Qatar’s role in mediation, dispute settlement highlighted

The most important challenges facing international agreements and international law in general are the mechanisms for implementing them, HE Dr Mutlaq bin Majid al-Qahtani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs' special envoy for combating terrorism and mediation in dispute settlement, told Al Rayyan TV Tuesday."The agreements should have mechanisms for implementation and supervising the process,” he said. "The second point is, to what extent the agreement in question was drafted by the mediator or the parties themselves in a manner consistent with international law, which would ensure some commitment to it.”"The third point is about the level of regional and international commitment to the agreement, in particular if it was taken to the United Nations and a decision or statement issued by the Security Council to abide by it, giving it another aspect of legitimacy,” HE Dr al-Qahtani said."The obligation lies first and foremost with the parties themselves. If Qatar mediates an agreement between two parties, we take all these measures in accordance with international law, and also approved by the United Nations, then it becomes binding in the first place,” he continued."If this agreement fails, it does not mean that Qatar has failed,” HE al-Qahtani said. "Those who failed are the parties to the agreement who failed to implement the agreement and did not deal with the agreement in good faith.”"The first and last burden of implementing the agreement or not rests with the parties to the conflict themselves and does not fall on the mediator,” he stated."Of course, in some agreements related to peace negotiations, the final provisions present a mechanism for settling the dispute concerning the application, interpretation or implementation,” the official said."Or, the parties go to a mediator who solves this issue, or resort to arbitration or to the International Court of Justice, all of these issues are dealt with according to the agreement,” he added."In some cases, there is an indication, if a dispute or violation of this agreement is done by any party, that the other party will resort to the mediator again, and who must take the appropriate decision based on the provisions of this agreement,” al-Qahtani concluded.