Egyptians in the Kingdom and in their own country were euphoric Saturday after King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, ordered the reopening of the Saudi embassy in Cairo and consulates in Alexandria and Suez. Welcoming the decision, Mohamed Amr, Egypt's Foreign Minister, said he had been in constant contact with Prince Saud Al-Faisal, his counterpart in the Kingdom, over the past week to discuss ways to consolidate “the close relations between our nations”. Jamal Enayt, a media expert, said King Abdullah's decision was a positive outcome following the efforts of the high-ranking Egyptian delegation which visited the Kingdom. Muhammad Al-Fawal, deputy editor-in-chief of Al-Joumhouria newspaper, told Saudi Gazette that King Abdullah's decision enhances bilateral relations between the Kingdom and Egypt. Imam Yousuf, head of the union of Egyptian expatriates in the Kingdom, lauded the decision saying King Abdullah cares about Egypt and its interests. Majdi Basyouni, an Egyptian investor in the Kingdom, similarly expressed his deep gratitude to King Abdullah for protecting the interests of thousands of Egyptians and hundreds of thousands of Egyptian Umrah performers who are awaiting processing of their visas. Muhammad Al-Sharqawi, an Egyptian businessman in Riyadh, said King Abdullah has shown the world that historic Saudi-Egyptian relations are too solid to be affected by the recent “unfortunate incidents”. Muhammad Al-Jundi, a member of the Society of Egyptian Expatriates in the Kingdom, expressed his appreciation for the King's decision to reopen the Saudi mission and for “not giving the machinations of an insignificant number of troublemakers” a chance to cause a rift between the two brotherly countries. Meanwhile, the Saudi embassy in Cairo said Ambassador Ahmad Al-Qattan returned to Egypt Saturday to resume work. A Saudi official said on Friday that the ambassador would return to Cairo next week. __
