Saudi Arabia: No Offer To Host Mubarak

The Saudi Ambassador to Cairo Ahmed Abdel-Aziz al-Qattan on Thursday said that his country had not contacted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after he stepped down.

In an interview with Al Ahram newspaper published Thursday, the Saudi envoy rejected reports his country “offered to host Mubarak.”

The Saudi ambassador also strongly denied reports about threatening Egypt to withdraw its investments and to deport Egyptian workers if the former president is put on trial.

Al-Qattan conveyed that he had attended two meetings which took place between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces and the issue of Mubarak was not discussed.

Al-Qattan refused to confirm reports before the departure of Mubarak that Riyadh was ready to support Egypt financially and set up a fund worth US$5 billion in the event Washington suspended its U.S. aid to Egypt.

“No doubt that if the US suspends support for Egypt, Saudi Arabia will not wait long before helping Egypt, whether the president is Hosni Mubarak or other person,” he stated.