CAIRO: Egypt's Chief of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, called Saudi king Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz. The telephone call came after the Saudi government recalled its ambassador and closed its embassy in Cairo and its two consulates in Alexandria and Suez. Tantawi said the Egyptian people greatly appreciate the leadership and people of Saudi Arabia, according to a statement released by Egypt's State Information Service to Bikyamasr.com. King Abdullah said he understands the situation, asserting the depth and stability of Egyptian-Saudi relations. He said further, that what combines both countries is bigger than any passing incident. Relations between both countries became tense over the arrest of an Egyptian national, the activist-lawyer Gizawi, in Saudi Arabia recently on drug-related charges. Protests outside the Saudi embassy were comparatively small and without incident, though, last year an angry mob breached the security at the Israeli embassy in Cairo, and climbed the walls of the building to enter the facility. Early yesterday morning, about a half-dozen armed vehicles and troops from the SCAF secured the perimeter of the Saudi embassy in Cairo, and there were no protesters present.