Saudi Shoura Council Speaker pays fruitful visit to Egypt, conveys King Abdullah’s greetings to President Mubarak

Egypt, Saudi Arabia discuss regional developments, means to enhance inter-Arab cooperation

Egyptian PM says King Abdullah’s visit to Syria would help cement Arab-Arab ties

Shoura Council Speaker signs memo with Egyptian counterpart to further cooperation, set up joint cooperation committee

Egyptian President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak received Shoura Council Chairman Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Ibrahim Al Alsheikh and the accompanying delegation currently visiting Egypt.

During the audience, the chairman conveyed greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to the president who also sent his greetings to the king.

In a statement following the audience, the chairman hailed the meeting in which Saudi-Egyptian cooperation was reviewed.

Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif reiterated the important roles of the leaderships of Saudi Arabia under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Egypt under President Hosni Mubarak to bring about peace, stability and security in the Arab region, particularly in the domain of the region’s current conditions and crises.

He commended the tireless efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his wise vision aimed at Arab unity and defusing the conflict between Arabs, and praised the historical attitudes of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in the framework of bridging the gap in the Arab region.

In a meeting with Dr. Abdullah bin Ibrahim AL Sheikh, the Chairman of the Shoura (Consultative) Council, Nazif drew attention to the visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Syria which had a profound impact in advancing Arab-Arab relations to levels that serve the Arab peoples and to achieve greater stability, security and peace for the region.

In the meeting, which was also attended by Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Hisham Nazer, the Egyptian Prime Minister stressed that such wise policies adopted by the Kingdom find all respect and support of President Mubarak, in view of the two countries status and importance as central pillars in achieving stability and peace in the Arab world, noting the level of relations and the strong brotherly relations that tie up the Kingdom and Egypt following the recent visit by Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, to the Arab Republic of Egypt.

On his part, Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim Al Al Sheikh lauded the deep-rooted and strong relations being enjoyed by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. "These relations extend through history since the King Abdulaziz Era - the Founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia until the current wise reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz".

The purpose of this visit, the Shoura Chief said, is to further enhance relations with the neighboring Arab countries, particularly Egypt for its important role in the regional and international arenas.

As regards the recent visit of Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz to Egypt, Dr Al Al Sheikh said it resulted in inking a number of agreements in spheres of Science, researches, technology, industry and security. "The agreements will contribute in the advancement and development of the two peoples".

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa received Saudi Shoura Council Speaker Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh.

During the meeting, they discussed ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

The meeting was attended by Ambassador Nazer and the delegation accompanying the Shoura Council Speaker.

Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi received Saudi Shoura Council Speaker Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh.

During the meeting, they discussed ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Ambassador Nazer and the delegation accompanying the Shoura Council Speaker.

Egypt’s Shoura Council Speaker Safwat Al-Sherif and visiting Saudi counterpart Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh held talks in the presence of representatives of the two chambers.

During the meeting a number of issues of mutual concern to the two countries, covering the political, economic, cultural and social fields, were discussed.

In a joint press conference following the meeting, Sherif and Al Al-Sheikh expressed happiness of the success of the meeting. For his part, Al Al-Sheikh said it is obvious that Cairo comes as his first leg of an official tour outside the Kingdom since assuming office, noting that the visit reflects the deep-rooted relations binding the two countries under the prudent leadership of King Abdullah and President Mubarak.

Sherif held a dinner banquet in honor of visiting Saudi counterpart Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh and the accompanying delegation.

The banquet was attended by senior officials and Ambassador Nazer.

Chairman of the Shoura Council Dr. Abdullah Al Asheikh and his Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Safwat Al-Sherif signed a memorandum of understanding.

The memo is aimed at boosting bilateral parliamentary cooperation, consultation as well as the exchange of parliamentary reports.

The memo, which gives both councils full access to databases, also focuses on organizing training courses.

A joint committee has also been set up.