During a meeting with a number of Egyptian journalists, researchers and intellectuals, the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir released essential information and answered important questions very comfortably. The meeting that was also attended by Saudi Ambassador to Cairo Ahmed Kattan, was not apparently enough; thus, a second meeting was held. The second meeting was attended by great intellectuals including Dr. Sayyed Yassin, Mustafa Fiki, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, political researcher Abdel Moneim Said, the Nasserist journalist Ahmad Gammal, columnist Amr Abdel Samea and me. From the first moment, I have felt that al-Jubeir wanted to hear probably more than to talk, but eventually he responded and explained a lot of ambiguous matters. Abdel Moneim Said spoke about the issue of Tiran and Sanafir islands, revealing his opinion based on some historical information. He considered the timing of the signing of the border demarcation agreement was completely wrong as it was supposed to be several months before or after, for the current political situation contributes to provoking grassroots. Depending on his long political and professional experience, Makram Mohamed Ahmed said there were differences between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, specifically in Yemen. Unlike the Saudi vision, Egypt saw Yemen as the Vietnam quagmire. The Syrian issue and the fate of Assad was also a point of difference, but he stressed that the gap has recently narrowed a lot. Sayyed Yassin has taken us into a very important area with focusing on information technology, and the need to deal with the new developments, stressing on the importance of exchanging information, especially in times of crisis, because the presence of the correct information removes confusion, while the lack of information creates significant contradiction, ambiguity and suspicion over the issues. Mustafa Fiki, as usual, was different, with tackling King Salman's new policy at this stage that made the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia acts independently from the US decision. According to Fiki, Salman has put the national interests of the Kingdom in mind, and has started to take decisions away from the US desires. He pointed out that when US President Barack Obama's endeavors to make rapprochement with Iran, King Salman rejected the American demands. The real surprise for me was from the Nasseri writer Ahmad Al-Gamal, when some people used an audio clip to the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, which says that Tiran Island is Egyptian. Al-Gamal said that Abdel Nasser conducted a number of political revisions after 1967, pointing out that Abdel Nasser said that as a political wrangling due to the conflict with Israel, and Heikel in his book Sanawat Al-Ghalayan (Boiling Years) pointed out that the two islands are Saudis and the great thinker Gamal Hamdan proved in his studies that the two islands are Saudis. My turn to talk, and because I relied on clear and specific information about the relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, I talked a lot, and I think that what I have said was the motive for Saudi Arabia Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir to speak about many confusing files. I said that Egypt is a big country, undoubtedly, and its relationship with Saudi Arabia is a fate relation, and no one on earth could deny or ignore this fact, so I consider King Salman bin Abdul Aziz's visit to Cairo at this time such as the nuclear bomb, which blew up all the files and then settled in the land to make it suitable for life and understanding together. I know that a dispute happened about «decisive storm» because it was unreasonable to communicate with the Egyptian leadership to ask them to enter with you the war before two hours only from carrying it, and then what happened in Syria, I know that there was a dispute as the Egyptian state has a clear and specific position to not sacrifice the Syrian state, which is not related to the future of Bashar al-Assad. I also said that we have a clear dispute with Turkey, which wants to lead the region and this is not acceptable because we want an Arab leadership for the region, and then we saw that there is a harmony between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which made us thought that Saudi Arabia will seek for peace between Egypt and Turkey; although what it did to Egypt after June 30. As I pointed to the misunderstanding in the Turkish file, I also referred to Iran file, saying that Saudi Arabia has a wrong idea about Egypt's relations with Iran, despite the fact that we have a unit to combat the Iranian expansion in the region, and military academies students study the historical hostility with the Safavid dynasty, our principle is against rapprochement with Iran, but the problem that Saudi Arabia imagined that as long as Egypt is converging with Israel, it will converge with Iran, and then Saudi Arabia began to deal with this scenario as if it is real, despite the fact that none of this did not happen. For Syria, al-Jubeir said that his country's position concerning Syria is very clear and there is no need for any confusion and misinterpretation. While, Egypt's position is clear and is in accordance with Geneva talks 1 and 2, as well as Security Council resolution, all of which demand new constitution and new leadership, which is the same as the position of Saudi Arabia's position. On the transition period, He wondered about the existence of a transition period, in which Bashar would remain president, stressing that Saudi Arabia refuse the idea of Bashar remaining as president, adding the his country stands firm with the unity of the Syrian state. However, he pointed out that Saudi Arabia does not have any problem with Alawite family, as Bashar is the one with a problem, because he is the one who cut off all relations with the Arab states, and rushed into the arms of Iran. Al-Jubeir referred to the death of more than 400 thousand Syrians and to the nearly 12 million displaced Syrians at the hands of Bashar, adding that this was not accepted by anyone. He revealed that Obama does not believe in military solution in Syria, describing this as a kiss of life to Bashar Al Assad. In the meantime, Obama supports the Syrian armed opposition with intelligence, as a result Saudi Arabia's intervene was a necessity and important. Shifting from Syria to Turkey, al-Jubeir said that his country cannot allow Turkey to lead the Sunni world, because this would be a blow to its legitimacy, as Saudi Arabia is aware that dealing with Turkey can never be on Egypt's expense. On the contrary, dealing with Turkey would be for the sake of Egypt, as this is a foregone conclusion, he added. However, he talked the issue of Tiran and Sanafir islands, saying that Saudi Arabia has documents indicating that both islands belong to it originally. He explained that the documents confirming this were published, including the talks between Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud Al Faisal and Egyptian former foreign minister. Al-Jubeir pointed out that the admired professor of international law, Mufid Shehab had written a research paper confirming Saudi Arabia's right in both islands. The talks lasted until President Sisi came, and Saudi Arabia has postponed the announcement of receiving the two islands, in order to wait for the king's visit to Egypt, as the deal is considered to be important, al-Jubeir clarified. In a response to whoever seek to exploit the situation, particularly Muslim Brotherhood who portray it as a surrender of the land, he stressed that the situation does not include any surrendering at all, as the land originally belongs to Saudi Arabia and has returned to it. He affirmed that the land has been returned in the framework of the demarcation of borders, adding that Saudi Arabia would help Egypt in demarcating its southern borders in a way that protects its right in Halayeb and Shalateen. On terrorism, al-Jubeir said his country is cooperating with Egypt to confront terrorism, as Saudi Arabia is included in the joint Arab force initiated by Egypt, a decision which Saudi Arabia will not avert from, confirming that his country realizes that terrorism is the biggest threat facing the region. On King Salman's visit to Cairo, of which al-Jubeir described as a nuclear bomb, he said: "We came to you after we learned that the World Bank refused to support Egypt, we came with projects that would boost Egypt's economy." He explained that his country made investments worth $ 30 billion, despite its deposit in the central bank, which is worth $ 10 billion, adding that the huge bridge will result in a cultural shift, through which Saudi Arabia seeks to establish a free zone in south Sinai that will facilitate the pilgrimage road, and the world would pass through this bridge. Saudi foreign minister chose to conclude his words by saying that there is no place for sentiment in politics, as all within the international community act in accordance to own interests and requirements of national security, which is what Egypt is doing as well, as it acts in accordance to its interests and national security.
