Officials said the two Arab navies would conduct the Marjan naval
exercise in the Red Sea in December. They said Marjan would be held in
Saudi territorial waters and seek to enhance interoperability as well as
combat skills.
"There will be a range of scenarios," an official said.
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Officials said Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council kingdom have
enhanced defense and military relations over the last year. They said the
two countries were engaged in three military exercises per year. Marjan,
begun in the late 1990s, has taken place in the Red Sea while Faisal was
designed for air combat training. Tabouk was meant to increase cooperation
between
the armies of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Egypt has been asked to consider membership in the six-nation GCC.
Officials said most GCC members were encouraging Cairo to help the Gulf Arab
states in military and security operations amid the threat from neighboring
Iran.