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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 001409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/PPD AND RRU-NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KPAO KMDR OPRC EG DA XZ IS XF IZ
SUBJECT:  EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES, FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 4: IRAQ; 
PRESS FREEDOMS; REACTION TO SECRETARYS VISIT TO EGYPT 
 
 
¶1. Summary. The past week saw strong reactions to the news 
of the violence in Iraq and to the one-year prison term 
meted out to a journalist from independent daily, Al-Masry 
Al-Yom, for publishing a story criticizing a former 
government minister (although the article was later 
subsequently retracted). At the same time, the press 
focused heavily on President Mubarak's regional tour, 
speculating as to his motives and whether or not they were 
linked to Secretary Rice's visit of the previous week. 
Commentary about Secretary Rice's visit continued, and some 
were more positive than earlier ones.  End summary. 
 
 
¶2.  Unity for Iraq?  News of internecine violence in Iraq 
spread throughout the Egyptian media, and spurred 
commentary on Iraq to an extent not seen previously in 
¶2006.  While much of the commentary focused on predictions 
of civil war, many looked inwardly at the unity of Islam. 
On February 26, all papers carried the denunciation of 
Sheikh Al-Azhar Tantawi of the Iraqi bombings and his 
demand that Muslims not differentiate between Sunni and 
Shi'a.  On the same day, a columnist in leading pro- 
government daily, Al-Ahram (circulation 750,000) challenged 
Muslims to look inwardly and question their "silence 
regarding the destruction of real holy places" given their 
eagerness for violence over the Danish cartoons.  Similar 
commentary in pro-government daily, Al-Akhbar (700,000) on 
February 26 challenged all Muslims "to defend the Prophet 
and come together to defuse the tension between the Shi'a 
and the Sunnis in Iraq."  That theme continued on March 1 
in the same paper, with the description of the violence as 
"more blasphemous than the cartoons," and a request that 
Al-Azhar demonstrate leadership and convene a special 
conference. Commentaries also focused on whether or not a 
civil war would really erupt in Iraq.  For at least one 
commentator in Al-Akhbar (February 27), the specter of 
civil war remained far off, as "Sunni and Shi'a have never 
fought each other in Iraq before and they know their real 
enemy."  Still, in Al-Akhbar, a daily columnist accused the 
terrorists led by al-Zarqawi of plotting sectarian tension 
as a means to "embarrass other Arab countries and drag them 
into a war to defend the Sunnis."  On the same day, an 
editorial in the more aggressively pro-government daily, 
Al-Gomhouriyya (circulation 500,000) suggested that Iraqis 
"unite against the (U.S.-led) occupation" in order to keep 
from sliding into civil war. 
 
¶2.  Government Restrictions on Freedom of the Press.  Early 
in the week, news reports announced the one year sentencing 
of an Al-Masry Al-Yom (circulation 100,000, independent 
daily) journalist for writing a news piece that included 
misinformation about the former Minister of Housing, 
Ibrahim Soliman.  Although the paper published a correction 
on the following day, Soliman  who filed 37 lawsuits 
against journalists while in office - sued the paper. 
Throughout the week, considerable news and commentary 
reaction followed.  Reactions were not limited to Al-Masry 
Al-Yom, but journalists from many papers and several 
television talk-show commentators commented on the story, 
citing it as an example of President Mubarak's failure to 
implement his two-year old promise to dilute the law that 
allows for imprisonment of journalists.  Journalists noted 
the "irony" that the court ruling was made in February on 
the same date that Mubarak made his promise back in 2004. 
Journalists also organized a meeting to demonstrate their 
ir 
support for freedom of the press.  Commentators also 
ridiculed the notion that government ministers should be a 
kind of "holy category above criticism.  After the week's 
heavy commentary and coverage, on March 4, all papers 
announced that that the former minister in question had 
responded to requests by the Supreme Council of the Press 
by agreeing to drop all libel charges against journalists, 
including the journalist from Al-Masry Al-Yom. 
 
¶3.  Television Commentary on Freedom of the Press.  Early 
in the week, both state and satellite television channels 
carried lively discussion programs on the issue, focusing 
on journalism as a profession and its role in a democracy. 
On February 26, Egyptian Television's Channel 2 program, 
"El-Beit Beitak" (Make Yourself at Home), and Dream TV's 
"10 PM" hosted guests critical of the verdict, one of whom 
characterized it as a "flagrant violation of democracy and 
freedom of the press."   Dream TV's guest, a well-known 
writer, called for protection of journalists whom he 
described as "only doing their part to expose corruption 
that is powerful and protected by all means."  On February 
27, Egyptian Television's Channel One program, "Wughat 
Nazar" (Point of View) hosted the chairman of the Press 
Syndicate who averred that "journalists are demanding the 
right to serve society as a whole by revealing corruption." 
On February 28, Channel One's program, "Etkallem" (Speak) 
hosted (al-Manar TV affiliated) Mustafa Bakry, (brother of 
Mahmoud Bakry, editor of the anti-American weekly, Al- 
Osbou' and a Member of Parliament) who discussed his 25-day 
detention under similar charges.  He described himself as 
subject to potential future detention, as the trial is 
still ongoing, and opined that "President Mubarak is the 
only official in Egypt who accepts criticism." 
 
¶4.  Reactions to the Verdict from Print Journalists.  Print 
journalists from several papers discussed the issue at 
length, focusing especially on its ramifications for their 
profession.  Independent dailies, Al-Masry Al-Yom and 
Nahdet Misr (circulation: 50,000 each) analyzed the 
sentencing in the context of failed government, failed 
presidential promises, and failed democracy.   On February 
26, a senior Al-Masry Al-Yom columnist, Magdy Mehanna, 
criticized President Mubarak for "failing to defend his 
initiative on canceling this law and allowing the enemies 
of press freedom to win."  A Nahdet Misr columnist 
commented sarcastically on the GOE's "own kind of 
democracy," contrasting the freedom given to the Danish 
cartoonist while Egyptian journalists "who never touch upon 
religious issues" are imprisoned.  On March 2, another Al- 
Masry Al-Yom columnist declared that "the GOE is the sole 
beneficiary of the national press which serves the 
presidency alone," while Nahdet Misr's editor-in-chief 
argued that press freedom "strengthens the regime, rather 
than weakens it, as the GOE thinks, and brings it closer to 
the people."  Pro-government dailies, Al-Ahram and Al- 
Akhbar, focused on Mubarak's failure to implement his 
promise, but also searched for compromise solutions.  Many 
commentators argued that internal professional standards 
and "court-imposed fines should be sufficient punishments 
for journalists," (Al-Akhbar, March 1).  Al-Ahram 
columnist, Salah Montasser, summarized the situation as 
"bringing journalists together to protest on the second 
anniversary of the President's promise to abolish the 
imprisonment of journalists for the stories they write." 
 
¶5.  Secretary Rice and U.S. Pressure on Egypt; continued 
reactions.  While President Mubarak embarked on a regional 
trip of his own, the past week saw continued commentary on 
the previous week's visit by Secretary Rice.  Headlines 
shifted from Secretary Rice's remarks in Egypt the previous 
week to Mubarak's comments last week that his Middle East 
trip had "nothing to do with Dr. Rice's visit," and Egypt 
is "not being pressured by the U.S.; relations with the 
U.S. are good" (all papers, February 26-March 1).  Some 
commentaries in pro-government dailies Al-Akhbar and Al- 
Ahram were surprisingly positive, noting a "change in 
Rices tactics, as there was no pressure this time and less 
criticism about democracy" (Al-Ahram, March 1), and there 
had been a "keenness to use a subtler tone this time" (Al- 
Akhbar, February 26). However, other columnists in those 
papers and the independents remained critical of Rices 
ulterior goals.  On March 2, a columnist in Al-Ahram 
criticized the U.S. for "not learning from its mistakes and 
trying to force its ways and its will on other countries" 
and on March 1, a columnist in Al-Masry Al-Yom - whose 
editor-in-chief, Hisham Kassem, was one of the participants 
in the Secretary's civil society meeting - predicted that 
"with the decrease in economic assistance, the U.S. has 
lost most of its powerful cards in Egypt, except for 
for 
military assistance."  A February 26 editorial in the 
sometimes anti-U.S. pro-government daily, Al-Gomhouriyya, 
called upon the U.S. to "drop its policies of interfering 
in the internal affairs of the region and adopt a new 
policy that seeks fair solutions to put out fires rather 
than igniting them." 
 
Ricciardone