Qatar has blocked the UAE’s request for the establishment of a panel during the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body meeting held in Geneva yesterday.

Qatar said that the UAE’s sudden termination of consultations in the DS576 dispute and its push for the creation of a WTO panel is rather surprising. 

DS576 pertains to a UAE request circulated to the WTO earlier this year for dispute consultations with Qatar. The complaint was regarding restrictions on the import, distribution and sale of UAE goods in Qatar.

Responding to the complaint, Qatar highlighted that it was the UAE that had imposed an illegal siege on Qatar and barred the movement of goods between the two nations.

Qatar said it is perplexed that the UAE continues to maintain those measures, and yet complains of alleged lack of market access to Qatar.

#Qatar blocks the UAE’s request for the establishment of a panel during the @wto Dispute Settlement Body meeting today April 26th 2019. The claims brought by the #UAE have no justification, as Qatar has reiterated its full commitment to the agreements of the WTO 1/2

— Qatar Mission Geneva (@QatarMission_Ge) April 26, 2019

Furthermore, Qatar reiterated its full commitment to WTO agreements stating that the claims made by the UAE remain unjustified.

“The UAE's complaint in DS576 is surreal because Qatar does not limit access for UAE goods to Qatar's market. To the extent that UAE's goods are unable to access Qatari markets, this is solely because of the UAE's own measures that prohibit movement of goods between the UAE and Qatar,” an official statement from Qatar’s Geneva Mission said.

The UAE has imposed a scheme of coercive and unlawful measures against Qatar, which is the subject to another ongoing dispute, DS526. 

“To the extent the UAE wishes to facilitate the access of its goods to the Qatari market, its recourse lies in removing its own unlawful measures, not in complaining about non-existent Qatari measures,” the Mission stated further.

“If UAE exporters are frustrated at not being able to access Qatar's market, they should look closer to home to find the cause,” the Mission added.

Qatar underlined that the UAE had in the past indicated that its own restrictive measures on exports to Qatar are necessary for national security purposes.

“With its request today, Qatar understands that the UAE no longer considers restrictions on export of goods to Qatar necessary for protecting its security interests," the Mission stated, calling on the UAE to immediately withdraw those measures.

“Qatar also wishes to comment on the stark contrast between Qatar's conduct in the DS576 dispute and that of the UAE when Qatar requested consultations concerning the UAE measures on goods, services and IP rights in DS526. The UAE refused in that case to engage in consultations with Qatar. 

“By contrast, in DS576, and consistent with our DSU obligations, Qatar participated in consultations in good faith when requested by the UAE to do so. 

The Mission further said, “We are disappointed that the UAE continues to abuse the system by picking and choosing when to engage in consultations.”

There is no factual basis for the DS576 complaint, according to the Mission as Qatar remains open for business with all WTO members and continues to adhere to all its international obligations. 

“If Qatar intended to implement trade restrictions against the UAE, we would not be continuing to export more than $750mn worth of Qatari gas each year to the UAE,” the Qatari Mission underscored.

Qatar continues to provide the UAE with more than 30 percent of its energy needs, despite the UAE’s coercive measures against the country.

The Mission said the UAE is trying to portray the issue as a retreat of Qatar from the ban on UAE goods and the details on the contrary are shown in the file.

إن عدم تمكن السلع الإماراتية من دخول السوق القطرية يرجع فقط إلى تدابيرها الانفرادية بفرض #حصار جائر/غير قانوني على قطر. وتستنكر دولة #قطر مواصلة #الإمارات الإبقاء على هذه التدابير غير القانونية وتشكو مع ذلك من عدم توافر إمكانية الوصول إلى السوق القطرية ٢/٢

— Qatar Mission Geneva (@QatarMission_Ge) April 26, 2019

The UAE is imposing a blockade on Qatar, but due to the losses of its traders, it wants to export its goods to Qatar.

Some UAE companies have even resorted to counterfeiting goods (such as changing the source pad and re-exporting through ports other than their ports) to escape the ban imposed on them by their own government.
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Cover Image Credit: The Peninsula