EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES, April 10-17.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 002332 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KPAO KMDR OPRC EG SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES, April 10-17. ¶1. Summary: Several stories received extensive coverage and commentary in the Egyptian media this week. President Mubaraks provocative comments in his Al-Arabiya TV interview of April 8 provided a source of debate for pundits to assess the situation in Iraq. Similarly, commentators used the recent New Yorker article regarding U.S. consideration of a military strike on Iran as a springboard for critiquing U.S. policy on Irans nuclear ambitions. Finally, there was extensive commentary following the Coptic church attacks and sectarian clashes in Alexandria over the weekend. End summary. ¶2. Mubarak Speaks: The Egyptian Presidents remarks to Al-Arabiya about near-civil war in Iraq and Irans control rol over Iraqi Shiites, and the subsequent Iraqi decision to boycott an Arab ministerial meeting in protest, reverberated in the media for several days following the interview. Opinions ranged from critical in the independent press to defensive in the pro-government press. A columnist for the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Yom (circulation: 80,000) wished that the Presidential councilors had advised Mubarak to speak in more diplomatic terms, since his image reflects on the country (April 12). The pro-government daily Al-Akhbar (circulation: 350,000), however, defended Mubaraks comments, publishing letters from readers supportive of the remarks and writing that the President had expressed the same concern that we feel and dread with the continuity of the horrible civil war in Iraq (April 11). ¶3. Some independent commentators were also critical of the local content of Mubaraks interview. A commentator in Al- Masry Al-Yom remarked that the Presidents comment that he t e is very comfortable with the state of the Egyptian street suggests that there must be something wrong, since the nicest way to describe the current street is as extremely worrying (April 12). An editorialist in the opposition Al-Wafd paper (circulation: 50,000) criticized the President for saying that there is no need to have a Vice-President and wrote that Mubaraks comments on the state of the country left us more worried about the future (April 13). ¶4. Iran: The recent New Yorker article claiming that the U.S. is considering a military strike on Irans nuclear infrastructure received wide play in the Egyptian media. Most pro-government and independent papers argued that there was not in fact a great deal of enthusiasm in the U.S. military establishment for a military option, and all commentators reflected the oft-repeated Egyptian stance calling for universal regional nuclear disarmament. A commentator in the pro-government Al-Akhbar wrote that wrote that there may be plans to launch an American-British attack on Iran, noting sarcastically that if they should in the end be proven wrong about Irans nuclear program, they could just say that they had made a mistake, as with Iraq (April 11). The editor-in-chief of Nahdet Misr (independent daily, circulation: 13,500) wrote that nuclear chaos will be the outcome of the U.S. policy of double standards on nuclear issues and called for the UN to stop both Israel and Iran from developing a nuclear weapon (April 13). An unsigned editorial in pro-government Al-Ahram (circulation: 350,000) warned that allowing Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon could lead to a regional nuclear arms race (April 16). A columnist in pro- government Al-Ahram even worried that an Israeli-Iranian nuclear axis could one day develop and be used to threaten the Arab Gulf states (April 17). ¶5. Sectarian Clashes: There was universal condemnation in all media of the attack on three Coptic churches in hes in Alexandria on April 14 and the ensuing clashes between Muslims and Copts, with all commentators calling for national unity and more efforts to confront extremism. Both pro-government and independent media were critical of the official response, particularly the Ministry of Interiors description of the church attacker as a deranged lunatic. A commentator in pro-government Al- Ahram wrote that the Ministrys statement was an insult to peoples intelligence (April 17). Pro-government Rose El- Youssef (circulation: 15,000) wrote that the Ministry should find a more appropriate word to describe the attacker and should not make descriptive announcements until the investigation has concluded (April 16). A columnist for independent Al-Masry Al-Yom also criticized the Governor of Alexandria who said that a 78-year old Coptic man had died of old age, rather than from the grievous knife wounds he had sustained during the church attack (April 17). Ricciardone