Hundreds of British expatriate workers are trapped in Saudi Arabia because their exit visas have been frozen as a result of an alleged row between a Saudi prince and defense contractor BAE Systems, relatives told the Electronic Telegraph on Wednesday.
According to the report, the ban has infuriated Britons in Dhahran, where they are working on the aerospace company's £50 billion Al Yamamah contract to supply Tornado jets and other defense equipment. It comes at a time when many expatriates are preparing to return home for the summer holidays or meet relatives in nearby Bahrain.
Even cases of compassionate leave have been blocked, said relatives. It is unclear how many people have been affected, as some of the Britons are on short one-off contracts and have been able to leave, while others have multiple re-entry visas.
The Telegraph said that British consular staff in Dhahran were holding an emergency meeting late Wednesday with senior officials from BAE Systems to resolve the dispute.
Senior officials at the UK Foreign Office tried to limit the damage, saying the row was "no big deal.” One said: "There is no blanket ban. People are going on holiday. It's business as usual."
The brother of one British expatriate said the news of the travel ban emerged earlier this week. He said: "There are two rumors circulating among BAE staff as to the source of the dispute. One is that BAE didn't take the prince to the Paris Air Show, the other that they wouldn't give him a new computer.
"Whatever the source of the disagreement, the freedom of movement of expat workers is being seriously infringed on at the whim of the prince." The management of BAE Systems has put up a notice telling workers: "Due to circumstances beyond our control, no visas are being issued until further notice."
A spokesman for the company was quoted as saying: "My understanding is that the problem is bureaucratic rather than anything else. At this time of year there is an unusually large number of people seeking exit visas and it takes time to process them." He denied reports that a senior manager at Dhahran had been forced to resign because of the row.
The report did not name the Saudi prince involved, and what role he played in the alleged ban. No Saudi sources were cited, either.
There are about seven million expatriates working in Saudi Arabia – Albawaba.com
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