US embassy cable - 05CAIRO7104

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 007104 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/PD FOR FRANK FINVER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, KPAO, KMDR, OPRC, EG 
SUBJECT:  AND THE WINNER IS...: EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES, 
SEPTEMBER 8 TO 12 
 
1.  Summary:  Since Egypt's September 7 presidential 
election the media has focused on Mubarak's victory, widely 
announced on September 10.  Coverage also featured a debate 
among commentators about the election's importance, with 
many in the pro-government newspapers focusing on it as the 
first step towards "a new, democratic era" in Egypt; while 
some, mostly in the opposition and independent press, 
pointed to allegations of fraud and violations on election 
day.  Egyptian TV (ETV) broadcast live President Mubarak's 
September 11 speech to the nation, his first remarks since 
the election, during which he promised to fulfill his 
campaign promises.  Even as late as September 12, ETV was 
running excerpts from past Mubarak TV interviews and his 
2005 campaign ads, while continuing to place in the lower 
left hand corner of every screen a graphic of an Egyptian 
flag and the words "Presidential Election 2005."  On 
September 11, popular Egyptian satellite channel Dream TV 
aired an exclusive prime time interview with Ambassador 
Ricciardone commemorating the 9-11 attacks.  Additionally, 
several ETV talk shows featured a discussion about the 9-11 
attacks on the U.S. four years ago, with one commentator 
suggesting those "most harmed" as a result of the attacks 
were the Palestinians.  End summary. 
 
2.  And the winner is...:  The September 7 presidential 
election continued to dominate media coverage.  The 
headline in leading pro-government daily Al-Ahram 
(circulation: 750,000) on September declared President 
Mubarak the winner of the elections:  "Mubarak Egypt's 
First Elected President."  President Mubarak spoke live on 
Egyptian TV September 11 -- his first public statement 
since the election -- promising to fulfill his campaign 
promises and "stand by Egyptians" to help them "fulfill 
their dreams."  Mubarak also encouraged Egyptians (himself 
included) to "expose ourselves to the outside world with an 
innovative mind."  ETV's Nile News continued to broadcast 
excerpts from past Mubarak TV interviews, images of him 
standing before public works projects, and his 2005 
campaign ad days after the election.  All ETV channels also 
continued to place in the lower left hand corner of the 
screen a graphic of a waving Egyptian flag with the words 
"Presidential Election 2005."  News stories in pro- 
government dailies and newscasts emphasized largely 
positive remarks from GOE, USG, and international officials 
about the election.  The independent print media, such as 
dailies Nahdet Masr and Al-Masry Al-Youm (circulations: 
20,000), highlighted comments both questioning the 
election's legitimacy and praising it.  "Monitoring 
Organizations:  Major Violations Occurred in Election," 
read the heading of a front-page September 9 article in Al- 
Masry Al-Youm. 
 
3.  Election commentary:  On September 8, several guests 
appeared on ETV Channel One's program "Halat Al-Hiwar" 
("The State of Discussion") to express encouraging words 
about the election.  "We no longer have the old 'pharaoh 
ruler' anymore," remarked the Secretary General of the Al- 
Wafd party.  A guest from the NDP stressed that the 
election was conducted "fairly, according to regulations," 
while a third guest expressed satisfaction at seeing Egypt 
as "the center of the world's attention on September 7... 
not for a terrorist attack, but to witness democracy." 
Also on September 8 on Dream TV's program "10 p.m.," the 
head of an Egyptian NGO emphasized the positive role all 
Egyptian NGOs - specifically, "those connected to 
international groups" - played in helping bring about and 
then monitor the election.  Al-Ahram's unsigned editorial 
on September 9 stated, "The turnout at the polling stations 
confirmed to the world the credibility of Egypt's 
democratic experience."  The same day, the editor-in-chief 
of pro-government daily Al-Akhbar (circulation: 800,000) 
opined, "This election has imposed a new reality on Egypt 
and change is evident."  Commentary in opposition daily Al- 
Wafd (circulation: 50,000) on September 8 to 12 varied 
between praise for the government for having opened the 
political process and open letters to President Mubarak to 
keep his campaign promises, to pessimism that further 
democratic changes would come.  A commentator in ardently 
pro-government Al-Gomhouriya bashed the opposition movement 
Kifaya ("Enough") on September 8, asserting, "Kifaya did 
not contribute to democratic change in Egypt." 
 
4.  September 11 attacks:  On September 11, Dream TV aired 
an exclusive 30-minute interview, dubbed in Arabic, with 
the Ambassador to commemorate and discuss the 9-11 attacks. 
The Ambassador also granted a brief interview about 9-11 
with Egyptian satellite channel Orbit TV the same day (full 
report septel).  ETV Al-Mihwar's program "Bibasata" 
("Simply") hosted on September 11 an Egyptian "strategic 
expert" who claimed that the Palestinians were "those most 
harmed" by the 9-11 attacks.  The guest went on to allege 
that there were "spies inside the White House related to 
the Israeli Jewish telecommunication companies" who helped 
facilitate the attacks.  Dream TV's "10 p.m." hosted 
several guests who discussed the meaning of the 9-11 
attacks, with a French guest stating that the U.S. had put 
itself in "a weak position" with Europe by its subsequent 
war in Iraq.  Another guest claimed that the U.S. "used 9- 
11 to carry out its long-planned policy of controlling Arab 
oil."  On September 11, Egyptians could also see pan-Arab 
satellite channel Al-Arabiya's in-depth analysis on the 9- 
11 attacks during its afternoon coverage, as well as pan- 
Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera's broadcast of Michael 
Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9-11" during prime time. 
 
RICCIARDONE