AND THE WINNER IS...: EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 007104

SIPDIS

NEA/PD FOR FRANK FINVER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER KPAO KMDR OPRC EG
SUBJECT: AND THE WINNER IS...: EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES,
SEPTEMBER 8 TO 12


1. Summary: Since Egypt's September 7 presidential
election the media has focused on Mubarak's victory, widely
announced on September 10. Coverage also featured a debate
among commentators about the election's importance, with
many in the pro-government newspapers focusing on it as the
first step towards "a new, democratic era" in Egypt; while
some, mostly in the opposition and independent press,
pointed to allegations of fraud and violations on election
day. Egyptian TV (ETV) broadcast live President Mubarak's
September 11 speech to the nation, his first remarks since
the election, during which he promised to fulfill his
campaign promises. Even as late as September 12, ETV was
running excerpts from past Mubarak TV interviews and his
2005 campaign ads, while continuing to place in the lower
left hand corner of every screen a graphic of an Egyptian
flag and the words "Presidential Election 2005." On
September 11, popular Egyptian satellite channel Dream TV
aired an exclusive prime time interview with Ambassador
Ricciardone commemorating the 9-11 attacks. Additionally,
several ETV talk shows featured a discussion about the 9-11
attacks on the U.S. four years ago, with one commentator
suggesting those "most harmed" as a result of the attacks
were the Palestinians. End summary.


2. And the winner is...: The September 7 presidential
election continued to dominate media coverage. The
headline in leading pro-government daily Al-Ahram
(circulation: 750,000) on September declared President
Mubarak the winner of the elections: "Mubarak Egypt's
First Elected President." President Mubarak spoke live on
Egyptian TV September 11 -- his first public statement
since the election -- promising to fulfill his campaign
promises and "stand by Egyptians" to help them "fulfill
their dreams." Mubarak also encouraged Egyptians (himself
included) to "expose ourselves to the outside world with an
innovative mind." ETV's Nile News continued to broadcast
excerpts from past Mubarak TV interviews, images of him
standing before public works projects, and his 2005
campaign ad days after the election. All ETV channels also
continued to place in the lower left hand corner of the
screen a graphic of a waving Egyptian flag with the words
"Presidential Election 2005." News stories in pro-
government dailies and newscasts emphasized largely
positive remarks from GOE, USG, and international officials
about the election. The independent print media, such as
dailies Nahdet Masr and Al-Masry Al-Youm (circulations:
20,000),highlighted comments both questioning the
election's legitimacy and praising it. "Monitoring
Organizations: Major Violations Occurred in Election,"
read the heading of a front-page September 9 article in Al-
Masry Al-Youm.


3. Election commentary: On September 8, several guests
appeared on ETV Channel One's program "Halat Al-Hiwar"
("The State of Discussion") to express encouraging words
about the election. "We no longer have the old 'pharaoh
ruler' anymore," remarked the Secretary General of the Al-
Wafd party. A guest from the NDP stressed that the
election was conducted "fairly, according to regulations,"
while a third guest expressed satisfaction at seeing Egypt
as "the center of the world's attention on September 7...
not for a terrorist attack, but to witness democracy."
Also on September 8 on Dream TV's program "10 p.m.," the
head of an Egyptian NGO emphasized the positive role all
Egyptian NGOs - specifically, "those connected to
international groups" - played in helping bring about and
then monitor the election. Al-Ahram's unsigned editorial
on September 9 stated, "The turnout at the polling stations
confirmed to the world the credibility of Egypt's
democratic experience." The same day, the editor-in-chief
of pro-government daily Al-Akhbar (circulation: 800,000)
opined, "This election has imposed a new reality on Egypt
and change is evident." Commentary in opposition daily Al-
Wafd (circulation: 50,000) on September 8 to 12 varied
between praise for the government for having opened the
political process and open letters to President Mubarak to
keep his campaign promises, to pessimism that further
democratic changes would come. A commentator in ardently
pro-government Al-Gomhouriya bashed the opposition movement
Kifaya ("Enough") on September 8, asserting, "Kifaya did
not contribute to democratic change in Egypt."


4. September 11 attacks: On September 11, Dream TV aired
an exclusive 30-minute interview, dubbed in Arabic, with
the Ambassador to commemorate and discuss the 9-11 attacks.
The Ambassador also granted a brief interview about 9-11
with Egyptian satellite channel Orbit TV the same day (full
report septel). ETV Al-Mihwar's program "Bibasata"
("Simply") hosted on September 11 an Egyptian "strategic
expert" who claimed that the Palestinians were "those most
harmed" by the 9-11 attacks. The guest went on to allege
that there were "spies inside the White House related to
the Israeli Jewish telecommunication companies" who helped
facilitate the attacks. Dream TV's "10 p.m." hosted
several guests who discussed the meaning of the 9-11
attacks, with a French guest stating that the U.S. had put
itself in "a weak position" with Europe by its subsequent
war in Iraq. Another guest claimed that the U.S. "used 9-
11 to carry out its long-planned policy of controlling Arab
oil." On September 11, Egyptians could also see pan-Arab
satellite channel Al-Arabiya's in-depth analysis on the 9-
11 attacks during its afternoon coverage, as well as pan-
Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera's broadcast of Michael
Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9-11" during prime time.

RICCIARDONE