The visit took place recently and the revelations could further sour relations between Cairo and Riyadh due to Saudi Arabia's leading role in the Arab coalition against Saleh loyalists and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
During the visit, Saleh discussed the Yemeni crisis and possible solutions with Egyptian officials, the sources told The New Arab's sister publication in Arabic.
The sources speculated that Cairo may be moving against the alleged Saudi bid to rehabilitate al-Islah, the Muslim Brotherhood-aligned party in Yemen.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi deposed his predecessor Mohamed Morsi - a Muslim Brotherhood-aligned Islamist - in a military coup in 2013. Since then he has led a bloody crackdown on Islamist, secular and liberal opposition groups.
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The UN Security Council imposed sanctions and a travel ban on Saleh in 2014 for threatening peace and obstructing the political process in Yemen | ![]() |
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions and a travel ban on Saleh in 2014 for threatening peace and obstructing the political process in Yemen.
A statement by Saleh's General People's Congress Party said the Security Council denied a request by Saleh to travel to Cuba following the death of Fidel Castro two weeks ago.
If true, Saleh's visit to Cairo could anger Saudi Arabia.
Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent months over a number of issues. Disagreements became public following Egypt's perceived pivot towards the Syrian regime, Iran and Russia.
There has also been a fallout from the botched transfer of Egyptian Red Sea islands to Saudi sovereignty, which many in Riyadh view as a betrayal by Sisi.
The New ArabComments