International Court of Justice backs Qatar against regional neighbours over bitter air blockade dispute

QATAR. The International Court of Justice, the UN’s top court, has backed Qatar over a bitter dispute with four neighbouring countries which imposed an air blockade over three years ago.

The Hague-based body yesterday rejected an appeal by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against an earlier decision by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) over sovereign airspace.

ICAO ruled in 2018 that it had jurisdiction to handle Qatar’s claim that its neighbours had violated a convention regulating the free passage of Qatar Airways planes through foreign airspace.

The landmark ruling in Qatar’s favour paves the way for ICAO to continue overseeing the dispute and judge on the legality of the blockade

Qatar’s four neighbours had disagreed, alleging that ICAO was not the right body to judge in the dispute.

The four Arab countries severed ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing the country of backing extremists, along with other allegations denied by the Qatari government.

A range of punitive measures included banning Qatar Airways planes from their airspace, shutting Qatar’s only land border (with Saudi Arabia), and expelling Qatari citizens.

Al Jazeera devotes homepage treatment to the landmark ruling. Click on the image to read full story.

Leading regional news service Al Jazeera reported that the Qatari government welcomed Tuesday’s ruling, saying it will lead the blockading countries to “face justice” for violating international aviation rules.

“We are confident that the ICAO will ultimately find these actions unlawful,” said Minister for Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti in an official statement.

“This is the latest in a series of rulings that expose the blockading countries’ continued disregard for international law and due process. Step by step their arguments are being dismantled and Qatar’s position vindicated,” Al Sulaiti added.

ICAO is now free to continue dealing with the case, Al Jazeera reported.

His Excellency Akbar Al Baker discusses the blockade with The Moodie Davitt Report Chairman Martin Moodie during The Trinity Forum in October 2019. “Today we are self-sustaining as an economy, it has made us more independent and proud. And it has showed to the world that no matter how small you are, when it comes to sovereignty, dignity, self-respect, even a small nation can stand up to big nations.”

The ruling will bring great personal satisfaction to Qatar Airways Group CEO His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, who is also Secretary General of the Qatar National Tourism Council and CEO of Hamad International Airport and Qatar Duty Free, among other key roles dedicated to national service.

“This was a wake-up call,” Al Baker told delegates at last October’s Trinity Forum in Doha in a riveting question and answer session with The Moodie Davitt Report Chairman Martin Moodie. “Today we are self-sustaining as an economy, it has made us more independent and proud. And it has showed to the world that no matter how small you are, when it comes to sovereignty, dignity, self-respect, even a small nation can stand up to big nations. We have shown what leadership and stability can do for people. And we have high expectations of our ability to deliver.

“We lost 18 destinations overnight and lost a US$1.75 billion market when the blockade came but we didn’t shy away from expansion. We replaced the 18 destinations with 34 new ones. We kept on receiving new aircraft, and are pushing Airbus and Boeing to keep supplying our demand. We continued to build our infrastructure and think for the future.

“We have no evil intention towards anyone. We want to be the best and work with others. If they take one step towards us, we will take 1,000 steps towards them. But they have put all their cards on the table, which you should never do in diplomacy. You have to keep the door open.”

As reported, Qatar Airways plans to resume almost two thirds of its pre-COVID-19 network by the end of the month if travel restrictions continue to ease around the world. This means the number of flights would almost double in July with close to 3,500 scheduled, compared to just under 2,100 in June.

During the crisis, Qatar Airways maintained a global network that never fell below 30 destinations. It also helped to repatriate close to two million people.

[Click on the YouTube icon to view a Qatar Airways tribute film to its cabin crew, made during the height of the COVID-19 crisis. The airline prefaces the film by saying: “We are so proud of QatarAirways’ cabin crew who are continuing to serve in the midst of this challenging time, just knowing that it will make a difference to somebody out there.” #TakingYouHome]

 

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