Although an Egyptian lawyer is still in detention, once tense Egyptian-Saudi relations have eased, reports Doaa El-Bey Moves to ease tension between Egypt and Saudi Arabia following the detention of the Egyptian lawyer and human rights activist Ahmed El-Gizawi were successful. But El-Gizawi's fate is now in the hands of an investigation. El-Gizawi was questioned by Saudi authorities this week in the presence of Yasser Elwani, the Egyptian consulate's legal consultant, as El-Gizawi requested. Elwani is expected to attend all the sessions. Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman Amr Roushdi told Al-Ahram Weekly that the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah had been following El-Gizawi's case on a daily basis since it was first informed of his arrest. "It is our duty to provide legal support to all Egyptian expatriates who need it. In El-Gizawi's case, he chose a lawyer to defend him. The consulate is monitoring the case with the lawyer and attending the investigations," he added. Charges were officially brought last week against El-Gizawi for possessing illegal pharmaceutical drugs when he tried to enter the kingdom. The case is now with a pre-trial committee which will decide whether to call for the death penalty, amputation or stoning, possible penalties under Saudi law, before referring the case to a religious court. A verdict is expected soon. Khaled Abu Bakr, a lawyer, said that the case is in the hands of Saudi authorities. "All what we can do is guarantee his legal rights, his rights to have a lawyer to defend him. The Egyptian consul can attend all the investigating sessions." The diplomatic row following the case was contained this week. Saudi ambassador to Egypt Ahmed El-Kattan who was recalled by the Saudi authorities last week returned to Egypt earlier this week. The Saudi Embassy and consulates resumed their work on Sunday. El-Kattan was quoted by MENA after his return as saying that the recent standoff was only cursory and that the responses on both sides have shown the depth of relations between the two nations. The row was contained thanks to top Egyptian and Saudi officials which included contacts between Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and Saudi King Abdullah and between the foreign ministers of the two countries in addition to a delegation that visited the kingdom over the weekend. A 124-strong top level Egyptian team headed by parliament speaker Saad El-Katatni visited Saudi Arabia. It included heads of parliamentary groups and political parties, representatives of Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Coptic Church in addition to politicians, media personalities, academics and actors. They met King Abdullah, his defence and foreign ministers as well as the speaker of the Saudi Shura Council. The Saudi information minister and Al-Kattan also attended. King Abdullah announced the decision to return Al-Kattan to Egypt after his meeting with the delegation. Although the visit of the delegation, dubbed "popular diplomacy", brought to mind the successful role of an earlier Egyptian team which visited Ethiopia and Uganda last year to ease the tension between the two countries over differences concerning the Nile water's distribution, the Kingdom's delegation's visit was criticised by many commentators, human rights activists and presidential candidates. A diplomat who talked on condition of anonymity said that the visit to Riyadh was humiliating to Egyptians because it appeared as if Egypt was begging for forgiveness from the Saudis. "In addition, the Egyptian flag was not placed alongside the Saudi flag during the meeting with the Saudi monarch adding more humiliation to Egyptian dignity," he added. Presidential candidate Khaled Ali denounced the Egyptian delegation's visit to Saudi Arabia after it withdrew its ambassador from Cairo. Hamdeen Sabahi, another presidential candidate, said that if he had been president, he would have recalled the Egyptian ambassador to the kingdom. He added Egypt should immediately sever relations with Saudi Arabia if it does not respect the dignity of Egyptians. The arrest of El-Gizawi in mid-April sparked protests in front of the Saudi Embassy demanding his release. His family and the Egyptian media said then he was detained because of his criticism of the kingdom and its treatment of Egyptians there and for filing lawsuits defending Egyptians detained in the Gulf kingdom. As a result, he was sentenced in absentia to a year in prison and 20 lashes. Egyptian protesters demonstrated in front of the embassy with some reports saying some protesters tried to storm the compound. It was then that Riyadh withdrew its ambassador from Egypt and closed its embassy and consulates in the country. Egyptian human rights activists linked El-Gizawi's detention to his anti-Saudi stand. However, the Saudi Embassy issued a statement stating El-Gizawi was arrested in a Saudi airport trying to smuggle outlawed anti-depressant pills into the kingdom. The statement added that Saudi law does not punish foreign citizens for crimes committed outside the kingdom.
