CAIRO (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Egypt will return to Cairo on Saturday, the Saudi embassy said in a statement, after he was recalled in a rare diplomatic row between the long-time allies.
Ambassador Ahmed Abdulaziz Kattan was withdrawn almost a week ago in response to street protests in Cairo against the arrest of an Egyptian lawyer in the Gulf kingdom.
The embassy statement said the envoy would return to Egypt on Saturday, after a Saudi official had said on Friday that he would come back to Cairo next week.
Egypt sent a large parliamentary delegation to Riyadh this week to help rebuild ties with the kingdom, which has promised $2.7 billion to support battered Egyptian finances.
Previously strong ties between Riyadh and Cairo were strained by last year’s uprising in Egypt that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, who was close to the Saudi leadership.
The rising power of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has also worried many in the Gulf who fear the spread of its influence.