RIYADH, 1 March 2004 - After working for seven years in the Kingdom, Canadian Peter Sibold is ready to leave. But he is stranded here because his employer refuses to give back his passport.
A lawyer and the Canadian Embassy have been unable to help. The case has created an outcry in Canada, with questions being asked in Parliament. But the Canadian Embassy here is playing down the case.
"It's a private dispute between a Canadian national and his Saudi employer," a spokesman told Arab News.
"The issue of contention between Sibold and his employer has already been resolved and the embassy has received an assurance from Sibold's sponsor (that he will) settle the matter expeditiously and amicably," spokesman Yves Duval said yesterday.
It is standard practice for expatriate workers to hand their passport to their employers in return for their residence permit.
Sibold worked since last June for Khaled H. Al-Gahtani in Riyadh. According to reports in the Canadian press, he had asked for his passport to travel during the Eid holiday, intending to abscond without giving notice. When Al-Gahtani refused, Sibold offered to resign and was told he was terminated, the report said. However, under the terms of the contract he owes his employer one month's work.
Duval said that such disputes are frequently reported in Saudi Arabia. "The embassy explained the legal and the judicial options available to Sibold when he met the Canadian Embassy officials on Feb. 14. But the matter has already been resolved by the two parties."
Sibold, however, is not satisfied with the help rendered by the Canadian authorities in his case, the press reports said.
