RIYADH: A pro-reform Saudi newspaper has reappointed a editor sacked four years ago for criticising Islamic hardliners, a sign that restrictions on the media are easing, the journalist said.

Jamal Khashoggi was originally removed from al-Watan, owned by Prince Khaled al-Faisal, governor of Asir province, after clerics protested against a series of articles that depicted Saudi Arabia's religious police as overbearing and outdated. “It's a different time now. The media is more open compared to four years ago. Most of the things that were controversial are now being debated by every Saudi paper. The environment is healthy now,” Khashoggi said.

“They needed a good editor-in-chief and I needed a job,” Khashoggi said. “I feel encouraged by the changes in Saudi media but I also know my limits,” he said. Al-Watan has continued to attract strong criticism from the religious lobby because of its pro-reform columnists.—Reuters