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Saudi Arabia, Egypt to Be Linked by Bridge Over Gulf of Aqaba

[Times-UK] Richard Beeston - Saudi Arabia and Egypt are putting the final touches to an ambitious project to span the Gulf of Aqaba, creating a direct link between Africa and Arabia. King Abdullah, the Saudi monarch, is expected to lay the foundation stone for the causeway when he visits the northern province of Tabuk next week. The project would involve the construction of two bridges across the Tiran Strait spanning a total distance of about 15 miles (25km) and could be completed by 2012. The bridge would cut across a busy channel through which commercial shipping passes to Eilat, in Israel, and Aqaba, in Jordan. Israel may have strong objections to the causeway if it were not satisfied that the security of its ships could be guaranteed. Attempts by Egypt to ban Israeli shipping from the Gulf of Aqaba were one of the reasons for the outbreak of the Six-Day War forty years ago.
2007-05-04 01:00:00
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