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Brooke F Adams  08/06/2006 02:07:06 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Brooke F Adams

Cable 
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UNCLAS        CAIRO 04604

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CXCAIRO:
    ACTION: AID
    INFO:   PA OMC DAO POL ECON DCM

DISSEMINATION: AID
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: PA:HMAHONEY
DRAFTED: PA:RLERNER
CLEARED: ECPO: CHILL-HERNDON

VZCZCCRI346
PP RUEHC RUEHXK
DE RUEHEG #4604/01 2081208
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271208Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0165
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 004604 
 
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SENSITIVE 
 
NEA/PA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OPRC PGOV PTER UK AG EG AL
SUBJECT: EGYPT MEDIA TRENDS FOR JULY 25, 2006 
 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified.  Not for internet distribution. 
 
¶1.  Summary.  Today,s Egyptian major developing story in 
Egyptian media 
was President Mubarak,s statement before departing for Saudi 
Arabia 
during which he declared the current situation in Lebanon as 
"destructive chaos."  Headlines continued to be strongly 
negative 
toward perceived US involvement in the conflict, and 
opposition papers 
used emotion-invoking photos to stir sentiment against the US 
and 
Israel.  Commentaries have focused largely on "US efforts to 
create a 
new Middle East" in negative tones, and at least one opinion 
poll shows 
that the majority of voters believe the conflict will widen. 
End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  Destructive Chaos.  The major developing story of the day 
was 
President Mubarak,s trip to Saudi Arabia to meet with King 
Abdullah and 
his strong pre-departure statement.  As picked up by all 
major news 
outlets, he spoke critically of the US,s efforts thus far. 
He said, 
"The fighting is horrible and the process has not been 
rightly 
calculated, only women and children are paying the price." 
If the 
Rome conference does not produce tangible results, the 
situation will 
be drastic and the parties will not find a way out. The U.S. 
has 
certain circumstances.  The Arab and Islamic countries have 
also 
certain circumstances and they all want an immediate 
ceasefire.  What 
about Rice,s visit?  I saw many statements.  But in any case 
we are 
witnessing destructive chaos, not constructive chaos." 
 
¶3.  In the headlines.  Pro-government dailies, Al-Akhbar, 
Al-Ahram and 
Gomhouriyya focused first on Mubarak,s meeting with Saudi 
King Abdullah 
and his calls for immediate cease-fire.  Al-Akhbar,s front 
page main 
story quoted his warning of a "humanitarian crisis if the 
confrontation 
continues." Al Ahram and Gomhouriyya bannered Mubarak,s call 
for an 
immediate cease-fire and warning over the gravity of the 
situation. 
Al-Akhbar,s pages 8 and 9 included a story with a large 
photo of 
Secretary Rice,s meeting with Siniora under the headlines, 
 
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"After 
rejecting her proposal which puts all the eggs in one basket, 
Rice 
meets Olmert today in Israel after a negative meeting with 
Berri in 
Beirut." The second story on the front-page of Al-Ahram 
reported that 
"Rice calls for cease-fire immediately after paralyzing 
Hezbollah." 
Today,s banner headline in opposition daily, Al Wafd, which 
has been 
one of the most critical papers of the US, used a quote by 
Al-Wafd 
party chairman, "American Injustice is the Greatest Factory 
for 
Producing Terrorism."  In keeping with its shocking visual 
effects, Al 
Wafd,s front page also included pictures of an injured baby, 
an Israeli 
tank, and a picture below of Secretary Rice embracing 
Lebanese Prime 
Minister Siniora, with a large banner reading, "The Child and 
the Tank. 
Rice Says She is Worried about the Humanitarian Situation in 
Lebanon." 
Gomhouriyya reported that "Israel destroys ten houses in 
Beirut for 
every missile on Haifa." 
 
¶4.  In the commentaries. Today,s commentaries showed a 
continuation of 
the theme, "America,s new Middle East" and use of the 
ongoing war in 
Iraq as a comparison to the US "goals" in Lebanon.  Large 
circulation, 
pro-government daily, Al-Akhbar,s editor-in-chief asked Rice 
in his 
editorial, "Does the US want to replicate the  freedom to 
kill, and the 
 democracy of destruction, that have been prevailing in 
Iraq over the 
past three years?"  Columnists in Al-Wafd accuse "the new 
Ameri-Zionist 
plot of destroying the Islamic identity of Muslims" and liken 
Israel to 
"gangsters who commit crimes on behalf of someone else to get 
aid and 
vetoes in return."  Pro-government, Al-Ahram, columnists 
accuse 
Secretary Rice of "waiting for more bloodshed in order to 
 
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achieve her 
new Middle East," glorify the "resistance in Lebanon and 
Palestine," 
and bash the US for "redesigning the Middle East," and for 
"using Hamas 
and Hezbollah as excuses for bringing about a new Middle East 
which 
suits US interests." 
 
¶5.  Public opinion.  An Egyptian website portal, masrawy.com 
(similar 
to yahoo with Arabic-only content), conducts online opinion 
polls 
regarding pressing issues.  The current poll asks people to 
predict how 
the "Israeli war on Lebanon" will end.  The votes continue to 
roll in, 
but as of today:  1,001 votes (6.4 percent) think the war 
will end with 
Israel,s assassination of Sheikh Nasrallah; 3,092 votes 
(18.9 percent) 
think the war will end with Israel,s submission to 
Hezbollah,s demands; 
1,560 votes (10 percent) think that Hezbollah will submit as 
losses 
increase; and 9,886 votes (63 percent) do not think the war 
will end, 
but will expand to include other countries. 
RICCIARDONE