Al-Arabiya bureau chief says told to leave Iran

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2008

TEHRAN (AFP) — The head of the Tehran bureau of pan-Arab television station Al-Arabiya said on Tuesday that Iranian officials have demanded his departure from the country.

"In a telephone call with the foreign press bureau of the Iranian culture ministry I was informed of my definitive exit from Iran," bureau chief Hassan al-Fahs told AFP.

"They told me the decision was taken due to the policies of the network and the work record of our Tehran bureau," he said, adding that he had not been informed about the fate of the bureau.

An official for the television expressed "condemnation and surprise" over the Iranian measure, in remarks broadcast by the channel on Tuesday evening.

Al-Arabiya "upholds professional standards and has always provided a...