CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

‘International Law authorises prosecution of siege countries’

Published: 04 Oct 2017 - 09:50 am | Last Updated: 02 Nov 2021 - 06:06 pm
Peninsula

QNA

The Hague Institute for Global Justice stressed that the siege imposed by the four countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt) on Qatar has not only created major political and economic disturbances in the region, but also raised many issues of international law.

The speakers, who participated in the seminar entitled “International legal means available in the light of the four siege countries measures against Qatar” organised by the Diplomatic Institute, said that the siege is seen as a dangerous escalation of friendly relations between Qatar and those countries, and an attempt to interfere in Qatar’s internal affairs. The seminar is among the intellectual events organised by the Diplomatic Institute that discuss the damage caused by the siege and its legal consequences attended by department directors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials from a number of ministries and stakeholders.

At the beginning of the seminar, Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy on Counterterrorism and Mediation in Disputes’ settlements HE Ambassador Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani, said that the main problem facing the international community is the implementation and application of international law.

HE Ambassador added that the focus on this problem is because there are violations by the siege countries, stressing that these violations are clear to all and any simple study will show the huge number of violations committed by the siege countries against the State of Qatar.

Dr. Al Qahtani said we must prove to the world that there are violations of international obligations through the law. The four countries, with their siege of Qatar, have committed an act that contravenes international law, and we are here to clarify the means of applying international law. He noted that there are important organizations that can be resorted to in the application of international law, namely the United Nations and specialized organizations, which in his view more effective than others because they have mechanisms to resolve disputes in a binding manner, but on condition of proof of these violations.

For their part, experts at the Hague Institute stressed that an important principle of conduct among countries was the United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution (No. 2625) of 1970, also known as the Declaration on Friendly Relations, and although it was not a binding international agreement, UN affirmed that the principles of the Charter of the United Nations embodied in this Declaration constitute fundamental principles of international law.

The speakers pointed out that the measures that could be taken to address violations of any of the basic principles of the international regime or any other rights violated by these countries against Qatar under international law are to initiate legal actions against states and individuals in the context of the siege of Qatar by the four countries.

The participants, Senior Ambassador at the Institute HE Winand Staring, Dr. Stephen Rapp, a legal expert in the US government and the United Nations, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute Steven van Hoogstraten presented the mechanisms for the adjudication of cases in accordance with international criminal law, international maritime law, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, World Trade Organization (WTO) law, international investment law, international public law and the International Court of Justice.

Dr. Al Qahtani spoke about Qatar’s efforts in the fight against terrorism. He stressed that Qatar has not supported terrorism in any way. It is the only Arab and Islamic country that is a member of the Global Fund and has donated $ 1 million to this fund, which aims to address the root causes of violent extremism.

H E Ambassador stressed that the State of Qatar contributes to finding a radical solution and addressing the causes of violent extremism. In order to do so, 10 million children in 45 countries around the world have been educated through the Education for All programme. 

Dr. Al Qahtani said that the State of Qatar is implementing economic empowerment and job creation projects for Arab youth in 16 Arab countries and aims to generate job opportunities for 2.7 million Arab youth by 2020. He added there isn’t a state in the Arab and Islamic world has done the same efforts as the State of Qatar in this field.  

At the end of the seminar, the Assistant Director of the Diplomatic Institute Nadia Ahmed Al Shaibi expressed her thanks and appreciation to the Hague Institute for Global Justice for its valuable participation in providing international legal frameworks to deal with the siege. The participants also expressed their thanks to the Diplomatic Institute, which gave them the opportunity to participate in this seminar which highlighted the international law in dealing with the issues of the siege.