A B747 FLC AT JED; SAUDI ARABIA MISUNDERSTOOD CLRNC FOR PUSHBACK AND ENG START.

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AFTER RECEIVING START-UP CLRNC; I REQUESTED PUSHBACK CLRNC FROM OUR PARKING SPOT. I THOUGHT JED GND SAID 'CLRED FOR START AND PUSH;' AND I READ BACK THE SAME. WE PUSHED BACK THE AIRPLANE AND PARKED IN THE POS ABEAM PARKING SPOT; PARALLEL TO TXWY B. MY COPLT WAS COMMANDING ALL CHKLISTS AND ACTIONS SINCE IT WAS HIS LEG. AFTER COMPLETING PUSHBACK; I SUGGESTED THE ENG START BUT MY COPLT SAID THAT WE WERE STILL HELD FOR ENG START; WHICH HE HEARD WHEN WE RECEIVED THE CLRNC 'CLRED FOR THE PUSH BUT STAND BY FOR START' AND THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT THE SO HEARD; TOO. I CALLED JED GND REQUESTING ENG START. HE CAME BACK; 'YOU WERE CLRED FOR START BUT NOT FOR PUSHBACK.' WE WERE CONFUSED AND LOOKED AT EACH OTHER. SINCE THE WORST CASE SCENARIO WAS WE COMPLETELY MISUNDERSTOOD THE CLRNC; I SAID 'WE THOUGHT WE WERE CLRED FOR THE PUSH AND HOLD FOR START; BUT IF WE MISUNDERSTOOD IT; WE APOLOGIZE.' HE WAS NOT REALLY HAPPY WHAT WE DID. ANYWAY; WE WERE ALREADY PUSHED BACK IN POS WITHOUT ENG RUNNING. I HAD TO ASK ONE MORE TIME FOR ENG START (BECAUSE WE THOUGHT WE WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO START ENGS UNTIL PUSHBACK). HE SAID 'STAND BY;' AND MADE SEVERAL RADIO XMISSIONS TO OTHER ACFT; THEN GAVE US TAXI CLRNC. I TOLD HIM WE HAD TO START ENG FIRST. HE CAME BACK; 'YOU'D BETTER DO IT NOW! I HAVE TFC HOLDING BEHIND YOU.' WE WERE STILL INSIDE THE APRON NOT ON THE ACTIVE TXWY. WE DID NOT KNOW WHO WAS BEHIND US IN THE APRON. BUT WHEN WE FINALLY TAXIED OUT ONTO TXWY U; WE SAW NOBODY BEHIND US IN THE APRON. JUST BEFORE SWITCHING THE RADIO TO TED TWR; I SAID ONE MORE TIME; 'WE REALLY; REALLY APOLOGIZE FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING' AND HE SAID; 'IT IS JUST FOR YOUR SAFETY CONCERN.' EVEN THOUGH I STILL CANNOT DETERMINE WHETHER WE MISUNDERSTOOD HIM OR HE GAVE US THE WRONG CLRNC; AND NO ONE'S SAFETY WAS JEOPARDIZED NOR NO TFC CONFLICT TOOK PLACE; THE CONFUSION COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF ALL OF CREW MEMBERS LISTENED TO ATC MORE CAREFULLY AND VERIFIED AMBIGUOUS AND DOUBTFUL CLRNC.