Saudi ambassador to Egypt returns to Cairo

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CAIRO, May 5 (UPI) -- The Saudi ambassador to Egypt returned to Cairo Saturday after a 124-member Egyptian delegation visited Saudi King Abdallah Bin Abdel Aziz, officials said.

The ambassador, Ahmed Qattan, had been recalled by Riyadh after protests in front of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo demanding the release of activist Ahmed El-Gizawi, who was arrested recently in Saudi Arabia, Ahram Online reported.

The Egyptian delegation had sought to mend strained relations between the two countries.

Ahram Online said Qattan would officially resume work Sunday.

Saudi Arabia decided to withdraw the ambassador from Egypt and close its embassy and consulates in the country after the Cairo protests and attempts to storm the embassy.

The protests came after Saudi authorities arrested El-Gizawi, an Egyptian lawyer, in mid-April on allegations he tried to smuggle narcotics into the country.