Nine days before the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli Treaty, US National Security Adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud have a frank conversation. It includes discussions about their bilateral relations, common fears of regional turbulence, US military presence in the region and military aid to the Saudis, and Sadat’s building estrangement from Arab leaders. Saud tells the Americans that his country would draw a circumspect line between not undermining Egypt economically, but supporting moderate Arab states who wish to ‘punish’ Sadat for signing a separate peace treaty with Israel. The Saudi and Arab reprimand include Egypt’s suspension from the Arab League and removal of its headquarters from Cairo. Both US and Saudi diplomats make their cases for a strong US-Saudi relationship while acknowledging that the recently completed Egyptian-Israeli talks highlight new and sustained frictions in their bilateral relations. (source)