Dr. Tarek Kamel, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, met yesterday with the IT officials of the White House to discuss cyberspace security, how to face emergencies and secure Internet space. Kamel heads a high-level official delegation that also includes managers of private companies. He met with Melissa Hathaway, Acting Senior Director for Cyberspace, and John Burns, Director for Security. He said: "The repeated Internet cable cuts in the world prompted Egypt to secure cyberspace and the Internet infrastructure, which are of great importance to the economy."
He noted that the senior American officials asked him about what the Egyptians thought of President Obama's speech to the Islamic world from Cairo University, to which he answered that they liked it, as it opened new means of cooperation, especially in IT. He said the speech also prompted his visit, as the new American administration put cyberspace security as a top priority. He said that he discussed with Phil Pfeiffer, the State Department Undersecretary for Technology, how to make use of the International Conference on Internet Governance that will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh in November. Pfeiffer said the U.S. is interested in the conference, as it will discuss the future and the independence of the Internet with its political and technological dimensions. The minister said that he agreed with the Federation of American IT Societies to activate cooperation between Egyptian and American companies, the IT Development Authority, investment in high-speed Internet and new investment opportunities. They also discussed ways to protect children and young people using the Internet. The ministry said in a press statement yesterday that the minister also had important talks with Juan Jose Daboub, the Managing Director of the World Bank, to activate IT cooperation between Egypt and the World Bank. They also discussed the repercussions of video features in mobile phones on IT. The statement also said that Dr. Amr Badawi, CEO of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority, signed an agreement with the World Bank for cooperation in high-speed Internet. Also Dr. Hoda Baraka, First Deputy Minister of Communications, signed another agreement for assessing the economic impact of IT.
