Egypt's ruling military council on Tuesday denied any pressures from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to prevent the prosecution of former President Hosni Mubarak. Arab media reports had pointed to Gulf pressures on Egypt to avoid prosecuting Mubarak and to halt any Egyptian-Iranian rapprochement. A Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) senior official quoted by Egyptian media outlets on 9 April, Ismail Etman, said a number of Gulf states had offered to support Egypt financially in return for preventing Mubarak's prosecution. But Etman said the issue was up to judicial authorities. But the SCAF, through a message published on its Facebook page Tuesday morning, dismissed reports of pressure from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It stressed the "historical ties" between Egypt and both countries, saying that Gulf security is integral to Egypt's own national security. The military council urged media outlets to report accurately, in case they damage the interests of Egypt and Arab states. Earlier this month, a number of media reports said that Saudi Arabia threatened to lay off Egyptian workers and withdraw its investments in Egypt, should Mubarak be prosecuted. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz had voiced full support for the former president during the 25 January revolution, which forced Mubarak to step down on 11 February. Emirati sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Sunday that authorities had decided to halt work visas for Egyptian residents because of uncertainty over Egypt's post-revolution foreign policy. Translated from the Arabic Edition
