Saudi FM brushes off threats to cut Egypt aid

High-ranking Saudi official 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.
To those who have announced they are cutting their aid to Egypt, or threatening to do that, (we say that) Arab and Muslim nations are rich… and will not hesitate to help Egypt,” Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said in a statement on Monday as European states review plans for military aid to Egypt.
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 Saud accused countries that slammed Egypt’s crackdown of “believing propaganda” and assuming “hostile positions towards the interests and the stability of Arab and Islamic nations.”
“Let those states that are taking negative stances know that the blaze and destruction will not be confined to Egypt, but will affect all those who supported trouble,” he said.
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.