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