UAE bans citizens from working in Qatari media
The UAE has asked all its citizens working with Qatari media outlets to resign from their jobs immediately, just days after the surprise recall of ambassadors of three GCC countries - Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
The ban is specifically directed at all UAE citizens working with Al Jazeera network, Al Sharq reports.
In a related move, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Information has issued a decision banning Saudi writers and columnists from writing for Qatari newspapers, said the daily.
In an immediate fallout of the UAE order, two Emirati journalists of Al Jazeera sports channel — Fares Awad and Ali Al Kaabi — have cancelled their work contracts with the channel.
"Ten years of work in a professional environment with you will remain in my heart for ever. Goodbye colleagues," Al Kaabi was quoted as saying in a posting on his Twitter account.
Several Qataris and other GCC citizens have expressed shock over the latest development because the three GCC states had said in their joint statement that they cared about the welfare of people of the GCC countries including Qatar.
"Politics is like a ghost chasing us (the Arabs) unfortunately,” said a posting in reaction to the report posted on an Arabic website about the resignation of the Al Jazeera journalists.
"The rift has started," commented another.
Meanwhile, an Arabic news agency — Quds Press — quoted a Qatari source as saying that the decision of the three GCC countries will not change the Qatari foreign policy , nor force it to withdraw from the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The source also assured that the issue will not reach that level because the main difference is about the stand on the developments in Egypt. (The Peninsula)
