Saudi Arabia plans to remove the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt from terrorist lists. The group was banned in the kingdom in March 2014.
Senior-level sources stated that there has recently been discussions and meetings held in London, Riyadh, and Istanbul between Muslim Brotherhood officials and representatives of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz’s government resulting in the possibility of removing the group’s name from the terrorist lists in exchange for understandings between Saudi Arabia and the Brotherhood’s international organisation.
The sources noted that the decision expected to be made soon will be followed by a group of measures including lifting the restrictions imposed on individuals affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood inside Saudi Arabia, unfreezing millions of dollars belonging to the individuals in Saudi banks, and removing any obstacles preventing individuals affiliated with the group from entering Saudi territories.
They added that Egyptian-Saudi relations have been tense since Egypt voted in favour of a Russian project regarding the situation in Syria in the UN Security Council. Saudi Arabia responded to the vote by stopping oil shipments to Egypt. This may have contributed to facilitating the Muslim Brotherhood’s mission to normalise relations with Riyadh.
According to the sources, the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and the Brotherhood will not be limited to removing the group’s name from the terrorist lists, but will be followed by political support for the group and the intervention of international parties to impose a reconciliation with the Egyptian government and reintegrate the group into the political scene due to Saudi Arabia’s desire to direct harsh blows to the government.
[Source: Middle East Monitor]
