VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #3247/01 3180920
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140920Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7436
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC

UNCLAS CAIRO 003247 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA AND EB/CIP/BA 
COMMERCE FOR OBERG, USPTO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECPS ECON ETRD PHUM PGOV EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT: AMBASSADOR GROSS DISCUSSES ICT 
DEVELOPMENTS, INFORMATION FREEDOM 
 
Sensitive but unclassified, please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: In his November 3 ) 6 visit to Cairo, 
Ambassador David Gross, U.S. Coordinator for International 
Communications and Information Policy, congratulated Egyptian 
information and communications technology (ICT) officials and 
 
business leaders on the progress in the Egyptian ICT market 
and gave a keynote address on Internet governance at a 
conference of international ICT industry representatives and 
policy-makers.  Ambassador Gross encouraged Egyptian ICT 
leaders publicly and privately to ensure the free flow of 
information via the Internet to Egyptian citizens per the 
Secretary of State's Global Internet Freedom Taskforce 
 
SIPDIS 
(GIFT), and explained USG support for protecting Intellectual 
Property Rights (IPR).  The Egyptian National Council for 
Human Rights requested a GIFT policy paper to support an 
upcoming Arab-African human rights conference.  End summary. 
 
WITSA Global Public Policy Conference 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Ambassador David Gross, U.S. Coordinator for 
International Communications and Information Policy, visited 
Cairo November 3 - 6 to give a keynote address on Internet 
governance in the Global Public Policy Conference (GPPC) of 
the World Information Technology and Services Alliance 
(WITSA).  Ambassador Gross emphasized the U.S. commitment to 
maintaining the stability of the Internet in his November 5 
keynote, and in side conversations discussed preparations for 
the UN Internet Governance Forum, planned for November 11 ) 
14 in Brazil. 
 
Egyptian ICT with Government and Business Leaders 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Gross congratulated Egyptian Minister of 
Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) Tarek Kamel 
in a November 3 dinner on recently awarding a submarine 
landing cable license to Orascom, thus further liberalizing 
Egypt's ICT international connectivity market.  Minister 
Kamel noted Egypt's aim of becoming a center for business 
process and knowledge process outsourcing and gave an update 
on Egypt's commitments to ICT development in Sub-Saharan 
Africa.  Discussing the upcoming OECD Ministerial, Kamel 
expressed his concern for Internet crime as well as the 
technical aspects of cyber security, noting that many aspects 
are beginning to be addressed by the International 
Telecommunications Union (ITU).  Ambassador Gross mentioned 
the tentative possibility of a 2008 conference to help 
develop a new Palestinian state's ICT market, to help make 
that prospective country economically viable. 
 
¶4. (U) Speaking to about 25 American Chamber of Commerce ICT 
Committee members on November 6, Ambassador Gross discussed 
how the Internet has eased communication and information 
flow, noted USG commitment to the stability and viability of 
the Internet, and emphasized that the free flow of 
information is essential for political and economic 
development.  Ambassador Gross explained that "more 
information trumps bad information" in general, but that 
local considerations must be respected, as long as countries 
make decisions on restricting information through a 
democratic process.  Questioned on the social impact of ICT 
and restricting the free flow of information, Ambassador 
Gross said that ICT diminishes the rich/poor gap - the fact 
that half of the world has a cell phone is evidence of this. 
Ambassador Gross made similar points in a November 6 meeting 
with Shafik Gabr, CEO of Artoc and Chairman of the Arab 
Business Council. 
 
Public Outreach 
--------------- 
 
¶5. (U) On November 4, Ambassador Gross spoke to approximately 
100 computer science faculty and students at Ain Shams 
University, also on GIFT and ensuring a stable and open 
Internet.  Questions revolved around how to ensure IPR and 
U.S. policy toward outsourcing and the development of new, 
advanced technologies in Egypt.  Ambassador Gross said that 
IPR protection requires not only a legal framework but also 
enforcement and education.  Additionally, businesses need to 
devise new ways to address consumer needs given the 
simplicity of IPR violations for technologies.  He affirmed 
that, although outsourcing is often a controversial issue in 
U.S. domestic politics, the administration sees outsourcing 
as a win-win scenario for both the U.S. and foreign partners, 
and that the U.S. welcomes new technologies no matter where 
they are developed.  Ambassador Gross also met with the 
 
president of Ain Shams and dean of the Information and 
Computing faculty. 
 
¶6. (U) Also on November 4, Ambassador Gross conducted a press 
round-table with Egyptian ICT reporters.  Local papers 
reported that Ambassador Gross praised Egypt's capacity to 
attract international ICT companies and the development of 
Egypt's private sector.  Additionally, they reported that 
Ambassador Gross praised Egypt's role in formulating Internet 
policy on the world stage, while at the same time appealing 
to Egyptian officials to more stringently enforce IPR 
protection to further attract international ICT investment. 
 
Human Rights Council and Information Freedom 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) In a November 6 meeting with Ambassador Mokhles Qotb 
of the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), 
Ambassador Gross emphasized GIFT principles, inquired as to 
the NCHR's activities in this field, and asked how the USG 
can support Egypt.  Qotb mentioned several areas for 
potential support: consulting on new legislation regarding 
free speech on the Internet; training for the Ministry of 
Interior on appropriately policing the Internet to include 
appropriate policies and technology; and providing examples 
of other developing countries that are attempting to address 
this issue.  The NCHR is working with youth centers across 
Egypt to instill human rights values and wants to work with 
the UNDP or USAID to install computers and give youth access 
to information on the Internet, Qotb said, but noted that 
U.S. assistance can be problematic due to public opinion that 
sees it as interference in internal Egyptian affairs.  Qotb 
requested that the USG prepare a concept paper to use during 
a December 3 - 5 African/Arab conference on human rights to 
bolster momentum on protecting the free flow of information, 
which Ambassador Gross said his office would provide.  Qotb 
also suggested that the USG send an "expert" to Egypt in the 
spring to meet with the GOE and NGO's on these topics. 
Ambassador Gross agreed, and offered that the U.S. 
Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) might be best 
suited to help. 
 
¶8. (U) Ambassador Gross has cleared this cable. 
RICCIARDONE