In an interview with the Egyptian Akhbar El-Yom weekly newspaper on 21/3/2009, Chairman of the State Information Service (SIS), Ambassador Ismail Khairat said that the SIS is a giant media organ that shouldered over more than half a century a painstaking national mission outside Egypt for giving a true picture of Egypt and standing up to any smearing campaigns against Egyptian stances at international forums.

Ambassador Khairat made reference to the revolution of modern technology and information that required the SIS to move with a faster pace after all world events, including wars and crises, are being released live.

He noted that since he assumed office on December 15, 2008, he found himself required to deal with the Gaza events, such a hot file that Egypt has sponsored in which the SIS has undertaken a major role within the framework of a wider and integrated Egyptian media system.

Touching on the challenges facing the SIS, especially those related to the heads of press offices abroad, Ambassador Khairat said anybody who undertakes such a post should be aware of our needs from the country he is working in including rectifying the image of Egypt or having contacts with the Egyptian community in this country along with promoting the Egyptian economy and tourism. The SIS, he explained, is supplying any press attaché with all the data he needs to meet these requirements but remains the human element. We have media men who are capable, through their contacts, to have good relations while others lack this talent, he added.

As for means of overcoming this sort of challenges, the SIS chairman noted that the start should be with specifying the basic needs of each office out the 32 offices of the SIS in the world capitals. Then comes outlining a plan of action for each office to catalogue its goals and the available tools and the magnitude of difficulties so that an accurate assessment of the job could be undertaken.

Ambassador Khairat said he carefully considers all criticism leveled against the foreign media as part of his keenness on upgrading the SIS performance.

Within the framework of defamation campaigns against Egypt, Ambassador Khairat alluded to the fact that there are media organs in some countries that take over launching these campaigns that are monitored by the Egyptian press offices abroad so that Cairo could respond in an objective way and refute these campaigns.

The press office abroad is meant to open channels of contact with the influential parties and newspapers chief editors in a bid to rectify the image of Egypt. Also, the SIS is maintaining dialogues with the foreign correspondents to Egypt whose number hits 1,000. Gaza events were a good example on best media management of a regional crisis through holding press conferences for correspondents to highlight Egypt's inalienable stances regarding the issue, especially about the crossing file.

As for his vision to attain the best benefit from the potentials of the SIS inside and outside Egypt and upgrade its performance, Ambassador Khairat said the SIS had had 41 press offices abroad. They were slimmed down to 32 for rationalizing expenses. As for the local scene, the SIS has 65 offices and 29 press centers that work for spreading the media mission at the developmental, cultural and social levels, he added