UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 004605

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

NEA/PPD FOR ROBIN SMITH AND DAVID BENZE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OPRC PGOV PTER AG AL EG IZ
SUBJECT: EGYPT MEDIA TRENDS FOR JULY 26, 2006


Sensitive But Unclassified. Not for internet distribution.


1. Summary: As we have witnessed repeatedly since the
outbreak of the
current Israel-Lebanon crisis the Egyptian opposition and
independent
press demonstrated once again today, through words and
photos, strong
bias against Secretary Rice and her efforts thus far to
achieve a
cease-fire. Commentators continued to criticize Secretary
Rice,s
efforts regarding the crisis, although a few voices
published some
criticism of Hezbollah. The sarcastic tone in many
commentaries
reflected the public frustration toward the ongoing crisis
and the Arab
leaders, perceived inability to stop it. End Summary


2. Breaking news: Al-Manar,s exclusive interview with
Hezbollah
Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, during which he stated

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that he is
preparing an "after-Haifa" stage of attack "at the right time
and
place," were aired continuously on all pan-Arab, satellite
and
terrestrial Egyptian news outlets. While Egyptian Television
only
aired parts of the interview without any analysis, Al-Jazeera
and Al-
Hurra analysts claimed that this statement was intended to
offer
psychological support to Hezbollah followers, and to indicate
that
Hezbollah remains stronger than most people know.


3. In the headlines: Opposition daily, Al-Wafd showed a
photo of
Secretary Rice with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni, with the

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headline
from Rice to Livni, "The War Is Up To You, My Dear."
Al-Masry Al-Yom,
a well-respected independent daily, placed a photo of
Secretary Rice

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seated at a table in discussion, next to a photo of a 3-year
old
Lebanese girl, crying and holding a Lebanese flag. The
headline read:
"From Rice: It,s High Time For a Peaceful and Democratic
Middle
East.," Independent daily, Nahdet Misr, showed a photo of a
woman
injured and crying in a man,s arms next to a photo of severe
destruction of residential buildings on the outskirts of
Beirut, with
one headline reading, "Rice Defiant: I say to those who
reject the new
Middle East, we will be victorious." Sensationalist,
independent daily,
Al-Dostour, went after Arab leaders in its headlines, with a
photo of
Nasrallah on one side and Arab leaders on the other, using
profanities
against the Arab leaders. In contrast, the large
pro-government
papers, such as Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar refrained from
attacking the
U.S. and focused on Mubarak,s statements for a ceasefire and
documented
Israeli attacks.


4. In the commentaries: Columnists in Al-Wafd wrote that
Rice,s
sympathy toward the Lebanese people was "a great act," that
embracing
Siniora was "the kiss of death for the Arabs," and that when
the Sheikh
of Al-Azhar criticized Nasrallah, he showed himself to be "an
obedient
government servant." A senior columnist in Al-Masry-Al-Yom
predicted
that, as Saudi Arabia is resolved to be the "major player" in
the
"Israeli-American criminal war against Lebanon," the KSA,s
oil funds
"will be used to divide the Sunni and Shia, and turn the
entire region
into terrorist den" so that the "Zionist state would be the
only
enlightenment in the region." The editor-in-chief of
staunchly pro-
government daily, Rose-al-Youssef, denied that Egyptians, as
Sunni,
only support Lebanese Sunni, and stressed that Egypt,s
sympathy of all
sides of Lebanon "is why it is against Hezbollah and Iranian
intervention." Columnists in pro-government dailies,
Al-Akhbar and Al-
Gomhouriya, went on the attack against Secretary Rice.
According to
one senior columnist in Al-Akhbar, the "western concept that
democratic
countries do not go to war with each other is nave and the
fact that
"Israel, the castle of democracy in the Middle East" is at
war with
Lebanon and Palestine "while Iraq is drowning in violence and
terrorism" shows how "little the Americans understand about
this unique
part of the world."
RICCIARDONE