Egypt

Reporting from Cairo

I led a fraught-with-anger discussion on Twitter today.  As usual, western journalists in Egypt were being critical about one thing or another. Though usually many sides to any story exist, these journalists managed to focus on the negative and slant facts damagingly. Since June 30^th, many stories reported by western media have either sided with the Muslim Brotherhood or reported on the adverse actions taken by the police force and the interim leaders. The focus is clear: to pitch stories against the current regime and to present to the world a dooming picture of Egypt.  Reporting from and about Egypt has taken a dark ominous turn.

The reason for this approach is neither clear nor understood. But let’s give the journalists the benefit of the doubt. Western reporters still don’t get how Egyptians could overthrow a legitimate president. A president is there to serve his term. Anything else is against what they, and the West, perceive as due legitimacy. 

Unless that president errs, as, say, in the case of Bill Clinton. Then a country has the right to impeach and, possibly, remove the president from office, right? In Morsi’s case, his Muslim-Brotherhood-padded government and his dismissal of judiciary authority altogether meant he could not have been impeached—ever. And he would not have stepped down either, as in the case of Richard Nixon. Nothing, even the total destruction of Egypt, would have gotten Morsi to loosen his grip on power.

Western media’s inability to see Morsi’s ousting as a right manifests in their reading of the interim government’s conduct. So I decided to “listen in,” more carefully, on western media's reporting from and about Egypt.     

Today, one surfacing story was about journalists being captured and detained. Aron T Rose, a journalist in Cairo, says, “Been taken by police into an office. Made to format my memory card. Have my press card. Not letting me leave.” However, moments later he tweets, which presumably means he wasn’t detained for long, but his original tweet reverberates in cyber space as a police indiscretion.

In all fairness, Rose was at El Azhar University riots and presented, in photos, the destruction that students caused. The scene was quite decrepit as students of Muslim Brotherhood allegiance destroyed the facades and the interiors of buildings. However, Reuters’ leading paragraph on the story read, “Egyptian police fired teargas at protesting students at Cairo's al-Azhar university on Wednesday hours after authorities announced the detention of Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam El-Erian, part of a crackdown against the Islamist movement.”http://reut.rs/1gbZ84Y Ed Webb, Middle East specialist, shortened it to “Egyptian police fired teargas at Azhar students,” ignoring why they were teargased in the first place. In case you wanted to know why the police force teargased the students, have a look at these photographs that Rose and others tweeted from El Azhar University. 

David K. Kirkpatrick of the NY Times, in his article, “Ousted General in Egypt Is Back, as Islamists’ Foe” discusses one of the generals that Morsi fired in disgrace for corruption allegations. According to Kirkpatrick, General Tohamy’s return to power “signals a restoration of the old order after the military takeover.” The story concludes that the ousted general’s disgraced past was ignored when El Sissi brought him back to power to annihilate the Muslim Brotherhood. 

Kirkpatrick then retweets, “Ousted General in Egypt Is Back, as Islamists’ Foe ‪http://nyti.ms/16KxvaA  Will new authoritarianism bring back the old impunity, corruption?” Many western journalists, then, retweet, if not endorse. Erin Cunningham tweets, “Most absolutely unreformed Mubarak-era general rehabilitated as general intelligence chief. Wheeeee!" And Lauren E. Bohn goes further, “"Now the general's back+more powerful than ever" ‪@ddknyt on Mubarak-era gen now leading crckdown on Islamists.” And Joshua Hersh says, “Fascinating story abt patronage, corruption and return to the old military order in Egypt by ‪@ddknyt.”

The story makes Morsi a redeemer of rights. The story though ignores Morsi’s firing spree. Didn’t he fire Tantawi and his affiliates who had a hand in Morsi’s rise to power? Didn’t he fire Major General Mourad Mowafy, whom Egyptians think very highly of? Did he not retire 600 major generals from the police force and in the process shrink the role of state security?  If fair is fair, why isn’t the report referencing Morsi’s “ethical standards,” which definitely were not the steering force in the ousting of the disgraced general or anyone else. http://bit.ly/19x7SxY Neutrality and non-partisan reporting fall by the wayside if the picture portrayed isn’t complete and objective.

Here is another take on the same story: “The Real Story Behind the Egyptian Generals' Crackdown on the Brotherhood” http://www.nationalreview.com/node/362597/print. This one compares Mubarak, “who played footsie with the MB,” to the generals out to get the Muslim Brotherhood. “They are acting against the MB in every way they can: shooting demonstrators, jailing leaders, seizing MB funds, and outlawing the organization and its activities.” What the story does not report is why the generals are after the MB.

How would the reporter want Egypt to deal with terror? I’m also not clear as to how similar terror would be dealt with in the US, which most of these reporters call home. Will the White House pat the terrorists on the back and tell them they are lawful citizens that deserve full rights? Or will the US call on its most efficient men to deal with terror?

The article goes on to say “Even if support for the MB has fallen now to perhaps only 25 percent or 15 percent of all Egyptians, that’s a substantial bloc.” 25% of Egyptians translates to around 23 million Egyptians, an exaggerated number by any standard leaving the reader under a false impression that the MB members are by far more in numbers than they truly are.

Then comes western media’s misunderstanding of how Egyptians have come to perceive Major General Abdel Fattah El Sissi. The phrase “Sissi mania” has been passed around with irony and disdain. They find the respect, and exaggerated adulation, erroneous and undemocratic. They believe that Egyptians have removed Morsi to have him replaced by another dictatorial regime.

Again I beg to differ. A dictator doesn’t have the nation behind him and pleading with him to become its president. If Egyptians want to believe that El Sissi is their saviour, they have every right to do so.  In modern history, Egyptians have not shown their appreciation of anyone as they have for El Sissi. Again, it is their call.

What western media doesn’t see is that El Sissi has done exactly what Egyptians wanted him to do: save Egypt from Morsi’s tyranny, and, hence, the esteem and respect. Is it a mania? Maybe, but it’s up to Egyptians, not the western world, to decide what they want and care for. And yet, if El Sissi errs, they will curse him the same way they cursed Morsi and Mubarak before him.

This is a day’s reporting by western media on Egypt, mostly from Egypt, and to Egypt and the world. Although authorities know that western reporting remains biased, these journalists have not been censored or denied access to scenes of disruption and chaos.   

Maybe the day will come when these reporters get bored of Egypt and head to other spots where they will find more contentious issues to find fault with.

Will Egypt stay sweet on al-Sisi in the long run?

Read on. USA Today, by Sarah Lynch

The Obama administration criticizes him, but Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is hailed as a hero by Egyptians for ousting a loathed Muslim Brotherhood regime.

CAIRO — In one shop in this bustling capital's core, Egypt's top army chief is everywhere: giving a speech, getting kissed by a beautiful girl, marching in uniform — all images imprinted on chocolate.

"He saved the country from the Muslim Brothers," said sweet shop owner Bahira Galal of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose visage can be ordered on a sheet cake or on a batch of bright red balloons with the phrase "Long Live Egypt."

Support appears solid among people in Cairo for the man who engineered the ouster of Egypt's first freely elected government in decades. Some of the backing is a part admiration for al-Sisi, but also a reflection of the dearth of political alternatives in a country craving stability and security, analysts and activists said.

"The general is the guy who knows how to get you out of hot water and it is not the hour for anybody else," said Said Sadek, a political sociologist in Cairo. "The conditions create the hero. The hero doesn't create the conditions."

Those conditions included an increasingly repressive Islamist government that followed the ouster of longtime Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and an economy that went from bad to worse.

In late June, millions of people protested what they said was a hijacking of their new democracy by Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, the first freely elected president of Egypt who had given himself sweeping powers over the judiciary, launched investigations against his critics and sought to regulate pro-democracy groups.

Morsi's opponents accused him of forcing an Islamist constitution on the people, pushing a religious agenda and ignoring the crumbling economy. Crime rates had risen under Morsi and militant attacks on government outposts persisted in the restive Sinai Peninsula.

The man Morsi himself picked to head the military, al-Sisi, gave Morsi 48 hours to satisfy the crowd's demands. When he failed to do so, al-Sisi had Morsi put under house arrest. Though President Obama has called for a rapid return to civilian rule, many Egyptians hail al-Sisi as the nation's savior.

"People are concerned about safety and security, not about democracy or freedoms," said Khalil al-Anani, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

"Many people believe the only one who can secure Egypt now is Sisi regardless of his political project or vision," he said, noting that Egyptians lost faith in the civilian elite and are subject to a mass media campaign hailing al-Sisi. "There is a huge political vacuum in Egypt."

Kamel Saleh, vice president of the liberal Egyptian Social Democratic Party, blames the lack of political alternatives on Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades, repressed political opponents and was accused of rigging elections.

"We had no political life for so many years," Saleh said. "You don't become a leader or a politician overnight. You have to have a long history of public work, and 30 years of Mubarak is responsible. We don't have politicians."

Al-Sisi's face peeps from posters across the capital — poised in store windows and tailor shops, glaring down on tea-sipping smokers at popular cafes as he garners praise sometimes for little else than the simple logic: "Who else can I support?"

"I support him because there's no one else — yet," said Michael Mikail, 27, a lawyer, as he walked through downtown Cairo. "Maybe in the future there will be, but nowadays there is no one else."

In a nation where the military has long been a powerful pillar of the state, some say it is natural that people turn to al-Sisi.

"People tend to go to the option that is known for 60 years, which is to have an army officer on top, thinking he is the one most capable of protecting the country and maintaining its interest," said Khaled Dawoud, spokesperson for the Constitution Party.

The al-Sisi society ranges from politically robust — with some launching petition campaigns to urge al-Sisi to run in the next presidential race — to kitsch.

via www.usatoday.com

On Egypt aid, White House wants Congress to figure way to keep pipeline flowing

The Washington Post 

Evan Vucci/AP - From left, Alina Romanowski, Derek Chollet and Beth Jones listen to questions Tuesday during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the ongoing situation in Egypt.

The Obama administration asked Congress on Tuesday to find a legislative work-around that would keep Washington’s aid to Egypt flowing, calling the assistance crucial to U.S. interests in the region.

 

Although the administration has refrained from calling the July 3 ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi a coup, it has begun negotiating with congressional appropriators over aid in recent weeks in light of a U.S. law that bars Washington from providing funds to governments that came to power through force.

The administration will probably need a legislative waiver to keep military aid and civilian assistance programs for Egypt running, according to congressional staffers.

U.S. officials found a largely receptive audience during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday morning. Some lawmakers objected to the White House’s rationale for temporarily halting delivery of some forms of military aid to Egypt, but most spoke in favor of continued assistance to Cairo, saying that it was the best of bad options.

“While we would like a democratic partner for our many security interests in the region, we need a partner,” said Rep. Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.), the committee chairman. “We should push and pull with what influence we have.”

Rep. Eliot L. Engel (N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the panel, said the military’s removal of Morsi, an Islamist criticized as failing to govern inclusively, “replaced one autocratic government with another.” But he argued that a partial suspension of military aid would not encourage democratic reforms in Cairo.

“In fact, I think it’s more than likely to have the opposite effect,” he said. “That military cooperation is important. We’ve spent billions of dollars. We’ve cemented relationships. Let’s use them. Let’s not destroy them. Let’s use them.”

Beth Jones, the top State Department official overseeing Middle East policy, asked lawmakers for “legislative flexibility so that we can continue the programs that we think are terribly important.”

The administration announced this month that it would temporarily halt the scheduled delivery of F-16 fighter planes, A1 Abrams tanks, Apache helicopters and Harpoon missiles ordered by the Egyptian government. The White House said the suspension sought to encourage Egypt’s military-installed government to make good on its promise to rule democratically and hold elections soon.

There is little evidence that the strategy is bearing fruit. Cairo has tightened control of the press and is seeking to limit public protests.

The Obama administration has continued sending military equipment and funding civilian assistance programs using money that had been obligated before the coup, said a congressional appropriator who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the administration’s approach. But once that money — several hundred million dollars — is spent in coming months, the administration has concluded that it will be forced to suspend aid or run afoul of the law.

“There is no way their lawyers could have found otherwise,” the congressional appropriator said.

Officials at the Pentagon want to maintain a robust military-to-
military relationship with Egypt and fear that a disruption of the $1.3 billion in yearly military aid that Egypt has come to expect could have long-lasting consequences.

Derek Chollet, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the relationship remains strong and has paid dividends in recent months. Just weeks after Morsi’s ouster, he said, Egypt granted the USS San Antonio passage through the Suez Canal within 24 hours of a request; others ships must wait as long as 23 days to get clearance.

“The U.S. military is able to respond to contingencies and conduct operations throughout the region because of expeditious overflight rights and Suez Canal transit,” he said. “This can be critical to mission success.”

Some lawmakers expressed concern that the White House’s Egypt policy over the past year, which they criticized as muddled, has eroded the influence that Washington has spent decades and billions of dollars building in the strategically crucial nation.

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) was sharply critical of the administration’s tacit support for Morsi’s overthrow, saying that the United States responded similarly after Chile’s coup in 1973, which led to an era of brutal repression and the disappearance of thousands of people.

“Am I to understand from that that the United States government is saying: Even if you win a free and democratic election, if you alienate people in your government, it’s okay to overthrow it?” Connolly asked Jones. “Because I can think of some American administrations that might qualify for that.”

via www.washingtonpost.com

Egypt’s Real Challenge: Reviving the Economy

I preferred to include the excerpt on how to revive the economy. Please read more by clicking the link below.

Al Monitor by Wael Nawara

 

A general view of the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo, Aug. 18, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Louafi Larbi) 

Just like the crisis is complex, the solution, in my opinion is multifaceted:

 

Minimize the gap: The government must take the appropriate measures needed to reduce the budget deficit through streamlining expenditures — particularly in energy subsidies, which alone consume 100 billion Egyptian pounds ($14.5 billion)! Approximately 37 billion pounds ($5.4 billion) could be saved by putting the smart fuel card system into use, to give one example, and revenues can also be increased through the application of property taxes, as another example.

Pumping money into infrastructure projects: These savings, among others, should be directed to curing the economy’s real illnesses and not just treating the symptoms, through the implementation of a stimulus package that begins with investing in utilities, roads and infrastructure, in addition to the development of new industrial and service zones extending economic opportunity to impoverished regions.

The introduction of national projects: It is nice to see the Gulf states filling immediate and urgent needs, whether in the energy sector, or to compensate for the depletion of the Central Bank’s foreign currency reserves. But, these are temporary and topical solutions that only address the symptoms of the problem; the real remedy may lie in stimulating the economy itself. Therefore, the Egyptian government must prepare and present investment plans in joint national projects, such as the Suez Canal zone development project, that would appeal to our investment partners in the Gulf while passing legislation that would better protect Arab and foreign investments.

An Arab Development Fund: Egypt must take the initiative, provide studies and commit to governmental investment in the establishment of an Arab African Fund for Development that would invest Egypt, Sudan and other Nile basin countries, which would encourage Egypt’s private sector, as well as the Gulf states’ sovereign and private funds, and encourage them to participate while leveraging Egypt’s relations with the Nile basin countries to help protect Egypt’s water share.

Smart Crisis Management: Despite the fact that the Egyptian government is cognizant of the Muslim Brotherhood’s plan to undermine the country’s stability through the provocation of bloody confrontations, Egyptian authorities keep on falling into the Brotherhood’s trap. After every one of these skirmishes, and with every casualty that falls, the Brotherhood exploits the situation in the media to inflict even more damage upon Egypt’s image and its stability. In addition, many decisions and actions solely rely on security considerations, often lacking strategic perspective and showing little concern for the overall effect on public opinion and the net outcome of the battle at hand. The government needs to apply prudent crisis management strategies and strike a balance between the benefits and negative repercussions of any decision. But instead of employing effective solutions and correcting its recurring errors, the government resorts to accusing the foreign media of conspiring against it, to the point where the president’s media adviser accused Britain’s Guardian of being a tabloid mouthpiece for the counter-revolution!

Openness: Egyptians need to be sobered with the truth and asked to take responsibility in pulling out their country from the bankruptcy abyss. A balance must be found between the legitimate demands to rectify the accumulated effect of years of social injustice, and the

via www.al-monitor.com

Egypt and Brotherhood should pursue reconciliation: minister

By Michael Georgy

(Reuters) - Egypt's army-backed government and the Muslim Brotherhood should seek reconciliation because only an inclusive political process, not security crackdowns, can bring stability to the country, a senior minister said on Tuesday.

The most populous Arab state has been shaken by violence since the army toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood in July and announced a plan for new elections.

Security forces have killed hundreds of Brotherhood members and jailed thousands, including Mursi, who is due to appear in court on Monday on charges of inciting violence.

Yet street protests regularly erupt and Islamist militants have intensified their attacks.

Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa El-Din has been trying to encourage both sides to compromise since he put an initiative to the cabinet in August.

"Security is essential and key to Egypt but it is not alone going to get us where we want, and there has to be a political framework as well," Bahaa El-Din told reporters.

"Ultimately this country needs to move towards a framework, of a political accord of some sort. It needs a political framework that is more inclusive for everybody."

His proposal called for an immediate end to the state of emergency, political participation for all parties and the guarantee of human rights, including free assembly.

But Bahaa El-Din's mission will not be easy.

State-run media have whipped up public opinion against the Brotherhood and created a climate in which there is little tolerance for the Islamist movement that won every election since a popular uprising toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

And the security clampdown has only hardened the Brotherhood's position.

Bahaa El-Din's views are often at odds with the interior minister and other hardliners in the government who dismiss the Brotherhood as a terrorist group that cannot be trusted.

He expressed hope a political compromise could be reached, even though the Brotherhood's top leaders are in jail and say that, as a peaceful movement, they see no need to renounce violence, a key demand made by the government in the past.

"The fact that some or most or all of the leadership is in jail, I don't think that alone prevents them from taking a step forward and saying 'we are willing to give a sign that we will abandon this path (of violence) and join the roadmap'," he said.

Bahaa El-Din said the Brotherhood had "a huge impact on the perpetuation and continuation of violence" and should pursue politics instead. He did not elaborate.

Nearly daily street protests, clashes between supporters and opponents of Mursi and rising attacks by Islamist groups that security officials link to the Brotherhood have hammered tourism and investment in Egypt, a strategic U.S. ally.

Bahaa El-Din predicted Egypt's economy could withstand the upheaval, but expressed hopes that economic growth would climb to 7 percent once the political turbulence eased.

Egypt had several years of growth of around seven percent before the 2011 revolt.

"It will continue to grow 2 to 3 percent per year. But I wish we could do better," he said. "Egypt like any other country, can live with a certain level of instability."

(Editing by Mike Collett-White)

via www.reuters.com

Egypt's liberals are as intolerant as Islamists: Bassem Youssef

Ahram Online

Renowned political satirist Bassem Youssef decries Egypt’s liberals for exhibiting the same far-right behaviour as their Islamist opponents 

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef during his episode on 25 October, 2013 (Photo courtesy of Youssef's official Facebook page)

Political satirist Bassem Youssef said Egypt’s liberals were as intolerant as their Islamist opponents, and as unwilling to accept criticism of themselves or the country's interim-authorities, in his weekly column in privately-owned daily Al-Shorouk on Tuesday.

“Those who defend liberalism and secularism say they are opposed to religious fanaticism and endorse freedom of opinion. However, when it suits them, they use Quranic verses and Hadiths [sayings of Prophet Mohamed] to justify attacks against their enemies, using the same accusations as religious movements,” Youssef said.

Youssef’s comments came as Cairo's Appeal Prosecution began looking into a complaint filed by the Muslim Youth Association’s legal adviser, charging Youssef with libel, slander, insulting Egypt and its people, and committing obscene acts in public.

After an almost three-month hiatus, Youssef returned to television on Friday, poking fun at ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, as usual.

This time, however, in the premier episode of his weekly ‘Al-Bernameg’ (The Show)’s third season, he also targeted zealous followers of Army Chief General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

The move was viewed by many as unacceptable amid increasing popular support for El-Sisi after the ouster of Mohamed Morsi by the military in June, following mass popular protests against his rule. 

By Saturday, at least four complaints had been filed with the country's top prosecutor, accusing Youssef of defaming the military in his show. One of the complaints accused Youssef of using phrases to "undermine the honour and dignity of Egypt and its people," allegedly sowing sedition and spreading lies.

Since Morsi’s overthrow, Egypt’s political life has been increasingly polarised between supporters of the deposed Islamist president and followers of the liberal-dominated interim authorities.

In his article, titled 'Egypt drifting towards the right,' Youssef drew comparisons between the American right and far-right and the Egyptian liberal current. “After the fall of the Brotherhood, we expected to enjoy all the benefits of the liberal heaven, both in the media and in power.”

“Instead, liberals who are proud of their proficiency in foreign languages, and of travelling abroad and following the latest Western fashions, believe conspiracy theories and spread them,” he wrote.

“They share [information] from far-right websites and believe Fox news, just because it attacks the Muslim Brotherhood, without realising that these conservatives despise them equally because they are Arabs,” he added.

The renowned satirist underlined the difficult position that those who oppose the Islamist and liberal camps find themselves in, as they are critiqued by both.

“Maybe there is a left and maybe there are liberals in Egypt, and maybe there are those who struggle for workers’ rights and for the oppressed and who fight for development programmes and social solidarity; they are cursed by both camps,” Youssef added. “If they are not considered infidels, they are traitors or agents who follow a Western-Zionist agenda.”

Youssef also expressed incomprehension regarding the lack of tolerance that he says has come to characterise Egypt’s liberals. “I can understand the intolerance of the religious movement and its penchant for the far-right. At the end of the day, that is their ideological stance, and... at least they are consistent with their beliefs,” he said.

“But I can’t understand a current that claims to defend liberalism and freedom but which, in the end, is less tolerant than the religious one. We [can] replace the beard with heavy make-up, the miswak [a traditional teeth-cleaning twig] with a glass of martini… but religious extremism and the political right are one and the same.”

 

via english.ahram.org.eg

Egypt mounts drive to lure 13.5 million visitors next year

Reuters, by: Shaimaa Fayed and Ehab Farouk

* Egypt expects total recovery in tourism by end-2014 - minister

* Expects Russia to lift travel warnings on Red Sea, South Sinai in Nov

* Egypt will launch international advertising campaign next month

CAIRO, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Egypt aims to attract 13.5 million visitors next year, bringing in around $11 billion, as it launches an international campaign to lure back foreigners deterred by political turmoil, the tourism minister said.

The country is a magnet for people interested in ancient history, sunbathing on the Red Sea and Mediterranean coasts, or Nile cruises, but their numbers have fallen since a popular revolt overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

The tourism industry, once worth more than a tenth of economic output, had been improving since the uprising but suffered a fresh blow from political tension in the lead-up to the army's ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July, following mass protests against his rule.

"If nothing huge happens to affect tourist movement, and we go into 2014 positively, numbers will rise again .. next year we can work on the 13.5 million figure," Minister Hisham Zaazou said during the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit.

"Recovery will begin at the start of the year, and total recovery, such that we reach the normal averages pre-uprising, will be by end-2014," he said in an interview.

In 2010, 14.7 million visitors came, but arrivals slowed to 9.8 million the following year, with revenues of $8.8 billion.

In 2012, numbers rose to 11.5 million tourists and revenues rebounded to about $10 billion.

"Touristic destinations are safe and sound and away from disturbances," Zaazou said.

He said he expected arrivals in 2013 at between 10-11 million tourists and revenues at around $8.5 to $9 billion.

Though the Red Sea and South Sinai resorts have been shielded from continued political turmoil, the army has been fighting Islamist militants in North Sinai who have intensified attacks against police and soldiers since Mursi was deposed.

Clashes sometimes also erupt at pro-Mursi protests in Cairo and certain other cities such as Alexandria and Suez.

Over the past few months, Zaazou has visited countries in Europe and elsewhere, to persuade them that Egypt is safe enough to relax official travel advisories, many of which were imposed since July.

Zaazou said some 18 countries have responded positively, such as Scandinavian countries and Germany, which has lifted warnings on the Red Sea, South Sinai, Luxor and Aswan.

He said he expected Russia, the single biggest source of tourists to Egypt, to lift its travel warning on the Red Sea and South Sinai regions in November.

"I don't have guarantees, but my sentiment is that this will happen," he said.

INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

Egypt's long-term target is to reach 30 million tourists and revenues of $25 billion by 2022.

Zaazou said that despite the expected "total recovery" in tourist arrival numbers in 2014, revenues are not likely to reach pre-2011 levels of $12.5 billion.

He expects tourism revenues to reach $11 billion by the end of next year.

"With current contracts, average tourist spending is less. In 2010, average spending per tourist was $85 per night, now it is around $62 or $63 per tourist per night."

Zaazou said his ministry would launch an international advertising campaign next month to restore tourism confidence.

This will include advertisements on international television channels and outdoor advertising on public transport in Europe such as London's underground railway system, he said.

"We are trying nowadays to finish up and embark on a public relations and communications campaign to relay the right message about the reality of what's happening on the ground in Egypt," Zaazou said.

HE said the campaign would include "co-marketing" efforts like helping to 

cut cost risks for charter flights to destinations such as the Red Sea coast resort Sharm el-Sheikh.

"The message is that even if you have empty seats on any specific flight coming into Egypt, Hurghada, Sharm, whatever, we will share into reducing the cost of that empty seat, but do not cancel the flight because you have less passenger numbers."

via www.cnbc.com

Egypt Kung Fu fighter slams ban after showing Rabaa support

Ahram Online, Ahmed Abd El Rasoul 

Gold medallist Mohamed Youssef 'concerned' about Egyptian Kung Fu Association's decision to bar him from competition after showing solidarity with pro-Morsi Islamists in Russia 

Kung fu player Mohamed Youssef could be punished for wearing "Rabaa T-shirt"

Egypt's Kung Fu fighter Mohamed Youssef defended himself after a recent suspension from international duty, stressing that wearing the Rabaa sign was a message of 'loyalty and sympathy' for the whole world.

The Egyptian Kung Fu Association suspended Youssef from his next international match after he sent a clear message of support for ousted president Mohamed Morsi at the World Championship in Russia.

The Kung Fu player, who could also face a life-time ban, wore a T-shirt publicising the pro-Morsi four-finger Rabaa sign while receiving his gold medal at the World Championship in Russia.

"It was a message of loyalty and sympathy I wanted to deliver to the whole world," Youssef told the Anadolu news agency on Monday, referring to his solidarity with the hundreds who died during the violent mid-August dispersal of two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo and Giza.

"What I did does not conflict with my representation of Egypt in the upcoming tournament, however I am concerned about the Kung Fu Association's decisions against me," the gold medallist added, stressing that he thanks all who supported his actions.

Earlier on Monday, Kung Fu Association executive officer Gamal El-Jazzar told Ahram Arabic news website that Youssef will be banned from representing Egypt in the upcoming Kung Fu World Championship, which kicks off on 27 November in Kuala Lumpur.

via english.ahram.org.eg

Britain's Guardian backs 'counter-revolution', says Egypt presidential aide

Ahram Online

Ahmed El-Muslimany condemns newspaper's coverage of Mohamed Morsi's removal and subsequent crackdown on Islamists

Ahmed El-Muslimany, Egyptian presidential media advisor (Photo: Ahram)

A media advisor to Egypt's interim president has labelled The Guardian newspaper a "mouthpiece for the counter revolution."

Ahmed El-Muslimany said the British daily had "lost a lot of its reputation among Egyptian readers" because of its "anti-30 June revolution" stance, in a statement reported by state news agency MENA on Monday.

Protesters took to the streets on 30 June calling for president Mohamed Morsi to resign before the army deposed him on 3 July and announced an interim roadmap. 

There has been intense debate about whether the move was a military coup or not.

Egyptian official discourse insists the move was a popular uprising to pave the way for democracy, while Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood says it was a coup and continues to call for his reinstatement.

In the wake of Morsi's ouster, British Prime Minister David Cameron said, "We never support in countries the intervention by the military, but what needs to happen now in Egypt is for democracy to flourish and for a genuine democratic transition to take place."

In September, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy met with his British counterpart William Hague at the UN General Assembly in New York. They discussed bilateral relations and British investment in Egypt.

El-Muslimany criticised several headlines in The Guardian, citing an editorial by Jonathan Steele who wrote, "General Sisi and his followers are condemning Egypt to greater turmoil."

"The Guardian... does not know anything about what is happening in Egypt," El-Muslimany said. "All its journalistic ability is copying from counter-revolution websites."

The newspaper has not officially responded to El-Muslimany's statements.

 

via english.ahram.org.eg

World Squash Championships: How Egypt became a superpower

Read on. BBC Sport, by James Peacock

In early October, Egypt was gripped by hope and excitement as the national football team prepared for their World Cup qualifying play-off against Ghana.

But they fell to a 6-1 defeat in Kumasi and so, barring a sporting miracle in the second leg next month, will not make it to the World Cup for the first time since 1990.

In Manchester next week, the real stars of Egyptian sport will be expected to restore some national pride at the Men's World Squash Championships. 

They will do so at a time when the nation is in crisis following the military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in July.

Mohamed El Shorbagy, one of five Egyptian players in the world's top 10, said: "We really wanted to qualify for the World Cup, but at the same time the amount of support that the footballers get from our government is unbelievable.

"It's much more than squash gets, but we do much better.

"We are competing at the world level and the footballers are nowhere near that."

Despite a rich history in producing world-class players dating back to the 1930s, it is hard to pinpoint exactly how, when and why Egypt became a squash superpower.

Amir Wagih, the Egyptian national coach between 1994 and 2012, says the former President Hosni Mubarak added impetus in the 1990s.

As a keen player himself, Mubarak increased government funding to the sport and brought the famous Al-Ahram tournament to the Pyramids.

The great Ahmed Barada, a future world number two, happened to be the most famous sportsman in the country and his emergence, according to Elshorbagy, was a seminal moment in Egypt's squash development.

"We always had someone to look up to and follow," said the 22-year-old.

Egypt's dominance at the top of the men's game, in particular, is obvious, but an even more impressive picture emerges further down the age groups.

The British Junior Open, for example, is among the most highly-regarded junior competitions in the world, and the under-19 men's title has been won by an Egyptian every year since 2006.

In the women's game, 13 of the last 15 winners of the under-15 title have been from Egypt. These numbers tell only part of the story.

"Around 600 children tried to qualify for the Egyptian championships and that is just in the under-11s section," said Wagih, who won more than 30 world titles as national coach.

"The game is massive. We have always had very natural, skilful, attacking players but back in 1994 we started studying what players were doing in England and Australia and copied their work ethic.

Egypt's rise to dominance

• At the junior world championships in Poland in July, Egyptians made up the men's and women's finals for the second successive year.
• Egypt's women won the team event in Poland for the fourth time in a row.
• At the British Open, the under-19 men's title has been won by an Egyptian every year since 2006.
• An Egyptian player won the British Open under-17 title every year between 2004 and 2012.
• In the women's game, 13 of the last 15 winners of the under-15s British Open women's title have been Egyptian - and at under-13 level, only once since 1999 has the title not been won by an Egyptian.
• In the women's game at under-19 level, the last four champions have been from Egypt.
• Eight of the last 10 junior men's world champions have been Egyptian.
• In 2008 - the last time the Men's World Squash Championships were played in Manchester - Ramy Ashour, Karim Darwish and Amr Shabana made it an Egyptian one-two-three.
• Ramy Ashour, the world number one and reigning champion, has won 44 matches in a row - and his last eight tournaments.

Ramy Ashour stunning reflex shot

World's top 10 (October, 2013)

1. Ramy Ashour, Egypt

2. Gregory Gaultier, France

3. James Willstrop, England

4. Nick Matthew, England

5. Karim Darwish, Egypt

6. Mohamed Elshorbagy, Egypt

7. Peter Barker, England

8. Amr Shabana, Egypt

9. Borja Golan, Belgium

10. Omar Mosaad, Egypt

www.bbc.co.uk