Egypt has denied reports that the country is planning for a causeway linking Saudi Arabia to the Sinai region of Egypt, close to the Sharm el-Sheikh resort town.
“A causeway piercing through Sharm el-Sheikh would cause damage to a number of hotels and tourism establishments,” Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak told the state-owned Al-Messa yesterday.
President Mubarak also said that besides being harmful to tourism in the popular Red Sea resort, a causeway would be a security threat.
The bridge would “harm the calm nature [of the place] and its security which would force tourists to go elsewhere, and this is something I will never accept,” he is quoted as saying.
Reports earlier this month said that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah was set to launch the $3 billion bridge project, which was reported to link Egypt to the northwest of Saudi Arabia near Ras el-Sheikh Humayd.
The proposed 50-km trans-continental bridge was expected to open in 2012.
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