEETING.
¶5. POLOFF EXPRESSED FULL RESPECT FOR EGYPTIAN LAW AND
UNDERSTANDING FOR THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD'S CONCERNS.
HE STATED HIS HOPE THAT THE ISSUE COULD BE RESOLVED
QUICKLY TO PERMIT AN EARLY RETURN MEETING FOR THE
PURPOSE OF PROMOTING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING. BEFORE TAKING
LEAVE, HE ALSO CONVEYED EMBASSY'S RESPECT FOR THOSE
PRESENT AND FOR THE ROLE OF ISLAM IN EGYPTIAN SOCIETY.
MASHHUR AND ABUL NASR RESPONDED WARMLY AND AGAIN
STATED THEIR WELCOME FOR CONTACTS WITH THE EMBASSY,
"BOTH AS MUSLIMS AND AS ARABS."
¶6. IMPRESSIONS FROM THIS EXCHANGE:
(1) THE MB IS EAGER TO STEP UP CONTACTS WITH THE U.S.
EMBASSY. WE CAN ONLY SURMISE THAT, APART FROM WHATEVER
IDEOLOGICAL THINKING THIS DESIRE MAY REFLECT, ONE
MOTIVE MAY BE TO ADD TO THE MB'S LEGITIMACY AS A
POLITICAL ENTITY.
(2) THE SUCCESSOR LEADERSHIP IS MORE CONCERNED TO
STAY CLEAR OF PROBLEMS WITH THE GOE. TALMASSANI HAD
NOT REQUESTED PRIOR CLEARANCE, AT LEAST NOT VIA
THIS EMBASSY, FOR HIS SEVERAL CONTACTS WITH EMBOFFS.
A SEPARATE CONVERSATION BETWEEN POLOFF AND A JOURNALIST
CONNECTED TO THE MB INDICATED THAT THE MB IS VERY
CONCERNED OVER THE RECENT WELL-PUBLICIZED ARRESTS
OF NON-MB FUNDAMENTALISTS. THIS APPARENT GOE CRACKDOWN
ON NON-MB FUNDAMENTALISTS MAY BE ONE FACTOR BEHIND
THE MB'S UNPRECEDENTED INSISTENCE UPON MININT
CLEARANCE TO MEET WITH US.
(3) MB LEADERSHIP APPEARED TO LACK SELF CONFIDENCE
AND COHESION. THIS MAY BE ANOTHER FACTOR BEHIND
ITS CAUTION. ABUL NASR APPEARED PHYSICALLY FRAIL
AND MORE A FIGUREHEAD THAN THE DOMINANT PRESENCE
IN THE MEETING. HIS COMPLEXION WAS SALLOW AND HIS
WESTERN BUSINESS SUIT HUNG ON HIM LOOSELY. HIS VOICE
WAS RASPY AND UNSTEADY, AND HIS VERY THICK EYEGLASSES
MAY INDICATE FAILING VISION. ALTHOUGH ABUL NASR
SAT IN THE POSITION OF HONOR BEHIND A DESK, MASHHUR,
ACROSS THE ROOM ON A COUCH, WAS THE MORE IMPOSING
FIGURE. MASHHUR, APPARENTLY IN HIS MID-SIXTIES,
WAS RESPECTFUL -- HE DID NOT INTERRUPT ABUL NASR --
BUT NOT DEFERENTIAL. HE CLEARLY DOMINATED THE
CONVERSATION WITH STEADY VOICE AND EYECONTACT, AND
THE MB NOTETAKER LOOKED REPEATEDLY TOWARD MASHHUR AS
HE TRANSCRIBED THE CONVERSATION. MOREOVER,
OUTER OFFICE MB STAFF COMMENTS TO POLOFF OF PROFOUND
REGRET OVER LOSS OF TALMASSANI SEEMED INTENDED TO
CONVEY PERCEPTIONS OF ABUL NASR'S INADEQUACY AS A
SUCCESSOR.
¶7. WE DO NOT INTEND TO GET IN THE MIDDLE BETWEEN THE
SHAKY MB LEADERSHIP AND GOE. BEYOND ITS OWN CONCERNS,
TALMASSANI'S SUCCESSORS MAY BE ATTEMPTING TO USE US TO
TEST WHETHER THE MININT IS READY TO BESTOW LEGITIMACY
UPON THE MB. THROUGH CASUAL LOW KEY CONTACTS IN THE
FOREIGN MINISTRY, WE INTEND TO MAKE CLEAR THAT OUR
NORMAL DIPLOMATIC WORK HERE INCLUDES CONTACTS ACROSS THE
WIDE SPECTRUM OF EGYPTIAN SOCIETY. WE SHALL CONTINUE TO
PURSUE CONTACTS WITH THE MB, MAKING CLEAR TO THEM ALSO
THAT WE HAVE REMINDED THE MFA OF OUR GENERAL APPROACH.
WISNER
http://wikileaks.org/cable/1986/09/86CAIRO21221.html
