VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #1222/01 1810720
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 300720Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3034

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001222 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, G/TIP FOR YOUSEY, NEA/ELA FOR 
CHATTERJI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/28/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF KCRM KWMN KJUS SOCI EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN MFA REACTIONS TO 2009 TIP REPORT REF: A. 08 CAIRO 2525 B. 09 CAIRO 386 C. 09 CAIRO 721 Classified By: Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs William R. Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1.(C) Key Points: -- The Government of Egypt is "frustrated" with its ranking in the 2009 TIP Report because officials felt Egypt had done enough to be moved off the Tier 2 Watch List. Some officials wanted to stop cooperating with the USG on TIP, but agreed to revisit the issue at a later date to give some time for feelings to subside. -- The efforts of First Lady Suzanne Mubarak in combating TIP demonstrate there is "political will" to address the issue. Egypt will continue to work on TIP issues based on its commitment to the U.N Protocol. -- The Egyptian National Coordinating Committee to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Persons finished drafting a comprehensive trafficking law, commissioned a study on the nature and scope of trafficking in Egypt, and is devising a national action plan to implement anti-trafficking measures. -- The GOE is committed to addressing all trafficking issues, but stresses that change will take time because getting local law enforcement to think about victim protection requires a mindset change. Egypt sent law enforcement officials to training programs in the U.S. and Europe, as well as domestically, to help facilitate this change.

2.(C) Comment: The GOE's lack of specific objections to the text of the TIP report signals that the main objection to the report is that the country was kept on the Tier 2 Watch List. The TIP report has created a firestorm in the Egyptian news media. There have been articles on TIP, numerous editorials, and television talk shows have invited GOE officials and civil society activists to address TIP issues. Egyptian officials have widely condemned the report as unfair, while civil society activists have praised the report. End Comment. ------------------------------ TIP Report Leaves Bitter Taste ------------------------------

3.(C) Wael Aboulmagd, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights, told us on June 28 that the GOE was "frustrated" with the 2009 TIP Report. He stated that Egypt felt like it had done enough in the past year to be moved off the Tier 2 Watch List, and the report "left a bitter taste," especially in light of overall increased U.S.-Egyptian dialogue and cooperation. Aboulmagd asked how the report could enumerate the positive steps that Egypt had taken in the past year and still not change the tier ranking. He said that those GOE officials that deal with TIP feel like the USG "moved the goalposts" by highlighting new issues in order to justify keeping Egypt on the watch list. Aboulmagd specifically mentioned the insertion of child labor issues in the 2009 TIP report. He told us that some officials wanted to stop cooperating with the USG on TIP, but he stated that everyone agreed to revisit the issue at a later date to give some time for feelings to subside. -------------------------------------- Continued GOE Commitment to Combat TIP --------------------------------------

4.(C) Aboulmagd stated that human trafficking is a "terrible crime," and he said that because of the work of First Lady Suzanne Mubarak in combating TIP there is "political will" and the "full commitment" of the GOE to address the issue. He said that the TIP report was not the benchmark by which Egypt assessed itself, but instead the GOE uses its commitment to the U.N. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons as its guide. Aboulmagd stated that if the Egypt, in its attempt to combat trafficking in persons, meets some U.S. benchmarks then that is a "bonus."

5.(C) Aboulmagd told us that Egypt is working on three initiatives to combat human trafficking. The National Coordinating Committee to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Persons has completed a draft comprehensive trafficking law (reftels A-C). There is still a discussion between the Office of the Public Prosecutor and the Ministry of Interior over the wording of one article, but Aboulmagd told us that the law will be sent to PM Ahmed Nazif and will be presented to the parliament during the next parliamentary session this fall.

6.(C) Aboulmagd said that the GOE has commissioned a study to understand the nature and scope of TIP in Egypt (reftels A-B). He told us that there had been funding delays, but he said that U.N. organizations provided USD 55,000 to fund the study. Aboulmagd stated that work on the study is ongoing and he anticipated completion in 7-8 months. Government officials, international representatives, and civil society activist agree that there are no reliable statistics on the scope of human trafficking in Egypt. The GOE hopes that its survey will shed light on the nature and scope of the problem. In response to a question about Egypt's national plan of action for TIP, Aboulmagd told us that the National Coordinating Committee is outlining a national plan of action. The EU has provided 4 million Egyptian pounds (USD 725,000) towards implementation of the plan. He said that the details of the plan would be based on information received from the trafficking study. Amira Fahmy, Aboulmagd's deputy for TIP, expected the roll out of the national plan of action, which will include a public awareness campaign, to occur in July 2011. ------------------------------- Egyptian Efforts Will Take Time -------------------------------

7.(C) Aboulmagd acknowledged that Egypt still has issues to address to effectively combat human trafficking. He told us that the training of law enforcement personnel to protect potential trafficking victims will take time because it necessitates a change of mindset. Aboulmagd stated that the GOE is committed to providing protection for trafficking victims and it sent law enforcement officials to training programs both in the U.S. and Europe. He stated that Egypt's focus is to make sure that anti-TIP efforts are "done correctly," and was dismissive of the yearly timelines for change contained in the TIP report. SCOBEY