UAE recalls Tunisia ambassador over Morsi remark

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recalled its ambassador from Tunisia in protest to Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki’s call for the release of the ousted Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, local media say.

The UAE Foreign Ministry recalled ambassador Salem al-Guatam from Tunisia for “consultations” about the situation in the region, official WAM news agency reported on Saturday.

However, al-Khaleej newspaper said the move came after “attacks made by the Tunisian president against Egypt and its new leadership, which the Emirates find unacceptable.”

“Attacking the new regime in Egypt in such a manner is not suitable for a brotherly country such as Tunisia,” the daily said, adding, “Everyone must back the new leadership in Egypt, which came to power by popular will.”

In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, Marzouki urged the Egyptian rulers to release the country’s first democratically-elected president and all political prisoners, and resolve the ongoing crisis through dialogue.

On Friday, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also criticized Marzouki’s speech, saying his speech “contradicts with the reality and represents a challenge to the will of the Egyptian people.”

Since the overthrow of Morsi on July 3, Egypt has been the scene of demonstrations held by Morsi’s supporters demanding his reinstatement.

Hundreds of protesters, mostly Morsi’s supporters, were killed or wounded during the deadly violence that broke out afterwards.

The UAE together with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia welcomed the ouster of Morsi by the Egyptian army.