Cairo: A Cairo court on Thursday blocked the nullification of a maritime border pact between Egypt and Saudi Arabia that entails the return of two Red Sea islands to the kingdom.
The Court for Urgent Matters halted the implementation of an administrative court ruling in June canceling the deal. The government had appealed the voiding of the agreement.
The April maritime border agreement, coming at the tail end of a state visit by Saudi King Salman, triggered the biggest protest against President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi since his 2014 election. Critics accused the government of trading Egyptian land for aid from the OPEC giant, but officials said the islands of Tiran and Sanafir have always belonged to Saudi Arabia.
Ali Ayoub, one of the lawyers who challenged the agreement, said he would appeal the latest court ruling, calling it “politically instigated.”
The June ruling prevented the government from sending the agreement to parliament for ratification and embarrassed Al Sissi after the Saudi king pledged billions of dollars in aid and investments to help revive Egypt’s economy.
An appeal filed with the Supreme Administrative Court, challenging the lower court’s decision, is pending.
