Mary, interesting you should say this. Having been in ATC a long time (38 years) including 5 years in Dubai and 12 years in Hong Kong, I would fully endorse your words regarding your friends observation. I have consistently found the World's oldest continually functioning airline to be the most arrogant when dealing with ATC. I remember one night in Dubai, when I was doing Approach at about 1am, only one radar controller (me), about 15 aircraft on frequency, and I had one of the above mentioned airlines aircraft inbound, and all he could do was bleat at me "what is the delay, what number are we?" Of course I had no time available other than to just ignore him. Funnily enough, I have found a consistency in this as my "international" ATC experience has gone by. A bit of a generalisation, but it sticks in my mind.
Further to the whole episode, as a controller, I can't imagine, given the circumstances, to allow an aircraft to backtrack down a runway, with vis probably about 500 metres, and not, and I repeat not, be doubly sure that any aircraft lining up/awaiting take off, would not be fully appraised of the runway occupancy situation. Still, languages and cultural differences leap out and bite you with this one.