Cairo: Egypt Wednesday welcomed a call from Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz for Cairo to back a recent Gulf agreement to end a dispute with Qatar, a staunch ally of Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
“Egypt expresses full confidence in the wisdom and vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and highly appreciates his efforts in the best interests of the Arab and Islamic nations,” the Egyptian presidency said in a statement aired on official television, referring to the Saudi king.
The reaction came shortly after the Saudi monarch urged the “people and leadership of Egypt” to back the accord announced by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday in which Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates agreed to return their ambassadors to Qatar- a member of the council-- ending an eight-month spat.
The Egyptian government accuses Qatar of backing the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist president Mohammad Mursi toppled by the army in mid-2013 following massive street protests against his one-year rule.
Earlier this year, Cairo recalled its envoy from Doha in a sign of displeasure with Qatar, which shelters several Islamists wanted by Egypt allegedly for involvement in violence.
“Egypt stresses its full response to this sincere call, which constitutes a major step in the march of Arab solidarity,” the presidential statement said, referring to King Abdullah’s call.
“We look forward to a new era, turning over the page of differences of the past,.”the statement said, without naming Qatar.
Saudi Arabia along with the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have pumped billions of dollars into the battered Egyptian economy since Mursi’s ouster.
