by Staff Writer
August 20, 2013 (TSR) – Swiping at the West, Saudi Arabia says the Kingdom, Arab and Islamic nations will step in to help and will cover the loss to Egypt if Western countries cut their financial aid.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on behalf of his country has voiced strong support to the Egyptian army in its saying that even if other countries cut aids to Cairo, there are Arab and Muslim countries that compensate for them.
Saudi Arabia has been a strong supporter of the Egyptian army’s crackdown on thousands of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and has asked the army to stand firm against protesters.
The statement comes as many Arab, regional and western countries have been calling on the Egyptian army to put an end into the violence and stop using force against protesters.
The remarks by Saudi foreign minister were made upon his return from France where the kingdom’s foreign minister met with French President Francois Hollande.
Hollande in strong terms has condemned brutal police crackdown in Egypt on demonstrators.
Foreign ministers of the European Union are to hold emergency talks on Wednesday to review the bloc’s relations with Cairo.
Prince al-Faisal criticized Western condemnations of Egypt’s security crackdown against Islamists saying Egypt is fighting terrorism and that those vocal nations are “believing propaganda” and assuming “hostile positions towards the interests and the stability of Arab and Islamic nations.”
“All countries that take such negative attitudes toward Egypt should know that the blaze and ruin will not be limited to Egypt alone, but they will be reflected on all those who have contributed or stood by problems and disorders taking place in Egypt today,” Prince al-Faisal said.
“We will not consider those who ignore these facts and drift behind the flimsy propaganda and lies as a good faith or ignorance, but we will consider them as hostile attitudes against the interests of the Arab and Islamic nations and their stability,” Prince al-Faisal added.
King Abdullah was the first leader to send a message of congratulations to caretaker president Adly Mansour, who was appointed shortly after the army deposed Morsi following nationwide protests.
Saudi Arabia later announced an aid package of $5 billion to Egypt. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates followed suit, bringing the pledges made by the three oil-rich Arab states of the Persian Gulf to $12 billion.
The Saudi monarch pledged on Friday the kingdom’s support for Egypt’s fight against “terrorism”, and has ordered the dispatch of three fully-equipped field hospitals to Cairo.
While Saudi’s are confirmed to send aid to Egypt to help military forces clamp down public protests, the United States still dither and US policymakers fail to adopt a unified stance on the military aid pledged by Washington.
On Monday, US congressmen’s effort to adopt a unanimous stance on extending aid to Egypt came to a standstill, leaving the US administration in limbo at a political juncture.
