Egyptian president in Kingdom in first ever foreign visit JEDDAH — King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy met in Jeddah Wednesday and discussed the latest developments at regional and international levels. The Egyptian leader flew into Saudi Arabia Wednesday evening at the start of his first foreign trip after sworn into office, underscoring the traditionally close ties between the two regional powerhouses. The King congratulated Morsy on his election as Egypt's president and wished him all success in serving his country and people. Morsy underlined his country's strong ties with Saudi Arabia and thanked the King for the warm welcome extended to the Egyptian delegation. The talks were attended by Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense; Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister; Prince Muqren Bin Abdul Aziz, head of the General Intelligence; Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region; Prince Mit'eb Bin Abdullah, State Minister, Cabinet Member and Commander of the National Guard, Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other senior officials. Morsy is accompanied by Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Ali Amr and Chief of Intelligence Murad Mohammed Ahmed Muwafi. Crown Prince Salman welcomed Morsy and his delegation at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Prince Bandar Bin Salman and a number of officials were also present at the airport to welcome the Egyptian leader. Morsy asserted his country's commitment to the security of the Kingdom and other Gulf allies. Some 1.6 million Egyptians live and work in Saudi Arabia, which is also one of the biggest investors in Egypt. The Egyptian Consul in Jeddah, Ali Al Aachry, was quoted as saying that Morsy's visit to Saudi Arabia is a highly important event because it was his first foreign visit, which in itself underlines the strong relations between the two countries and its people. Morsy left for Saudi Arabia amid a showdown with the military, which ruled Egypt for 16 months after President Hosni Mubarak's ouster. In a statement shortly before his departure, Morsy said he wanted talks with the judiciary and political powers to defuse the crisis over his bid to reinstate parliament in defiance of generals who dissolved it last month based on a court ruling. The statement appeared to be a call for a truce to prevent the crisis, less than two weeks into his presidency, from boiling over into open confrontation with the military council or the judges in his battle to wrest power. “There will be consultations among all political forces, institutions and the supreme council of judicial authorities to find the best way out of this situation in order to overcome this stage together," Morsy's statement said. The saga began when the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled on June 14, shortly before Morsy was elected, that the Islamist-led lower house was void and the then-ruling army dissolved it. The president recalled parliament this week but was slapped down in another court ruling hours after it convened on Tuesday. According to his statement, Morsy said he was “committed to the rulings of Egyptian judges and very keen to manage state powers and prevent any confrontation". For many Egyptians, though, the stand-off threatens further uncertainty that has plagued the nation since Mubarak was toppled by mass protests in February 2011, sending the economy into a slump and tipping many deeper into poverty. Presidential spokesman Yasser Ali, in a comment on the statement, said Morsy wanted to “find a way out of the legislative vacuum caused by the dissolution of parliament". – Agencies
