Al Sissi to visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow

Fears growing in Cairo and Riyadh Al Houthis will control strategic Red Sea shipping lanes

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi will visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow, his first trip to the allied kingdom since King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz ascended to the throne last month, state television reported yesterday.

The two leaders will discuss boosting Egyptian-Saudi relations “in view of the kingdom’s appreciated stances”, the broadcaster said, quoting presidential spokesman Ala’a Yousuf.

Saudi Arabia has been one of Egypt’s staunchest regional allies since mid-2013 when the army toppled president Mohammad Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The visit will be an opportunity to review the latest regional developments, mainly the deterioration [of the situation] in Yemen,” Yousuf said.

Yemen, a neighbour of Saudi Arabia, is in the grip of a deepening political crisis after Al Houthi rebels captured the capital Sana’a and put internationally recognised President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi under house arrest.

Hadi, backed by the Gulf countries, fled Sana’a last week to the southern city of Aden, where he is trying to establish a power base.

Fears are growing in Cairo and Riyadh that the Al Houthis, believed to be backed by Iran, will control strategic Red Sea shipping lanes, thus threatening Egyptian and Saudi maritime routes.

Al Sissi’s one-day visit comes a week after the Egyptian leader proposed the creation of a unified Arab force to fight terrorism. Earlier this month, Egypt launched air strikes against extremists’ targets in chaotic Libya after Daesh militants released a video showing their decapitation of 21 Egyptian migrant workers there.

Egypt is hosting next month a Saudi-backed economic conference and a pan-Arab summit on which Al Sissi’s government is pinning hopes to project an image of stability after four years of unrest and attract badly needed foreign investment.