UN court rules in UAE's favour in discrimination case brought by Qatar after Doha blockade

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday refused to hear a racial discrimination case brought by Qatar against the United Arab Emirates in 2018, a year after Arab countries cut ties with Doha. The Hague-based UN court has rejected to entertain the case saying it does not have any jurisdiction in the matter. After Arab nations, led by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt severed ties with Qatar and expelled its citizens, Doha took Abu Dhabi to the ICJ, where it cited the breach of the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). 

Read: Arab Countries Agree To Restore Ties With Qatar; Sign Declaration Ending 3-year Feud

Emirati lawyers had argued that the UN court does not have any jurisdiction in the case because the convention does not cover the dispute between Qatar and the UAE. The court on Thursday ruled in favour of the United Arab Emirates. The Arab nations had jointly boycotted Qatar over its close relations with Iran and Turkey, claiming Doha supports "terrorism" in the region. Qatar categorically denied the claims and refused to bow down to demands, which included the closure of its state-run Al Jazeera news channel. 

Read: First Qatar To Saudi Flight Takes Off After More Than 3 Years As Nations Normalise Ties

Qatar vs Arab states

The blockade, which came into force on June 5, 2017, barred Qatar from using the airspace and sea routes of the countries which joined hands with the above-mentioned four Arab states in severing ties with Doha. The blockade also prohibited Qatar from accessing the only land crossing it had with Saudi Arabia. In August of the same year, Qatar announced that it would restore full diplomatic relations with Iran. Turkey and Iran helped Qatar with aides and allowed it to use their airspace. Qatar urged the members of the UN Security Council to resolve the issue.

Read: Easing Dispute, UAE Announces Reopening Of Borders To Qatar

Earlier last month, Saudi Arabia and Qatar agreed to normalise ties, which were severed in mid-2017. Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries also agreed to open their borders and allow Qatar to use their airspace. The reconciliation process was reportedly brokered by the United States and Kuwait. The resolution was signed on January 5 following a GCC Summit in Saudi Arabia.  

Read: India Welcomes 'positive Developments' As Qatar & Arab Countries Restore Ties At GCC

(Image Credit: AP)