By Nourhan Fahmy Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi initiated on Tuesday an open dialogue with more than 20 intellectual figures to discuss various issues of national concern, according to a statement by the presidency. The participants were requested to form “working groups” to further discuss the various issues brought up during the national dialogue. Sisi is expected to follow up with the groups’ recommendations a month from now. The meeting marked the first round of a planned national dialogue with a large number of politicians, intellectuals and media workers to “share ideas and visions regarding Egypt’s development and create a suitable environment for growth.” The presidency’s spokesperson Alaa Youssef said that participants tackled issues including the role of the media, freedoms, economic problems, extremism, and the status of prisoners. Participants discussed the perceived deficiencies in the media and debated the ways by which the media could be regulated and deficiencies rectified. Publisher and political analyst Hisham Kassem told Aswat Masriya that the “best solution” would be for the state to “just lay its hands off the media.” “The president is not happy about the media, and he insists on a certain…
Sisi Meets With Egyptian Intellectuals Amid Rising Concerns Over Media Freedom
March 23, 2016
