Dubai's ruler merges media teams into one office
DUBAI Jan 10 (Reuters) - The ruler of Dubai, trying to manage a debt crisis, is to consolidate the Gulf Arab emirate's media and branding teams into one office headed by his own media advisor, a statement said on Sunday.
Dubai, one of seven members of the United Arab Emirates federation, has been scrambling to rebuild its image after a $26 billion debt bombshell in November that analysts say was poorly managed.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has issued a law "to establish Dubai Media Office, which will be annexed to the ruler's court", the statement said.
The ruler appointed Ahmed al-Sheikh, his media advisor, to manage the office which will include Dubai Press Club and two marketing and branding offices established last year, BrandDubai and Falcon.
The office will handle all media relations for the ruler, his crown prince and Dubai government officials.
Dubai sent shockwaves through global markets on Nov. 25 when it said it would request a standstill on billions of dollars of debt linked to the state-held holding firm Dubai World. [nLDE5BK06H]
Concerns about Dubai's $100-billion debt pile have made its stock exchange one of the world's worst performing, and the financial crisis over the past year has dragged much of its glamorous real estate sector to a halt.
The emirate's debt woes have fuelled expectations it will cede some autonomy and commercial power to wealthier neighbour Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital that has bailed Dubai out to the tune of $25 billion in the past year.
Last week, Sheikh Mohammed renamed the world's tallest structure Burj Khalifa after Abu Dhabi and UAE ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, at the tower's opening ceremony.
"Dubai was fairly picked on and blasted by foreign media during the last year. There is a need to handle things a bit professionally," said Emirati political scientist Abdul-Khaleq Abdullah. "This has to do with budgeting and reordering. It is the primary concern at the moment," he said.
(Reporting by Rania Oteify; Editing by Dan Lalor)
((rania.oteify@thomsonreuters.com; +971 4 391 8301; Reuters Messaging: rania.oteify.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: DUBAI MEDIA/
(C) Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution ofReuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expresslyprohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuterssphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group ofcompanies around the world.nLDE6090EE
- Tweet this
- Link this
- Share this
- Digg this
- Reprints
Follow Reuters