UN court says it doesn't have jurisdiction in Qatar-UAE case
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Court of Justice said Thursday it does not have jurisdiction to rule in a case brought by Qatar against the United Arab Emirates alleging “discrimination against Qatar and Qatari citizens” linked to a boycott by four Arab nations.
The decision brings to an end the case filed by Qatar in 2018. The United Nations court's rulings are final and legally binding.
The end of the case comes just weeks after the effective end of the boycott that had prompted Qatar to file suit at the world court.
In January, Saudi Arabia ended its embargo, opening its airspace and land crossing to it’s tiny Gulf neighbor. Gulf Arab leaders and a representative from Egypt then gathered in Saudi Arabia and signed a declaration to start a new page in brotherly relations, effectively ending Qatar’s isolation.
In its case at the U.N. court, Qatar had argued that the boycott breached the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
But lawyers for UAE, successfully argued that the court does not have jurisdiction because the terms of the convention do not cover the dispute between UAE and Qatar.
The four countries that jointly boycotted Qatar were hoping to pressure Doha to end its close relations with Turkey and Iran. Egypt and the UAE view the support by Qatar and Turkey of Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood as a security threat. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are primarily concerned about Qatar’s ties with Iran.
