WTO confirms Qatar’s complaint against three blockading Gulf countries
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) confirmed yesterday that Qatar has filed complaints against three of its Gulf neighbours for their economic boycott.
“Qatar has requested WTO dispute consultations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia concerning measures adopted by the three countries which allegedly restrict trade in goods and services from Qatar, and trade-related intellectual property rights,” the WTO said in a statement on its website.
The three countries, along with Arab neighbours Egypt, have been running an illegal blockade of Qatar since June 5.
In its complaints against each country, Qatar accused them of adopting measures that are ‘coercive attempts at economic isolation,’ reported Gulf Times.
The Office of the State of Qatar to the WTO in Geneva, in accordance with Article IV of the Understanding on Dispute Settlement in the Organisation, requested for the formal consultations by detailing all the violations committed by the siege countries against Qatar, in contravention of various conventions overseen by the WTO.
A request for consultations formally initiates a dispute in the WTO. Consultations give the parties an opportunity to discuss the matter and find a satisfactory solution without proceeding further with litigation. After 60 days, if consultations fail to resolve the dispute, the complainant may request adjudication by a panel.
