Cablegate: Campaign Promises and Syria: Egyptian Media

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS CAIRO 008462

SIPDIS

NEA/PD FOR FRANK FINVER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KPAO KMDR OPRC SY EG
SUBJECT: CAMPAIGN PROMISES AND SYRIA: EGYPTIAN MEDIA
THEMES, OCTOBER 31 TO NOVEMBER 6

1. Summary: With Egypt's parliamentary elections
scheduled for November 9, the pro-government media reported
on several government initiatives such as a 20 percent
bonus for government employees and a program to provide
low-cost housing. Al-Ahram's editor-in-chief criticized
the Muslim Brotherhood for making "all kinds of promises
usually unfulfilled," while an independent commentator
lamented the problem of "bribery" in Egyptian elections.
Commentators continued to support Syria in light of U.N.
Resolution 1636, though several voices critical of Syria
emerged. The editor of pro-government Al-Akhbar wrote on
November 5 that Syria should "respond to the resolution
positively and transparently by refraining from the
language of arrogance, challenge, and defiance the same
language used by Saddam Hussein before Iraq's downfall."
End summary.

2. November parliamentary elections: The pro-government
media announced on November 3 that government employees
would receive a 20 percent bonus in January, then announced
two days later that Prime Minister Nazif would chair a
Cabinet meeting November 8 to "discuss distributing half a
million low-cost housing units to youths in installments
over forty years." Allegations of vote buying continued to
appear in the independent press and in opposition daily Al-
Wafd (circulation: 50,000). Al-Akhbar (circulation:
800,000) quoted on November 5 Minister of Justice Mahmoud
Abul Leil as saying that Egyptian civil society groups
would not be allowed to "monitor," but could "follow up on"
elections. The editor-in-chief of pro-government daily Al-
Ahram (circulation: 750,000), Osama Saraya, wrote on
November 3 that Muslim Brotherhood (MB) candidates were
making "all kinds of promises usually unfulfilled in
order to win votes." Saraya then criticized the MB for
"mixing religion with politics and refusing to accept
democratization." On November 3, Al-Akhbar's popular back
page ran a cartoon of a smiling politician making promises
to a cheering crowd: "I promise I'll make all your days
feasts and I'll call for making the small feast fifteen
days and the big feast a month and half." A columnist
opined in independent daily Nahdet Masr (circulation:
25,000) October 31 that "even if everything in the coming
elections is honest and transparent, the opposition will
still not win, because the election's main problem is
bribery."

3. Syria: Media commentary continued to focus on Syria
and largely condemned U.N. resolution 1636. While several
commentators continued to condemn international pressure
e
against Syria as part of an "American" or "pro-Israeli"
plot, more voices critical of Syria began to emerge. One
liberal commentator writing in Al-Ahram on November 5
argued that Syria should "cooperate fully with the
investigating commission." Another liberal commentator
writing the same day in Al-Ahram criticized Syrian foreign
policy as belonging to "the 80s and 90s and does not fit in
with current international developments anymore and should
be reconsidered." The editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar also
wrote on November 5, "Holding an Arab summit or criticizing
U.S. policy is not the way to deal with Resolution 1636.
The right way is to respond to the resolution positively
and transparently by refraining from the language of
arrogance, challenge, and defiance the same language used
by Saddam Hussein before Iraq's downfall."

RICCIARDONE

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