MIN INFORMATION DENIES CANCELLING AL HURRA TAPING

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001939 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR R, NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL BBG KPAO EG SUBJECT: MIN INFORMATION DENIES CANCELLING AL HURRA TAPING REF: A) CAIRO 1560 B) CAIRO 1793 Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARGARET SCOBEY FOR REASON 1.4 (b) and (d) 1.(C) Summary: In an August 31 meeting, in response to reports alleging GOE authorities cancelled the taping of two episodes of Al Hurra's program "Eye on Democracy" on August 27, Minister of Information El Fikki denied any GOE intervention. Post recommeds that Al Hurra reschedule the taping of the two "Eye on Democracy" episodes in a downtown location. End summary. ¶2. (U) The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), a credible and well-regarded local organization, published a report on August 28 alleging that GOE "ordered the cancellation of the videotaping of two programs for the American satellite channel Al Hurra just a few hours before their shooting without justification." The report was picked up by local media on Friday, but with no further clarification or detail. 3.(C) Ambassador Scobey met with Minister of Information Anas El Fikki on August 31 to discuss this issue. El Fikki told her that the Ministry of Information did not order the cancellation of the Al Hurra taping, and that he was unaware of the cancellation until he read about it in the newspaper. El Fikki also followed up by telephone with the Ambassador after the meeting, saying he had checked with the Ministry of Interior and that no GOE entity had intervened to stop taping of the program. 4.(C) During the meeting, El Fikki reiterated his position that any live broadcast of a program by Al Hurra could be broadcast only from Egypt's Media City, including the new proposed three-hour daily program (ref B). However, he clarified that taped, as opposed to live, TV programs such as "Eye on Democracy" are not limited to Media City, saying that programs may be taped by Al Hurra (or any media outlet) at any studio. 5.(C) As for program content, El Fikki stated that Al Hurra "does not represent a threat to him." Instead, he maintained that the debates coming from terrestrial and satellite channels are a healthy sign of democracy and freedom of speech. When asked explicitly about his position on Al Hurra's content, El Fikki responded that he had "no problem with it." 6.(C) El Fikki asserted that Egyptian media needs to be regulated, and the proposed media law is a necessary step (ref A). He described the proposed law as a technical mechanism to put in place a new regulatory body, a "Board of Trustees," that would include representatives from NGOs and the Ministry of the Interior, and stated that the new media law is not seeking to curb expression. He pointed out that this was a form of deregulation, and that it was merely a means to "organize" the media industry. 7.(C) After discussions with Al Hurra local staff and the production studio owner, it seems likely there was a misunderstanding about the source of the decision to cancel the taping. The GOE apparently does not intend to intervene in the taping of Al Hurra programs. Post recommends that Al Hurra reschedule the taping of the two "Eye on Democracy" episodes and move forward with taping at a downtown studio location. We have contacted the local Al Hurra representative to encourage this. SCOBEY