Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05CAIRO6270
2005-08-15 15:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:  

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COVERAGE LURCHES ALONG:

Tags:  PGOV PTER KPAO KMDR OPRC UK AL AG EG 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 006270 

SIPDIS

NEA/PD FOR FRANK FINVER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER KPAO KMDR OPRC UK AL AG EG
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COVERAGE LURCHES ALONG:
EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES, AUGUST 9 TO 14

REF: CAIRO 6133

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 006270

SIPDIS

NEA/PD FOR FRANK FINVER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER KPAO KMDR OPRC UK AL AG EG
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COVERAGE LURCHES ALONG:
EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES, AUGUST 9 TO 14

REF: CAIRO 6133


1. Summary: The media devoted most of its leading
coverage to the presidential nomination process. One
independent newspaper continued to offer readers in-depth
coverage of the candidates, publishing an informal poll on
August 9 in which many of those interviewed claimed not to
know the candidates or their platforms. President Mubarak
received public backing from several religious
organizations, while the leading opposition newspaper
predicted that his government would "rig" the elections.
The Egyptian-born biochemist Magdy Al-Nasher, a suspect in
the July 7 London terrorist bombings, was released and
spoke to the press outside his home on August 9, declaring
his innocence. A planned emergency Arab League summit in
Sharm El Sheikh was postponed, with rumors about why it was
delayed Algerian anger toward Egypt, or perhaps the
Egyptian presidential election? being explored in the
pan-Arab and English-language press. End summary.


2. Presidential elections: The media continued to cover
the issue of which presidential candidates would be allowed
to run and which would be disqualified. Government-run
Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported on August 11 that
the Presidential Elections Committee had decided on the
final list of candidates, while the pro-government media
began to describe the presidential election as a "contest"
or "battle." Several religious organizations publicly
declared their support for President Mubarak on August 11,
among them, Al-Azhar, the Ministry of Awqaf, and the Coptic
Church. The Editor-in-chief of opposition newspaper Al-
-
Wafd (circulation: 50,000) predicted on August 9 that the
Egyptian government would "rig" the elections, then accused
the government in an August 11 commentary of "corruption
and wasting the public's money." Al-Umma Party's
presidential candidate, Ahmed Al-Sabahi, appeared on the
popular Egyptian TV program Al-Bayt Baytak ("Make Yourself
at Home") on August 13 to declare his campaign platform:
the return of the tarbush (a.k.a. "fez," a head covering

for men in style in Egypt during the monarchy) and the
return of the "Darak" soldiers (a.k.a. "gendarme," police
who were once stationed every 20 meters on Cairo's streets)
to prevent terrorism. Independent daily Nahdet Masr
(circulation: 20,000) continued to offer readers in-depth
coverage of the candidates and elections (reftel),
publishing the results of an informal study of Egyptians
from all economic and social backgrounds on August 9. The
majority of those polled claimed to know little about the
candidates' platform, let alone who the candidates were.
One candidate, quoted in the same issue of Nahdet Masr,
appeared to sum up the spirit of several candidates when he
declared, "I am running in these elections to win even if
victory is impossible."


3. London bombing suspect released: The Interior Ministry
announced August 9 that it had released Egyptian biochemist
Magdy Al-Nasher, a suspect in the July 7 London terrorist
bombings. Al-Nasher held a press conference outside his
home the same day, acknowledging he knew two of the
terrorists. Al-Nasher denied any link to the blasts and
stated that his expertise and education "have nothing to do
with explosions." Several independent dailies published
news of his release and his photo on April 10, among them
Nahdet Masr with the above-the-fold headline "Al-Nasher
Innocent in London Bombings." Al-Nasher granted an
exclusive interview to the independent weekly newspaper Al-
Fagr (circulation: 50,000) on August 11 under the headline
"Magdy Al-Nasher: I Learned Myself About Accusations in the
London Bombing from International TV Networks." In the
interview Al-Nasher claimed to have been interrogated three
days straight until he proved his innocence to Egyptian
authorities. Al-Nasher also appeared on Al-Bayt Baytak on
August 13 to say that he planned to return to London and
hoped that "the British people know I'm innocent and it was
all a misunderstanding."


4. Emergency Arab League summit postponed (indefinitely?):
Most Egyptians had to rely on the pan-Arab or English-
language press for analysis about why the government
postponed the emergency Arab League summit to have been
held Sharm El Sheikh. The summit had been called for by
the Egyptian government to discuss terrorism and other
regional issues, but was delayed in the wake of King Fahd's
death. A headline in Saudi-owned Al-Watan on August 11
read: "Egyptian-Algerian Dispute Behind Postponing Summit."
Saudi-owned Al-Hayat on August 11 quoted Amr Moussa and
other government "sources" as claiming that Kind Fahd's
death and the upcoming presidential elections were the
reason. The Al-Hayat article also reported, "Sources also
said that both the Algerian and Egyptian Presidents did not
meet in Riyadh during King Fahd's funeral, which means that
the dispute that occurred between the two countries
regarding the decision to hold an Emergency Arab Summit
still exists. This is why some Arab countries are
suggesting not holding any emergency summit for the time
being, as it will cause unneeded Arab divisions." Pro-
government Al-Ahram Weekly (circulation: 25,000) reported
the summit's postponement under the headline "Not Much of
an Emergency" in its August 11-17 edition, noting that the
summit's timing was "problematic" for most nations, thus
its delay.

JONES