VZCZCXRO0793
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #1912/01 2781403
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051403Z OCT 09 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3781
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 001912
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - PARAGRAPH NUMBERING CORRECTED
SIPDIS
NEA/ELA, NSC FOR
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNESCO SCUL EG
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY - UNESCO VOTE INCITES PRESS, GOE READY TO MOVE ON REF: A. PARIS 1301 B. CAIRO 1804 CAIRO
00001912 001.3 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Margaret Scobey for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1.(C) Key Issues: -- Intense criticism of the U.S., Israel, the "Jewish Lobby", and to a lesser extent Europe, in the
Egyptian media followed Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosny's failed bid to become Director General of the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). -- More nuanced views that Hosny was not the right
candidate have surfaced in the media in recent days but have not been well received. -- While public remarks from the
Foreign Minister track with public criticism, privately, GoE officials have sent the message that the GoE wants to move
beyond this incident. ------------------------------ Media Reaction to Hosny's Loss ------------------------------
2.(C) Egyptian media reaction to Hosny,s September 22 UNESCO loss was furious. TV and print commentators felt this was a
clear anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and even anti-Egypt message from the Obama administration, and resurrected the
U.S.-Zionist conspiracy explanation for this outcome. This was the first time since President Obama,s election that we
have seen widespread media anger with the U.S., shared by commentators across the political spectrum. Ibrahim Eissa,
editor in chief of Independent sensationalist daily Al Dostour, characterized Hosny as a valiant fighter, saying "He
found himself the target of Israeli and American bullets. He fought with shrewdness and flexibility a battle against
snaky international political and media authorities that are experts in defamation." Egytptian commentators also
expressed frustration with the votes against Hosny from those African and European states from which they expected
support.
3.(C) Many will say privately that Hosny does not have the skills or popularity to head UNESCO, but only in recent days
has this view even appeared in the public discourse. Media outlets that have not aggressively blamed the U.S. and
Zionist influences have been accused of being part of the conspiracy, resulting in a ratcheting down of their contacts
with the U.S. Embassy. English-language Daily News editor Rania Al Malky took the strongest stand against the prevailing
anger and wrote on Sept 25, 2009, "I will say this at the risk of being branded unpatriotic, but no matter where you
stand on the political spectrum, you must admit that the Egyptian administration did not deserve to win this bid. How
can a 22-year minister of a country where culture, education, health and science have regressed to the dark ages become
head of the UNESCO?" -------------------- GOE Wants to Move On --------------------
4.(C) Government comments to the media have alluded to the same conspiracy. In private, however, the message from
government representatives has been more muted. After initial frustration over what MFA staff called a "mixed message"
on the extent of U.S. efforts to block Hosny's nomination, GoE representatives seem eager to put this issue behind them.
5.(C) Following a September 29 meeting with the Ambassador on bilateral trade priorities, the Minister of Trade and
Industry Rachid Mohammed Rachid told the Ambassador that he had raised Culture Minister Farouk Hosny's reaction to his
lost bid at UNESCO with President Mubarak, calling it an "irritant." Rachid said that he had expressed frustration that
Hosny's reaction was fueling the media criticism and making his job more difficult. According to Rachid, President
Mubarak agreed that the media was "out of control" and that Hosny's comments had been damaging. Mubarak told Rachid that
he had already told Hosny to stop making comments to the press. (Comment: In recent days we have seen a tapering off of
TV programs and editorial pages dedicated to Hosny's loss. This may be a reaction to the GoE efforts to put the story to
bed. It may also reflect a petering out of interest in a Culture Minister who is generally unpopular. End Comment.)
6.(C) In a September 27 meeting with the Ambassador, Minister of Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Moufid CAIRO
00001912 002.2 OF 002 Shehab commented on Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny's UNESCO bid an "individual" loss, reflecting
the candidate's qualifications, rather than a national one, saying "other candidates lost as well." Shehab called the 29
votes Hosny won a credit to Egypt's engagement on his behalf and "more than we could have expected," suggesting it was a
learning experience on campaigns to support Egyptian candidates for UN posts. Shehab expressed frustration at Minister
Hosny's comments to the media about the U.S. role in "derailing" his bid. Shehab was also critical of the media
firestorm in Egypt and commented that "the media would have you think this is a national crisis." In his view, the
decision was not a reflection of Egypt's role in the world or its relations with the U.S., in fact, he said he was
optimistic about the future of the bilateral relationship. Scobey