Terror warning: Arabic media slams British

Dubai, Jun 19: Arabic media flayed Britain and the US for issuing terror alerts on travel to the UAE, charging that it was motivated by political and economic reasons. Opinion pieces and editorials in the country's Arabic press on Wednesday blamed the two countries' embassies of being irresponsible as there was ''lack of coordination with local authorities and lack of elaboration on the nature of the alleged threat.'' The embassies' warnings came at a time when the US and other Western countries had been calling for an increase in the production of oil to control its price.

A number of newspapers questioned the motives of the terrorism warnings, saying politics and economics, rather than the safety of their citizens, could be driving the moves of the embassies.

Sharjah-based Al Khaleej wrote, ''The British diplomat, who prefers to think during his siesta, should wait and consult the country that he has wideranging and deep ties with [before issuing such warnings].'' It asked if the motive included controlling oil prices and arousing suspicions of ''unannounced wars''.

Dubai-based Al Bayan questioned the ''mysterious nature'' of the warnings, saying the UAE had prevented the virus of terrorism from spreading in the Emirates.

''What we do not know is the objective of such warnings, which could benefit no one but the terrorists themselves,'' it added.

Abu Dhabi-based Al Ittihad claimed such warnings only work to lessen the credibility of the two countries among their own citizens.