Saudi Arabia admitted an Israeli journalist for the first time. Orly Azoulay, the Washington bureau chief of the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot, flew to Riyadh earlier this week as part of a press delegation accompanying U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Arab League summit.
Azoulay, a dual French-Israeli citizen, was the only journalist in Ban's entourage to whom the Saudis denied a visa. According to Azoulay, she boarded Ban's plane while U.N. officials were still lobbying Saudi Arabia over the issue.
Last Sunday, while still in Jerusalem, the UN secretary general called the Saudi Foreign Minister, Saud Al-Faisal. Ban asked him to grant Azoulay a permit. According to Azoulay, just a few hours prior to departure an email arrived from the Saudi minister's office, confirming she was invited to the summit.
When they landed, a representative of the Saudi Information Ministry told her, "Welcome to Riyadh. Welcome, you have nothing to worry about, we will all watch over you here. You are our guest."
© 2007 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
