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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #3299 3241551
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201551Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7492
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS CAIRO 003299 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
NSC STAFF FOR WATERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PGOV PHUM EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT'S PRESS SYNDICATE ELECTIONS 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 2825 
 
     ¶B. CAIRO 2896 
     ¶C. CAIRO 2982 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Against a backdrop of recent government 
actions seen as restricting press freedom (reftels), Egyptian 
journalists from across the political spectrum competed  for 
leadership positions in Egypt's November 17 Press Syndicate 
elections.  Judges supervising the election certified Makram 
Mohamed Ahmed, editor-in-chief of the state-owned al-Musawer 
magazine, as the winner of the race for chairman. Twelve 
journalists, the majority associated with state-owned 
publications, won seats on the syndicate's board of 
directors. The results signal a shift away from a syndicate 
leadership controlled by independent journalists who view the 
syndicate as a vehicle for political grand-standing, to 
journalists associated with the government and more focused 
on professional issues. End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Although the campaign focused on a number of 
issues, including the plight of journalists currently facing 
prison sentences (Ref. A), issues of pay and the syndicate's 
role ultimately held sway.  Chairman-elect Ahmed, widely 
viewed as the government-backed candidate, announced shortly 
before the election that he had succeeded in securing from 
the Prime Minister a pay raise for state journalists. During 
the campaign, Ahmed pledged to "depoliticize" the syndicate, 
which in recent years had come under the influence of 
Islamists and Nasserists and has taken political (often 
anti-American) stances on issues.  (Note: The influence of 
the Islamists and Nasserists was evident last spring, after 
the Embassy's Press Attache was invited to speak to the 
syndicate. The invitation quickly became a political issue 
within the syndicate, with some members citing it as an 
example of "foreign interference" and warning of violence if 
the Press Attache tried to speak at the syndicate. 
Ultimately, the Press Attache canceled his appearance. End 
note.) 
 
¶3.  (U) Out of the 5100 votes cast, Ahmed reportedly received 
approximately 1000 more votes than his closest rival, Ragaai 
El-Merghani, managing editor of the state-owned Middle East 
News Agency. El-Merghani campaigned on a platform of 
"protecting the syndicate from foreign influence." He also 
pledged to maintain the syndicate's role as a venue for 
political discourse. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Seven of the twelve new board members write for 
state-owned publications. The five independent journalist 
include three affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and two 
Nasserists.  Together with Chairman-elect Ahmed, the seven 
state-affiliated members are expected to focus on 
professional issues, including pay, pensions, and eligibility 
for membership. Their anticipated agenda will contrast with 
that of the previous board, which was controlled by 
independent journalists, four affiliated with the Muslim 
Brotherhood, three viewed as Nasserists, and one described as 
a "leftist." Under the previous board, and former syndicate 
chairman Galal Aref, a Nasserist, the syndicate became a 
venue for political discussion and anti-government 
demonstrations. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment:  Egyptian journalists are not well paid (on 
average, they reportedly earn LE 500 per month, or 
approximately $92) and often write for more than one 
publication. Assuming the elections were fair, and we have no 
reason to believe otherwise, the promise of a pay increase, 
and perhaps future improvements in working conditions, 
appears to have resonated more strongly with journalists than 
the prospect of the syndicate's continued aggressive 
political involvement. Moreover, some syndicate members 
believe the focus on politics in recent years came at the 
expense of the syndicate's traditional role of advancing the 
interests of the profession.  The shift in leadership 
represents an opportunity to strengthen USG engagement with 
the syndicate, as the new leadership is familiar with, and 
hopefully will be more receptive to, USG outreach and 
programming. 
 
RICCIARDONE