Friday, June 1, 2007

Egypt and Saudi Arabia

To tell you the truth this is the first time from a very long the Egyptian-Saudi Relations become like this, in fact I don’t know how to describe but for sure it is not as it used to be from couple of months, friendly good relations between the oldest allies in the region, the two heads of the Arab and Sunni world not mention they are the American voice in the region nor as bad it used to be in the first half of the 1960 when Egypt and Saudi Arabia started unnecessary war of the words thanks to Nasser that ended in to sinking in the Yemen Swamp

I don’t know how to describe it, I mean from couple of weeks Egypt woke up in a small news in the Al-Ahram daily newspaper front page saying that the King of Saudi Arabia will open the bridge project linking between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the red sea ,it was a strange small news indeed because we didn’t hear anything in the news in Egypt regarding this project as it is expected if the king is going to open the project from the KSA side then the president must open it from the Egyptian side at least the protocols say so but it seemed that the President Schedule didn’t include any bridges what so ever !! Stranger than this was that the ministry of housing and building didn’t have any information what so ever about any bridges that were going to build between Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Already it was not the first time we hear about that Bridge, because Saudi Arabia wanted it to be built just like the Bridge between the kingdom and Bahrain from several years ago and the talk about the bridge came alive again after the tragedy of the Egyptian ferry last year, as this bridge can prevent these tragic accident but it was only talk So what made Al-Ahram publish this strange news, I don’t know but it sure it showed that the Saudi – Egyptian relations are not okay because despite the silence of the Saudi party there was a huge storm in Egypt

Starting from the president himself, who said that he would stand against this bridge himself to protect Sharm El-Sheikh!!

I wish he would say I will stand against to protect the environment and the red sea but as usual he said nonsense at least from my point of view

I mean he said that he won’t approve such a project to protect Sharm El-Sheikh from noise and it is a quiet city, the bridge will destroy tourism, well one thing for sure Sharm is not that quiet, it is not like Marsa Matrouh in fact I believe the tourism ministry destroyed this city with all those resorts, of course no one was convinced with such silly alibis.

The real reason behind this rejection for the Saudi offer, the generous offer as Egypt will pay nothing is the security of the President in his castle in Movenpick resort. Of course for some there are others besides the previous one ; many were talking about that this is against the camp David accords or Israel doesn’t want this bridge, on the contrary I believe Israel would be happy for the existence of this bridge

Already I believe this bridge got no future because it will be destroyed in the first hours in a possible future war between Egypt and Israel, come on the war option is still there and it must be put in consideration.

As I said the primary reason is the protection to the President because with the existence of such bridge the city will be populated 24/7, the security won’t be able to have a control like now

Anyhow I believe jealousy here also plays a role, I mean in the last couple of months KSA took over the role of Egypt in several important issues like the Lebanese, Palestinian and Iraqi issues

But as I said I can’t describe the relations whether if they are good or bad ,simply on the same level ,the minister of manpower made a deal with the KSA where in brief Egypt will export to the KSA thousands of girls to work as maids in the Saudi houses !! Yes maids and the number if I am not mistaken they are 120,000 girls!! From teachers, physicians and engineers to maids, what can I say?? Well already there is a great debate in Egypt about this scandal and the minister Aisha Abd El-Hady has no courage at all to appear neither in the media nor in the assembly just to answer the questions or even defend herself

So can anyone please tell how can we have cold relations with KSA and at the same time we export our girls to be enslaved there by a governmental order??

6 comments:

  1. I've heard the reefs (coral?) around Sharm are ruined due to all the tourism already, so why not just say no to save what's left of the environment? I had a friend who lived in Doha and said weekends there were maddening because of all The Saudis coming over to party and the bridge was one big traffic jam. Besides, who the hell wants to visit Saudi Arabia, except for Umra or Haj?

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  2. VAGABONDBLOGGER. IT SEEMS THAT THERE A LOT YOU NEED TO LEARN ABOUT ARABS;

    Israel is an allien body implanted in the middle of Arab homes. It prevented the natural process of Arabs slowly getting together on the long way towards unity which is the only way to ensure that arabs go back to their natural poition at the forefront of the world. It has been constantly draing our resources and energies.

    that bridge could reconnecteastern and wstern arabs. Also it ould reate a huge demographic pressure on Israel. which the best way to contain Israel untill the day of its annhilation

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  3. Amr: I didn't mention Israel in my comment, as I don't consider them relevant to why the Saudis would want to build a bridge. I don't think it would solidify any "Arab" relationships at all. I do think it would be a haven for the Saudis to take advantage of Egyptian hospitality and it's environment. Oh, and btw, just because you build a "bridge" across the sea, does not mean you are "bridging" relationships. And the only people putting pressure on the Israelis right now are the Persians. Perhaps, once the Arabs take care of their own domestic policies they can unite, but right now, in Egypt for instance, Mubarak's priority is getting rid of the Muslim Brotherhood before another election. Also, if the Arab world wants to do something constructive, why don't they unite to put pressure on Bashir to stop the genocidal slaughter of black Muslims by Arab Muslims?

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  4. @vegabondblogger

    Darfour is terrible episode in the human history.

    However there is a big chun of misconceptions here!

    ethnic cleansing is is a common practice in Africa. look at the totsy and huto. Those so called Arabs in Darfour are not Arabs at all. It is all a part of some ethnic problems in Sudan.
    The viscious international media is emphasising the Arabs commitin genocide discourse,as a part of the sytematic tendency in western media to demonise Arabs and their great civilsation.

    THE PROBLEM MAINLY ARISE FROM LINGUISTICS.

    they are all blck people in sudan . Those who have a nomadic lifestyle and speak a language influenced by Arabic are called Arabs.

    look at the black Ethiopians for example, their sawahily language is influenced by Arabs, and they tend to have less negroid features than wst africans, bu does that qualify them to be Arabs? of course not.

    as for Persians, well, it seems to me that you are not wel informed on middle east affairs.

    Persian death squads are ethnically clansing arabs in Iraq, especially palestinains who were priveliged by sadam.

    IRAN AND PERSIANS ARE NOTHING BUT A BIG MOUTH PHENOMENA. looK iRAN NEVER FOUGHT ISRAEL IN ITS ENTIRE HISTROY. THEY ONLY WENT INTO WAR AGINST THE MUCH SMALLER IRAQ FOR 8 LONG YEARS WHICH ENDED IN THEIR SHATTERING DEFEAT FOR THE IRANIAN TERRORISTS AND THEIR LUNATEC kHOMEINI.

    IN 1981 ISRAEL BOMBARDED THE IRAQI NUCLEAR REACTOR AN ASSASSINATED THE eGYPTIAN YEHIA EL MASHAD ATOMIC SCIENTIST. bUT WHEN IT COMES TO iRAN THEY NEVER DO ANYTHING. sIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DONT TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY.

    i THINK YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN WAS DEPENDENT ON iSRAEL IN ARMS DURING ITS WAR AGAINST ARABS. THE SHAH'S IRAN WAS SUPPLYING ISRAEL WITH OIL DURING ITS WAR WITH eGYPT.

    THE SHAh's IRAN MOBILSEDITS ARMY on iraqi border to pevent a full iraq intervention.


    Now IRAN AND ISRAEL SHARE THE SAME INTERESTS WHICH ARE DEARABISIN IRAQ AND BRINGING IT UNDER THE DIRTY PERSIAN INFLUENCE. Because that would entail a drastic reduction in Arab strategic weight and the removal of one of the most powerful and developed Arab country from the strategic equation in the middle east.

    Israel is arming kurds while Iran is training, arming death squads in addition to direct involvement. The worst of its numerous crimes was pushing back into iraq arabic speaking perians who were kicked out of iraq in sixtis and seventies because of prsian lineage and loyality and some for commiting treason during the sacred war of defence against Iranian fantic terorists in the eighties.

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  5. You are in denial over what's going on in the Sudan. Go here to read what Arab journalists say about what's going on in Darfur and how it's been covered in the Arab media:http://www.arabmediasociety.com/. Please don't try to tell me that tribal differences (that being Arab v. black) are not at play here. And don't try to lecture me on Arab politics. Our maid is a black Sudanese whose native language is Arabic. It's the official language of Sudan, for all Sudanese regardless of color.
    I was not referring to the Shah who the Americans placed in power. I am referring to the current regime, undertaking nuclear power and set on destroying Israel. They deny the Holocaust. Fine, from a Greek viewpoint, you explain that to my people! Ahmadinejad is one crazy ass, who's cracking down on defiance and set on his little course. I also do not like his influence over the Shiites in Iraq, but that's another chaotic story. Also, just because the African continent has undergone genocide in the past, does make it okay now.
    Every weekend I post a censorship list and censorship throughout the world has gotten worse not better, especially in the Middle East and Central Asia. The fist is coming down all around us and instead of being concerned with decent human liberties, you are obsessed with Israel and Iran. Look around you and what do you see? If you are in Egypt, then I think you see people who know it makes no difference what their opinion is and that their vote doesn't count and if they do speak out they will get arrested. Nothing will ever be done about Israel until the Arabs have open democracies, with concern about the welfare of their citizens more so than their own power.
    Oh and btw, you don'y need to yell to get your point across.

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  6. @Vagabondblogger,nature was destroyed in Sharm El-Shekih thanks to the tourism in a stupid way ,by the way you forgot the Egyptians who are working and living in KSA ,they are said to be more than one million

    @amr,as vagabond said you don't need a bridge to reconnet the relation ,for god sake we made union with Syria in 1959 and we didn't need a bridge then
    also we brough Sudan and Iran as usual

    already folks as I said i don't think it would be a good idea because I can imagine how many accidents will be on this bridge thanks to the rackless driving of the Saudis , also the Saudis and Gulf tourists still don't reach Sinai thank God because we don't need more prostition or drugs in the city ,already they are enough in Sinai
    look the Saudis wanted to stop the Egyptian ferries accidents and they should be thanks for that ,it is our turn to stop these accidents effectively ,starting with arresting the man who caused these accidents in the first place

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