A spokeswoman for the Tunisian president stated on Monday that the United Arab Emirates decided to bar Tunisian women from traveling on its national carrier over security concerns.
The measure created great controversy, said Saeeda Qarrash, but the UAE feared that women traveling with a Tunisian passport may commit a security act.
The measure will be reversed once the company finds the necessary procedure to tackle the issue.
The UAE has information that Tunisian women or women traveling on Tunisian passports might commit “terrorist acts” in the Gulf country, Tunisia’s state news agency said on Sunday.
Qarrash said that the Emirate authorities had “serious information” that terrorist attacks may be carried out.
Tunisia late on Sunday suspended flights from Dubai carrier Emirates to Tunis, with officials saying the airline was refusing to carry female Tunisian travelers.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash tweeted on Sunday that an agreement was reached with Tunis over the security measure.
“We respect and value the Tunisian woman and recognize her pioneering role,” he added, while calling against speculation that would create misunderstandings.
Tunisia had expressed its understanding of the UAE concerns, he said.
