Plans to build a bridge linking Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh with the Saudi Arabian mainland have been postponed, following a refusal by Egypt’s President Mubarak.

President Mubarak has decided against the idea on the grounds that it would be against the interests of Sharm el Sheikh, according to Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, Before his decision, a deal on the longstanding proposal had been thought imminent.

Dive centres in Egypt have welcomed the postponement, and will campaign against any possibility of the bridge receiving approval at a later date.

“The bridge, if it were to go ahead, would mean the end of Sharm el Sheikh and the northern Red Sea as the world’s top diving destination,” said James Tunney, Sales & Marketing Maanager at Red Sea Diving College.

“The environmental impact would be enormous, endangering many of the northern Red Sea’s endemic species.”

source: divernet