Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz said on Friday afternoon that Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan would return to Cairo within 48 hours. His statements came during a meeting with an Egyptian delegation, led by Parliament, that is currently visiting Saudi Arabia to smooth relations between the two countries. The delegation includes People's Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny, Shura Council Speaker Ahmed Fahmy, other MPs from various parties, representatives from Al-Azhar and the Coptic Church, university professors and public intellectuals, and athletes. The delegation is estimated to consist of 124 people, who arrived in Riyadh on Thursday evening for a two day visit. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal met with the Egyptian delegation on Thursday night. The visit aims to assuage tensions that have escalated over the last two weeks. Mass protests broke out outside the Saudi Embassy in Cairo after protesters learned that Egyptian lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy had been detained by Saudi authorities upon entering the country. The Saudis allege that Gizawy brought drugs into the country, but reports have indicated that Gizawy had been sentenced in absentia to one year in prison and 20 lashes for criticizing the Saudi King and government for its treatment of Egyptian prisoners in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Cairo and shut down consulates in Alexandria and Suez in response to the protests. Egyptians have also been refused entrance visas to Saudi Arabia. Egypt has expressed its regret over the ambassador's withdrawal and a number of political and social movements, including the Freedom and Justice Party and a group of Salafi preachers, launched intensive efforts to the repair the relationship between the two countries. Ahmed Said, head of the Free Egyptians Party block in Parliament, refused to participate in the delegation to Saudi Arabia because “the agenda of the visit has not been announced, and no one knows the nature of the visit, nor its causes.” He criticized many politicians, parliamentarians and preachers rushing to Saudi Arabia, saying that he rejected the Saudi closure of the embassy and refusal to grant visas to Egyptians as punishment that is unacceptable to the Egyptian people following the revolution.
