CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit's statement that arguably downplayed the imprisonment and lashing of two Egyptian doctors in Saudi Arabia has drawn mixed reactions from the doctors' families and activists. Last week, Aboul Gheit said that the case should be calmly discussed between Egyptian and Saudi Arabian authorities, and that the media fuss over it could have to serious consequences. This week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hossam Zaki echoed this statement, saying that the Egyptian government favors quiet diplomacy in this particular case. I don t believe that the campaign would affect relations between the two countries as it is not directed against someone in particular but it s for exposing corruption and injustice, Nageeb Gobraeil, a lawyer and president of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organization (EUHRO), told Daily News Egypt. The Egyptian doctors were accused of dealing in illegal narcotics and sentenced to 15 and 20 years in prison as well as 1,500 lashes. The Saudi official news agency said on Sunday that one of the doctors had an illegal affair with a female patient, who is believed to be a princess he was treating for a back injury. One of the two doctors Raouf Amin, was accused of driving a Saudi princess to addiction after treating her for over two years. He was initially sentenced to seven years in prison and 700 lashes, but when he appealed the verdict, the judge more than doubled the penalty to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes. Fathiya Shihata, Raouf s wife, refused to comment on the minister s statement. However, she told Daily News Egypt that she met with Ambassador Hossam Zaki on Saturday accompanied by members from 14 rights groups, including Doctors Without Rights and two delegates from the Ministry of Health and the Journalists' Syndicate. Shihata said Zaki assured them that the case would be resolved soon. Rights groups demanded a presidential intervention in the case and according to reports; Zaki promised them that President Hosni Mubarak will discuss the issue with Saudi King Abdullah over the phone. Zaki announced after the meeting that although Egypt favors quiet diplomacy, it will not abandon the case. The campaign has broken silence not only about the doctors case but also about the kafeel (guarantor) system, hoping to find a better and more suitable arrangement for Egyptians abroad, Gobraeil added. In order for foreigners to obtain work in Saudi Arabia and some Arabian Gulf countries, they need a guarantor, which is someone who is officially responsible for them and for their visa. However, many Egyptians find this insulting and unnecessary. According to Gobraeil, there are 70,000 Egyptians working in Jeddah and only three employees at the Egyptian Consulate to take care of them. What is sad is that Ali Al Eshery, an Egyptian attaché in our consulate in Jeddah, visited the two doctors for the first time this week even though they have been locked away for almost two years, Gobraeil said. Gobraeil told Daily News Egypt that the lashing sentence was suspended temporarily as an indirect result of the campaign.
