RIYADH, June 9: President Hosni Mubarak rejected the plan to construct a bridge linking Egypt and Saudi Arabia under pressure from the United States and Israel. This was claimed by an Egyptian political activist Hossein Abdul Razzaq, secretary general of National Progressive Union Party (NPUP) of Egypt.

The two countries have reportedly expressed fears that Islamists could use the bridge in still greater numbers to destabilise Egypt and enter Israel. The two countries also felt that they could use the bridge for fleeing into Saudi Arabia and take refuge there, when hunted by governments’ forces in Egypt and Israel.

When King Abdullah was visiting Tabuk, last month, Saudi newspapers had reported he was to lay the foundation of the causeway between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. However, that foundation laying did not take place as afterwards the Egyptian President immediately came out with a statement saying nothing was being discussed between the two countries regarding the construction of a bridge.

Although the idea of such a causeway across the Red Sea is an old one, yet there were greater talks of such a link, following the ferry mishap in the Red Sea last year that was carrying people, mostly Egyptian workers, from Saudi Arabia to Egypt. The necessity of such a road link was emphasised then.

Razzaq told Alalam TV channel that the project to construct the 230-km bridge, which would link the Tabuk province in northwestern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt, was “an old idea dating back to 1947”.

However, he said, the project has faced opposition from the US and Israel, because they fear the bridge might be used by Islamic fighters.

He said that “following the Camp David treaty and the collapse of the Soviet Union, no Arab states could refuse US dictations”.