Cairo: A report issued by a research center of the U.S. Congress warned that the move to classify the Egyptian satellite television provider NileSat and Saudi Arabian ArabSat as organizations that sponsor terrorism, similar to Hezbollah's Al Manar television channel, could lead to the deterioration of U.S. relations with both Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both of whom invest in the media providers. The report issued by the Congressional Research Service, the research arm of the U.S. Congress, said the classification of Nilesat and Arabsat as organizations that sponsor global terrorism, in accordance with House of Representatives law No. 2278, “could lead to a deterioration in U.S. relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia.” The 27-page report, obtained by an Arabic news agency, added that critics of the legislation point out that such a classification could harm further Egyptian-American relations at a time when Egypt's cooperation is a priority issues in the region, such as the Palestinian reconciliation and the smuggling of material into Gaza. The report, prepared by Casey Hades, an expert on the Middle East, pointed out that the supporters of the legislation say that recent developments in Egypt, such as the accusation that Hezbollah has a cell operating inside Egyptian territory may make Egypt more willing to cooperate. The report went on to say, “Even if Al Manar was banned on both satellites providors, it would still remain available on a large scale in Lebanon, where it is just one among many other stations tied to political parties and sectarian groups.” House law no. 2278, backed by Rep. Jesse Pelerakis and Democrat Joseph Crowley in May and passed by the House on December 8, urges the administration to revise the nature of their relationship and assistance to states that provide satellite service for channels which are considered to incite violence against America. The draft law monitored a number of Arab satellite channel broadcasts which it considered an, “incitement to violence against the United States and against Americans,” including Al Manar TV, the Palestinian channel Al Aqsa and the Iraqi  channels Al Zawra'a and Rafidien, all of which are broadcasted on NileSat and the ArabSat. BM
