

Currently released so far... 6239 / 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
2011/03/22
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
AU
AORC
AF
AM
AFIN
AEMR
AR
ASIG
AMGT
AG
APER
AL
ABLD
ASUP
AA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AE
AMED
AS
AGMT
APECO
AO
AFFAIRS
AJ
ACOA
AX
AROC
ATFN
ASEAN
AFGHANISTAN
ADCO
AFU
AER
ALOW
AODE
ABUD
ATRN
AID
AC
AVERY
APCS
CASC
CJAN
CVIS
CS
COUNTER
CD
CU
CI
CO
CG
CE
CA
CMGT
CH
CWC
CBW
CKGR
CR
CN
CPAS
CONS
CDG
CLINTON
CT
CJUS
CY
CV
COUNTERTERRORISM
CIA
CACM
CDB
CAN
COE
CM
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CF
CONDOLEEZZA
CARSON
CL
CIS
CODEL
CTM
CB
COM
ECON
EFIN
ETRD
EAIR
EAID
ET
EFIS
ENRG
EPET
ETTC
ER
EG
EINV
EAGR
ELAB
EUN
EWWT
ENGR
EMIN
ECIN
ENIV
ES
EC
ECPS
EIND
EI
EU
ENVI
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ELTN
EZ
EINT
ELN
EUR
EUNCH
EN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
ELECTIONS
EINVEFIN
ENNP
ECUN
EXTERNAL
EK
EFINECONCS
ECINECONCS
ECIP
EINDETRD
EUC
EREL
ENVR
ECA
ENERG
ENGY
ETRO
EFTA
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
ECONEFIN
EINVETC
EINN
ESA
ETC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ESENV
ETRDECONWTOCS
IR
IZ
IWC
IC
ILC
IO
IAEA
IN
IS
IT
ICRC
INTELSAT
ILO
IBRD
IMF
ICAO
IMO
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
ITRA
ISRAELI
ICJ
IACI
INTERPOL
ID
IV
ICTY
IQ
IPR
INRB
ITPHUM
IIP
IL
IA
INR
ITPGOV
IZPREL
IRC
INRA
INRO
IRAJ
IEFIN
IF
KE
KCRM
KDRG
KIPR
KCOR
KSCA
KBIO
KDEM
KMCA
KMPI
KNNP
KJUS
KOMC
KGHG
KSUM
KSTC
KIRF
KTIP
KWMN
KZ
KG
KTFN
KHLS
KPAO
KFRD
KTIA
KOLY
KCFE
KISL
KFLU
KPKO
KWBG
KTBT
KTDB
KOCI
KUNR
KAWK
KICC
KPAL
KSTH
KN
KS
KGIC
KNPP
KWAC
KMDR
KAWC
KBCT
KIDE
KFLO
KWMNCS
KSEP
KU
KNEI
KVPR
KACT
KRAD
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCIP
KSAF
KV
KSPR
KPRP
KFSC
KCRS
KR
KRFD
KX
KO
KPWR
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KFIN
KGCC
KPIN
KHIV
KPLS
KIRC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KGIT
KBTS
KPRV
KBTR
KERG
KWMM
KRVC
KNSD
KVIR
KNUP
KTER
KDDG
KHSA
KMRS
KHDP
KTLA
KPAK
KNAR
KREL
KPAI
KTEX
KCOM
KNNPMNUC
KPOA
KLIG
KHUM
KDEV
KNUC
KCFC
KREC
KOMS
KWWMN
MASS
MP
MARR
MOPS
MNUC
MX
MO
MCAP
MY
ML
MU
MIL
MC
MTRE
MA
MD
MTCRE
MEPI
MAR
MRCRE
MR
MV
MPOS
MZ
MEPP
MOPPS
MAPP
MASC
MT
MERCOSUR
MK
MDC
MI
MAPS
MCC
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MTCR
MG
OVIP
OREP
OTRA
OSCE
OECD
OIIP
OEXC
OPCW
OPIC
OPDC
OPRC
ODIP
OVP
OSCI
OAS
OFDP
OTR
OSAC
OIC
OFFICIALS
OIE
PREL
PGOV
PHUM
PTER
PE
PINR
PINS
PARMS
PARM
PHSA
PA
PK
PBTS
PO
PREF
POL
PLN
POLITICS
PROP
PL
PM
PAO
PSI
PG
PEPR
POV
PALESTINIAN
PINT
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
PINF
PEL
SNAR
SO
SENV
SU
SCUL
SOCI
SP
SC
SA
SMIG
SAN
SZ
SW
SN
SY
SR
SL
SEVN
SF
SYR
SI
SG
STEINBERG
SIPRS
SH
SNARCS
SOFA
SANC
SHUM
SK
ST
TERRORISM
TRGY
TZ
TX
TBIO
TSPA
TS
TSPL
TW
TU
TD
TIP
TURKEY
TP
TI
TC
TPHY
TH
TO
TK
TNGD
TINT
TRSY
TR
TFIN
TT
UG
UK
UP
UNGA
UNHRC
UZ
UN
UNAUS
USTR
UNSC
US
UNEP
UY
UNESCO
USUN
UNHCR
UAE
UNMIK
USEU
UV
UNO
UNDP
UNCHS
UNVIE
UNCHC
UE
UNDESCO
USAID
UNDC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 09CAIRO1615, NEXT STEPS ON THENILE BASIN INITIATIVE REF: CAIRO 1506 Classified By: Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs Donald A. Blome for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
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. #09CAIRO1615.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09CAIRO1615 | 2009-08-20 11:11 | 2011-02-16 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Cairo |
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHEG #1615/01 2321157
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 201157Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3458
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0351
RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA 0208
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 0005
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 0089
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0159
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 1343
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 0051
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0081
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0424
C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001615
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, AF/SPG, AF/E, AF/C. OES FOR
SALZBERG, ADDIS ABABA FOR BAUMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2019
TAGS: PREL TSPL BY CG ET KE RW SU TZ UG EG
SUBJECT: NEXT STEPS ON THENILE BASIN INITIATIVE REF: CAIRO 1506 Classified By: Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs Donald A. Blome for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1.Key Points: -- The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is pleased that the Nile Council of Ministers meetings resulted in a six-month extension in negotiations on the Nile Basin Initiative's (NBI) Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA). -- In the next six months, the Government of Egypt (GoE) plans to consult with global legal and institutional experts, offer training courses, begin development projects, and organize technical and legal meetings for the Nile Basin Initiative countries. These efforts will culminate in an extraordinary ministerial meeting, probably in February 2010 at Sharm Al Sheikh. -- It appears that Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Nasr Al Din Allam will have responsibility for engaging with the Equatorial Lakes countries, PM Ahmed Nazif will interact with Ethiopia, and Dr. Abdel Fattah Metawie, Chairman of Water Ministry's Nile Water Section, will coordinate with Sudan. -- Metawie and Ambassador Mohamed Rafik Khalil, political advisor to the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, remain skeptical that an agreement can be reached in six months because the Nile waters issue has been entangled in domestic politics in upstream countries.
2.(C) Comment: Egypt's solution to the current impasse is upstream acceptance of its historical water quota and the need for prior approval for development projects in upstream countries using Nile water. Egypt views the six-month delay in signing the CFA as a victory, but realizes it must now come to an understanding with the other riparian countries on how to proceed after February 2010. Both Metawie and Khalil seemed skeptical that there would be a compromise resulting in a CFA in the next six months. While many people involved in the Nile Basin Initiative have technical competency in hydrology and development, there is a lack of understanding of the geo-political issues preventing a deal on the CFA. Neither Metawie nor Khalil could respond to our question about potential Chinese financing of Ethiopian dams. ----------------------------------- Evaluation of the Nile COM Meetings -----------------------------------
3.(C) Dr. Metawie told us on August 13 that the late July Nile COM meetings in Alexandria went "very well" because the seven upstream countries (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) realized they would not gain from "unilaterally" signing the CFA. He credited the "strong and consistent" Egyptian position on Nile waters and the donor countries' encouragement of unity for helping to convince upstream countries to return to the negotiation table. Metawie declared that the bilateral meetings with Ethiopia were most productive because they allowed each country to state its position and build confidence and trust in one another. He praised Ethiopian Minister of Water Asfaw Dingamo for being open to dialogue and compromise.
4.(C) According to Metawie, Egypt believes that the principles of the NBI are consensus, implementing win-win projects, and causing no harm to other countries. If all countries abide by these principles, there can be a solution to the current impasse. Ambassador Khalil, in the same meeting, said that a "unilateral" signing of the CFA would violate the NBI principles and force Egypt to withdraw from the organization. It was Egypt's willingness to withdraw from the NBI that pushed the upstream countries to compromise. Metawie said Egypt, in the last 10 years, has invested substantially in upstream development projects to make the NBI work. This "soft line" of diplomacy and development is essential to winning over upstream countries. ------------------ Egypt's Next Steps ------------------
5.(C) Over the next six months, The GoE also plans to consult with international experts on the legal and institutional issues, offer training programs to upstream countries at the Egyptian National Water Research Center, and meet with the representatives from upstream countries to get them to the negotiation table. Egypt will also work with the EU to begin a "trilateral project" where the EU would finance Egyptian technical experts to design and implement development projects in other Nile basin countries to improve drinking water, store water, and provide technical education. According to Metawie, Egypt will also organize technical and legal meetings for the NBI countries. These meeting will culminate in an extra-ordinary ministerial probably in February 2010 at Sharm Al Sheikh.
6.(C) It appears the GoE has a three-way division of labor to engage with other NBI countries. Minister of Water Resources Mohamed Nasr Al Din Allam will have responsibility for engaging with the Equatorial Lakes countries, PM Ahmed Nazif will interact with Ethiopia, and Metawie will coordinate with Sudan. Minister Allam traveled to the DRC on August 13 and will be meeting with representatives from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda over the next month. Metawie said Egypt plans to provide experts to study the water needs of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and will establish new wells and small projects to help meet their water needs. PM Nazif plans to travel to Addis Ababa at the end of September to discuss Nile water cooperation with Ethiopian officials, but Metawie had no details on plans for development cooperation with Ethiopia. Metawie will travel to Sudan in the next two weeks to coordinate the position of the two countries on the Nile. He told us Sudan "sees the situation like Egypt" because northern Sudan and Egypt have the same environmental conditions. ----------------------- The Egyptian Assessment -----------------------
8.(C) Both Metawie and Khalil were skeptical about the potential for a near-term solution because the upstream countries lack an understanding of water resource management, have used the Nile water issues for domestic political consumption, and view the issue as "win-lose." Khalil said that the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments have been vocal about using Nile water for development and have made domestic political promises to do so. According to Khalil, Kenya accused Egypt of taking Lake Victoria water to cultivate two million acres of food in Uganda, but Metawie stated that diminishing water levels in Lake Victoria are a result of Uganda releasing water for power generation, not agricultural cultivation. (Note: The Kenyan claim may be based on a July 2008 meeting between Egyptian President Mubarak and Ugandan President Museveni where they discussed joint agricultural projects in Uganda to combat the global food crisis. End Note.) Metawie said Ethiopian Prime Minister Zenawi has backed himself into a corner by telling his domestic audience that his government will use the Blue Nile for agricultural development. This ensures that any compromise will be viewed as "selling the Nile to Egypt."
9.(C) Metawie stated that the Aswan High Dam, with its 162 billion cubic meter capacity gives Egypt the "upper hand" in negotiations because it changed the geography of the Nile and eliminated any immediate water threat to Egypt. He said the idea to reduce evaporation by drawing down the capacity of Lake Nasser, and hold water in dams in Ethiopia and Sudan is "not wise" because the rate of siltation is so high that 50 percent of the live storage of these dams would be filled with sediment. The upstream countries, according to Metawie, have a "pastoralist," rather than an agricultural orientation, and fail to realize that rain-fed agriculture is the best and least expensive way to cultivate in their countries. Tueller