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Egyptian Press vs. U.S. Ambassador: "The Arrogant Ambassador Representing the Imbecile Bush"

(MEMRI) The American Ambassador to Egypt, David Welch, has criticized the Egyptian press several times. On the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, he published an op-ed in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram in which he criticized conspiracy theories in the Egyptian press. Columnist Jamal Fahmi wrote an article in the pro-Nasserist opposition weekly Al-Arabi titled, "The Ambassador from Hell in Cairo," saying, "'Brother' Welch has the arrogance that befits an ambassador representing that imbecile in Washington, George W. Bush." Adli Barssoum wrote in Al-Gumhuriya: "Mr. American Ambassador knows very well, just like us, that the American press...is a press carefully orchestrated from above. In contrast, the Egyptian press is guided only by the national conscience, and when it determines that martyrdom operations [suicide bombings] for the sake of liberating Palestinian territories are acts of courage - it is an historical testimonial. Al-Gumhuriya does not pretend to be the only paper describing the heroism of the Palestinian martyrs; this is the position of all the Egyptian papers because it accurately reflects the feeling of the Egyptian people."
2003-11-07 00:00:00
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