The nomination of Audrey Azoulay as the new secretary general of UNESCO raised many questions on the reasons why Egypt candidate Moushira Khattab failed to win that post. Farouk Guweida described the elections process in the daily Al-Ahram as a unique experience in which Egypt was adamant to emphasise its cultural role in that international forum. The writer hailed Khattab who fought bravely and faced difficult challenges and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri and his assistants who supported her. It was not a fight to win a seat that we have a right to, he wrote, but an emphasis on Egypt's active presence in the international arena. However, Guweida added, it is important to look into that experience and discuss frankly the importance of Egypt external role. In the private daily Al-Youm Al-Sabei, Akram Al-Kassas described the elections as the hottest in the history of UNESCO during the last 6 years. He wrote that it reflects biasness that seems non-political among various sectors in the Egyptian society. Some Egyptian organisations issued a statement during the election campaign attacking Khattab, he explained, a step that can be regarded as direct partiality to the Qatari candidate, who obviously joined the UNESCO election rece to deprive the Egyptian candidate from winning that position. At the meantime, these organisations did not mention anything about the Qatari file. By so doing, they were playing a political role in spite of the fact that they were always hoisting the flag of human rights and impartiality. "Even if we can explain that statement as revenge from the state because of the financing suits filed against these organisations, the same stand was espoused by the –those who call themselves- opposition that failed to see the fine line between the political stand and the vengeful stand," he wrote in his regular column. Writer Amr Shobki focused on the person that shouted 'Vive La France, no to Qatar" after Azoulay's victory was announced. He pointed in the daily Al-Masry Al-Yom that he is Egyptian but he does not belong to the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Paris although Al-Jazeera satellite channel claimed that he is a member of the mission. Without doubt, Shobki wrote, this person is the outcome of 40 years of rearing that type of people to flatter the rulers. It does not make any difference to them who is the ruler, Mubarak, Morsi or Al-Sisi. "It is true that Al-Jazeera lied when it claimed that he is a member of the Egyptian diplomatic missions, but what should concern us more as Egyptians is the political atmosphere that allowed these people to spread everywhere and consider that hailing Egypt is the best job they do," he wrote. This young man has unfortunately become an example for people who want the UNESCO and other doors to be opened to them, but he is a destructive rather than a constructive example, Shobki summed up. Figures in the news: 7.74 billion mobile users The total number of mobile users worldwide reached 7.74 billion while that of mobile internet users reached 5.1 billion. Al-Masry Al-Youm The nuclear agreement The nuclear agreement By Amgad Rasmi, Asharq Al-Awsat
