Cablegate: Goe On Wsis and Internet Freedom

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

UNCLAS CAIRO 008402

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

EB/CIP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECPS ETRD ECON EINT ETTC EG
SUBJECT: GOE ON WSIS AND INTERNET FREEDOM

REF: SECSTATE 196384

Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly.

1. (SBU) During a meeting with GOE Minister of Communication
and Information Technology Dr. Tarek Kamel October 31, the
Ambassador asked Kamel for the GOE's position on the recent
European Commission proposal on Internet management (reftel)
in the lead up to the Tunis World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS). The Ambassador emphasized that the proposal
to put Internet management under multilateral governmental
control would "strangle" the Internet, stifling the free flow
of ideas and introducing burdensome bureaucracy. The United
States would not allow this to happen.

2. (SBU) Dr. Kamel expressed support for the protection of
the free flow of ideas over the Internet. The issue of
Internet supervision had become too politicized, he said, and
suggested that the creation of an international forum or
Internet advisory board, consisting of technical experts,
Nobel prize winners, etc., might maintain this protection.
The U.S. could be more "flexible," he continued, without
endangering the grassroots, bottom-up, free spirit of the
Internet. Kamel said he doubted the issue would be resolved
in the WSIS in Tunis. (Note: According to one of his aides,
Dr. Kamel will personally lead a "large" Egyptian delegation
to the WSIS. End note.)

RICCIARDONE

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