In a bid to strengthen its influence on the political scene in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates is said to be launching a pan-Arab news channel.
Al-Ghad Al-Arabi is the first pan-Arab news channel to broadcast from Egypt.
The channel’s official launching ceremony took place on Sunday in Cairo under the supervision of the Fatah dismissed leader Mohamed Dahlan.
The channel is headed by Egyptian regime loyal and former head of Egypt’s News Centre, Abdel Latif El-Menawy.
The ceremony was attended by Ahmed Gaddaf Al-Dam, the cousin of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, signalling that the channel could potentially play a role in serving the UAE’s agenda in Libya.
The ceremony was also attended by prominent media and political figures including Dubai Police Chief Dhahi Khalfan and Egypt’s former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik.
Several Emirati politicians contributed to funding the channel which will have many offices in several Arab capitals, including Cairo and Beirut.