US embassy cable - 05CAIRO3239

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 003239 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, KPAO, IS, RS, EG, Media Themes 
SUBJECT:  TERRORISM STRIKES CAIRO AGAIN; MUBARAK'S 
'HISTORIC' TV INTERVIEW:  EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES, APRIL 25 
TO MAY 3 
 
 
1.  (U) Summary:  TV and print media devoted extensive 
coverage to the April 30 terrorist attacks in Cairo, 
quoting GOE officials' statements and noting that several 
eyewitnesses had given conflicting versions of how the 
attacks unfolded.  Statements of condemnation from leading 
Egyptian figures were printed and aired, while several 
publications offered readers a "what really happened" 
version of the attacks.  President Mubarak's much- 
publicized six-hour interview on Egyptian TV April 24-26 
yielded no surprise announcements.  Russian president 
Vladimir Putin's visit to Egypt was widely covered and 
praised by commentators, with one opining that Putin had 
"energized the region."  A leading Egyptian actress won the 
Best Actress award at the 11th National Film Festival in 
Cairo for her role in the controversial film "I Love 
Cinema."  End summary. 
 
2.  (U) Terrorism strikes Cairo:  Two terrorist attacks 
against tourists in Cairo on April 30 dominated media 
coverage during Egypt's long holiday weekend.  All media 
outlets reported that Ehab Yousry Yassin, a suspect in the 
April 7 Al Azhar bombing attack, had jumped from a bridge 
and detonated a bomb near a group of tourists gathered 
outside the Egyptian Museum.  Pan Arab Al Arabiya satellite 
channel was the first TV news outlet to offer coverage, 
followed by Egypt's Nile News.  (Note:  Nile News was the 
only Egyptian TV channel that covered the attack.  The 
others continued normal programming.  End note.)  At one 
point during its live coverage, Nile News conducted a phone 
interview with Deputy Chief for State Security, General 
Fouad Allam, who stated that two victims were Israelis, 
"probably attacked as the result of frustration over 
Israeli practices." 
 
3.  (U) Terrorism strikes Cairo (continued) - coverage the 
day after:  Photos in all major newspapers the following 
day, May 1, showed Yassin's bloodied body on the street 
with his head and left arm destroyed.  The media also 
reported that, after Yassin had conducted his attack, his 
fiancee and sister opened fire on a bus of Israeli tourists 
near Cairo's Citadel.  No one was injured during the 
firing, but the two attackers reportedly died at their own 
hands.  All newspapers highlighted various disparities 
among eyewitnesses' accounts of the attacks, and printed 
condemnations of the attackers by leading Egyptian figures, 
including the Sheikh of Al-Azhar and the Grand Mufti.  The 
Muslim Brotherhood also issued a statement of condemnation, 
claiming that such acts of terrorism in Egypt "serve the 
American-Zionist plot." 
 
4.  (U) Terrorism strikes Cairo (continued)  the real 
scoop?:  In an exclusive interview with pro-government Al 
Gomhouriya (circulation: 200,000), Interior Minister Habib 
Al Adly claimed that the April 30 attacks were "random 
operations" perpetrated by individuals who were "not part 
of a terrorist group or organization."  Pro-government Al 
Ahram (circulation: 750,000) published an article on May 2 
based on information from a "high level security source" 
claiming that Yassin's younger brother, reportedly still at 
large, was believed to be in possession of an explosive 
device.  London-based Al Sharq Al Awsat's Cairo bureau 
filed a report claiming that "well-informed sources" had 
stated that Yassin, in fact, dropped his bomb on the group 
of tourists at the Egyptian Museum and escaped.  The 
article's source claimed that the dead body on the scene 
was that of a tour guide. 
 
5.  (U) Mubarak's interview:  President Mubarak's 
"historic" three-day TV interview with leading media figure 
(and former presidential spokesman) Emadadeen Adeeb, April 
24-26, failed to yield any of the surprise announcements 
anticipated by the public.  Most notable among statements 
the Egyptian President did make was that he claimed to be 
undecided as to whether or not he would run for a fifth 
term later this year.  Most pro-government and independent 
media commentators had positive things to say about the 
interview, although some criticism did appear in print, 
including some by Mustafa Bakry, editor-in-chief of the 
sensationalist weekly Al Osboa' (circulation: 50,000), who 
called the interview "a disappointment."  A commentator in 
Al Ahram praised Mubarak's decision to wait, "unlike some 
opposition candidates," before announcing his candidacy. 
Unofficially, one pro-government journalist with whom a PA 
officer spoke complained:  "The interview was boring, even 
embarrassing.  After all these years, my colleagues and I 
all expected something big.  What we got was six more hours 
of talk." 
 
6.  (U) Putin comes to town:  Russian flags adorned the 
capital and downtown traffic was frequently brought to a 
stand-still during Russian president Vladimir Putin's visit 
to Cairo, April 26 - 28.  Commentary in both print and on 
TV spoke positively of the visit, with some praising 
Putin's "candor" and "ability to see the Arabs' predicament 
clearly."  A commentator in Al Ahram argued on April 30 
that Putin's visit "... because of his call for an 
international peace conference, energized the region." 
 
7.  (U) Best 'Christian wife' 2005:  Egyptian actress Leila 
Elwi won the Best Actress award at Egypt's 11th National 
Film Festival, which ended on April 27, for her role in the 
controversial film "I Love the Cinema".  Elwi played the 
role of a Christian wife repeatedly abused by her husband. 
Egyptian news websites "albawaba.com" and "yallabina.com" 
noted that several lawsuits have been filed against the 
film.  The latest is by a prominent Coptic lawyer demanding 
that the film be banned as "it touches on Christian issues 
not approved by the church."  The lawsuit also demands an 
official apology be made by the filmmakers to the Coptic 
Church. 
 
GRAY