C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001035

SIPDIS

LONDON PASS TO DAN SREEBNY, DUBAI PASS MICHAEL PELLETIER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2018
TAGS: PGOV KPAI EG
SUBJECT: MOI DISCUSSES EGYPTIAN MEDIA REGULATION

REF: CAIRO 397

Classified by Ambassador Margaret Scobey for reason 1.4 (b)


1. (C) SUMMARY. During Ambassador Scobey,s May 13
introductory call on Information Minister Anas Al Fekki, the
much-criticized Minister indicated he plans to vigorously
enforce the Arab League,s Broadcast TV "code of ethics,"
that he and his Saudi counterpart spearheaded several months
ago at an Arab League Meeting, and possibly extend it to the
print media (reftel). While stating that political
sensitivities and potential street reaction inhibit their
ability to shut down Hezbollah's Al Manar Satellite TV, which
broadcasts via Arabsat and Nilesat, he said that he would
raise the inflammatory pro-resistance channel Al-Rafidein
with Director of Egyptian Intelligence Omar Suleiman. The
Ambassador informed him of Al Hurra,s plan to broadcast a
daily three-hour program out of Cairo, to which Al Fekki
raised no objection. END SUMMARY.

AL MANAR AND BROADCAST ETHICS
--------------

2. (C) Referring to the Ambassador's own bad experiences
with the print media, Al Fekki said that he intended to
enforce the Arab League's code of ethics on the Broadcast
media to ensure "responsible" reporting. The Ambassador
asked Al Fekki whether Al Manar, the vehicle for Hezbollah
which had turned its guns on the Lebanese government and
people and had burned down Future TV, had not broken the Arab
League's TV Broadcasting Code and its prohibition on
threatening the peace among Arab countries. Claiming that he
had no use for either Hezballah or Shi'ites, Al Fekki said
that much as he would like to shut down the station, the
matter was "too politically sensitive". Hezbollah and its
leader Hassan Nasrallah enjoyed too much popularity among the
Egyptian people, the Minister stated.


3. (C) Repeating the argument familiar from previous
demarches against Al Manar, he said: "We must find a
specific reason to shut it down." So far, he said, Al Manar
had cleverly avoided messages that directly threatened the
security of either Egypt or Saudi Arabia, the hosts of
Arabsat and Nilesat. When the Ambassador responded that
Hezbollah turning its guns on the Lebanese people seemed
sufficient cause, the Minister suggested that she raise the
matter with Arab League General Secretary Amre Moussa.

AL RAFIDEIN AND AL QAEDA
--------------

4. (C) The Minister was more accommodating on Al Rafidein.
The Ambassador pointed out that the channel, which is
financed by Sheikh Hareth Al Dari of the Council of Ulema,
openly encourages the killing of American and Iraqi soldiers.
He promised to consult the Ministry,s monitors as well as
EGIS Director Omar Suleiman. Al Fekki took credit for
taking Al Zawra, a similar channel that promotes killing US
troops, off Nilesat last year.

TIME TO GO AFTER PRINT JOURNALISTS
--------------

5. (C) The Minister indicated that he is working on a new
set of guidelines to enforce "responsible journalism" on
broadcast TV, and possibly the "irresponsible" print press.
He said there were five Islamist channels that the Ministry
had its eye on closing. "I am against sending them to prison
or the courts," he said, but he indicated that the
independent and opposition newspapers too had gone too far
and needed additional controls. The Ambassador took issue
with these curbs, arguing that the best restraint on
journalists who print falsehoods and distortions are
responsible journalists who expose them.

NEW AL HURRA SHOW
--------------

6. (U) The Ambassador also raised Al Hurra's intention to
launch a new daily current events and cultural program that
would broadcast three hours a day from Egypt. Al Fekki was
non-committal, but agreed to look at al Hurra's proposal to
the State Information Service, charged with accrediting
foreign journalists in Egypt.
SCOBEY