Fenty attends controversial tournament on trip

WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty continues to answer questions following his unscheduled visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Fenty and his family spent last week traveling to the Middle East, a trip partially paid for by the UAE government.

"The family paid for theirs," Fenty tells WTOP. "And the UAE government paid for mine."

He describes the trip as a family vacation.

According to a statement issued by the mayor's office, Fenty "met with local officials, including his counterpart in Dubai. The family visited a number of attractions, and no D.C. taxpayer dollars were used for the trip."

A spokesperson for the UAE Embassy in Washington did not return requests for comment.

"We had a great time, learned a lot and we'll go back if we have the opportunity," Fenty says.

Fenty did acknowledge that he attended the Dubai Tennis Championships. The international event has drawn criticism this year because the UAE denied an Israeli player, Shahar Peer, a visa to enter the country.

The tournament organizers were fined a record $300,000 by the governing body of women's tennis, and defending men's champion, Andy Roddick, decided to boycott the tournament because of the controversy.

Fenty says he was aware the Israeli player was not allowed to participate, but decided to attend the event anyway.

"I didn't know before I got to Dubai. I knew it once I got to the UAE."

As for whether he should have boycotted the event, Fenty says "it seemed as if by the end of the tournament they had gotten the matter behind them."

The mayor's public schedule did not reflect where he was last week. Each day, Fenty's public schedule is sent to reporters and posted on the mayor's website. Last week the schedule read: "No public events scheduled."

Fenty's predecessor, Tony Williams, was criticized for his frequent trips out of the country -- many of which were funded by foreign governments. As a councilmember, Fenty frequently joined those critics, and as a candidate for mayor, Fenty pledged to stay in the country for the first year of his term -- a promise he lived up to.

But Williams would alert the media to his travels and any meetings he was having or events he was attending. Fenty was asked Monday if he would change his policy of not releasing his out-of-town travel schedule.

"Maybe we'll look into that in the future and see what the best mix is."

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)