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Anil. due at inception S27M) plus Oldsmobile owner loyalty (includes down payment, Sec. 1st payment.) Dep., acq. People who test drive a Saab, usually buy a Saab. Based on GM Disc. plus tax, title & plate w/approved credit, 20¢ per mile over 12,000 miles, 12,000 per year 9-5 sedan. Includes dest. w/Oldsmobile owner loyalty. Subject to program changes. GLOSSMOIN 26 Congress upset by Egyptian TV show. JAMES D. BESSER Live Violin Music 12:00 Bias And Dollars T he State Department isn't exactly eating crow, but the U.S. diplomats who last week let Egypt off the hook for the ongoing broadcast of an anti- Semitic television miniseries are now backtracking in the face of congres- sional outrage. The Capitol Hill backlash could change the character of the annual debate over Egypt's $2 billion in for- eign aid, although it is unlikely to change the outcome. At the same time, there are hints the Bush admin- istration wants to refocus U.S. aid to Arab countries on democracy build- ing. And that could pose big problems for Egypt, the second biggest U.S. aid recipient after Israel and a state that has ruthlessly suppressed dissent. The lateSt controversy involves the Ramadan broadcast of Horseman Without a Horse, an Egyptian televi- sion miniseries based in part on the anti-Semitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. • Jewish groups report that the Bush administration pressed the government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hard on the issue — but the Egyptians steadfastly maintained they couldn't stop the broadcast because it would be a violation of free expression. "That's particularly insulting because there is no free expression or free press in Egypt," said Rep. Eliot Engel, D- N.Y. But last week, after the first broad- casts of the 41-part series, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the Bush administration was satisfied that "there were no refer- ences in the program to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion czarist forgery designed to incite violence against Jews. We also welcome the public assurances by the Egyptian govern- ment that the program contains no anti-Semitic material." But the State Department changed its tune after subsequent episodes delved into the Protocols. Over the weekend, a State Department spokesperson said the show "does great harm to Egypt's reputation." Despite protests from Washington, the pro- gram has been enthusiastically picked up by television stations and networks across the Arab world. Rep. Engel said a cut in Egypt aid is unlikely, especially now that Washington is gearing up for an attack against Iraq. Even holding some of Egypt's money in escrow until the gov- ernment cracks down on media anti- Semitism, as the Anti-Defamation League has suggested, is not likely. But Engel said that there will be a difference in the aid debate next spring, with a closer examination of exactly why Egypt needs more than $1 billion in military aid and more scruti- ny of how economic aid is used. "There will be a very active discus- sion this time around about whether our aid is contributing to Mubarak's iron grip — and whether some of the aid is supporting the same propaganda organizations that are spewing out all this anti-Semitism," said a congressional staffer. ADL Director Abraham Foxman Rep. Engel said despite mount- ing pressure on the Cairo government, "this will probably not be a turning point in relations with Egypt. But there's no question it will sour rela- tions. They have not shown an iota of understanding of why this kind of open anti-Semitism is a problem for the Jewish community or for the U.S. government." Aid For Israel Aid is also on the minds of Israeli offi- cials, although with the U.S. budget crisis producing panic in Washington, they are broaching the subject with utmost caution. Despite a flurry of trial balloons out of Israel suggesting aid requests that could go as high as $10 billion, Israeli sources say no decisions have been made about how much or what kinds of aid to ask for. "In recent meetings (with adminis- tration officials) we have discussed the difficulties the Israeli economy is expe- riencing," said an Israeli official.