Egyptian pilgrims start returning home

Cairo, December 11, SPA -- Cairo International Airport began
receiving since yesterday a large number of Egyptian Pilgrims, who
have completed their Hajj rituals under the cover of Saudi care and
services, which encompassed all pilgrims.



The first batch comprising 570 Egyptian pilgrims arrived yesterday
on five Saudi and Egyptian flights flying from Jeddah. A
well-organized airlift will be launched later today, comprising a
total of 32 flights to transport 80,000 pilgrims to the Egyptian
airports.

The Egyptian press today highlighted the success of the Saudi plans
which were prepared carefully to ensure the success of this year's
Hajj, referring to the keeness of all Saudi sectors working in Hajj
to ensure the smooth movement of pilgrims in comfort, ease and safe.


They quoted the Egyptian chief of Hajj mission, Minister of
State for Administrative Development Ahmed Darwish as saying that the
Egyptian Hajj mission succeeded in carrying out its mission of this
year's Hajj, thanks to the coordination between officials in-charge
of Hajj affairs in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt as well as
thanks to plans prepared to ensure a safe movement of Egyptian
pilgrims.


Darwish praised also the Saudi good planning and management of
pilgrims' movement from the Mount of Arafat and the adoption of a
perfect transport system which he said contributed in the success of
the movement of all pilgrims through the holy sites in ease and
safety.

For his part, Osama Al Ashri, the general supervisor for the Egyptian
pilgrims' tours praised the good measures undertaken this year by
Saudi Authorities to ensure the safety of pilgrims between the holy
sites and the Ka'aba.


Al Ashri hailed also the commitment shown by the travel agents in
their contracts with the pilgrims and the prevention of any cases of
overcrowding among the pilgrims in Mina and the settlement of any
problems thanks to the coordination with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj,
which has shown, as usual, a big understanding and flexibility in its
dealing with all missions during this year's Hajj.


Meanwhile, the Egyptian press while follow-up the last day of Hajj,
had noticed that the Saudi authorities succeeded to a very large
extent to facilitate the stoning rite easily and to ensure the smooth
flow of the pilgrims' movement.

The Press pointed out to thee tens of thousands of Saudi security
forces which had been deployed at Jamarat area to ensure the smooth
movement of pilgrims and the division of the streets of Mina into two
parts, one to go to the ritual site and the other route for the
returnees.


The Egyptian Press also commended the Saudi decision of preventing
almost completely the phenomena of sleeping or sitting down on
pedestrian by lanes, streets and roads in the region surrounding the
"Jamarat Bridge"