Abu Zaid: Al-Jazeera video not of Egyptian diplomat

CAIRO – 14 October 2017: Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zaid denied the video published by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera yesterday. The video claimed to show an Egyptian diplomat cheering in favor of the French UNESCO director general candidate against Qatar.

“Al-Jazeera is persistently an adept in disseminating false news,” Abu Zaid said in a tweet published on his official account on Tuesday, adding that the video disseminated by Al-Jazeera was not of an Egyptian diplomat or any other member of the Egyptian UNESCO envoy.

On Friday, The United Nations' cultural agency selected France's Audrey Azoulay as its new director general, two diplomatic sources said on Friday.

UNESCO's executive board voted 30 to 28 in favor of Azoulay, a former French culture minister, against Qatar's Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari. The nomination will now be put forward for approval to UNESCO's 195 members until November 10.

Shutting down al-Jazeera was included in the list of Arab demands that was handed over to Doha for reconciliation. The demands came following the complete boycott placed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain over alleged support for terrorism.