JEDDAH, 15 June 2005 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal yesterday denied suggestions that Egypt was mediating a dispute between Saudi Arabia and its southern neighbor Yemen. “There is no dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and we have not requested any mediation in this matter,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister as telling reporters in Cairo.
Prince Saud was in the Egyptian capital to hand a message from Crown Prince Abdullah to President Hosni Mubarak.
“The message was within the framework of mutual consultation between the two countries on major developments in the Arab region,” the prince said, adding that he was carrying a reply from Mubarak to the crown prince.
Asked about the health of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, Prince Saud said the king’s health was steadily improving. He expressed hope that King Fahd would leave hospital very soon.
King Fahd was admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh two weeks ago for medical examinations.
Meanwhile, speaking to German Der Spiegel magazine, Prince Saud said Iraq had agreed to provide a list of Saudis in its territory. He said Saudi authorities had prevented nearly 3,000 Saudis from entering Iraq as they were going there to fight with resistance forces.
