Qatar has reiterated adherence to resolving a crisis with countries which have imposed a blockade by peaceful diplomatic means and through mediation and constructive unconditional dialogue.
Qatar's Permanent Representative Qatar to the United Nations HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani said the three-year-old blockade is unfair and illegal and against the United Nations Charter, principles of international law, international agreements and covenants and human rights.
The blockade is also harming the interests of people, Sheikha Alya said at the UN Security Council, which held a virtual meeting on "the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue."
Sheikha Alya said everyone has realised that the blockading countries' justification for the illegal measures, which followed the hacking of Qatar News Agency on May 23, 2017, is totally false.
She said while the blockading countries continued to ignore the principles and the Charter of the United Nations and international law in a blatant manner, these principles formed the basis of Qatar's approach to the crisis.
Qatar has taken international law as a path to protect the rights of its citizens and residents who have been negatively affected by the illegal measures, she said.
Sheikha Alya said Qatar has resorted to international forums and judicial bodies, especially the International Court of Justice as the main judicial organ of the United Nations.
She referred to the decision of the International Court last week, which rejected the two appeals lodged by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt regarding the jurisdiction of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to consider the Qatari complaint about the blockading countries closing their air spaces to Qatar aircraft in flagrant violation of international law and international agreements.
The ambassador said the verdict was one of a series of rulings in favour of Qatar, including the order issued by the court in 2018 and in 2019 regarding the UAE's violation of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
She also noted the ruling issued last June by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which acknowledged that Saudi Arabia had violated its obligations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) by refusing to take measures against the complicated piracy carried out by BeOutQ channel and even promoting that piracy.
Sheikha Alya said these judicial rulings confirm the integrity of the legal position of Qatar and the illegitimacy of the measures taken against it.
She said that despite these unlawful and unjustified measures and the persistent malicious campaigns, Qatar remains committed to its endeavour to resolve the crisis by peaceful and diplomatic means through mediation and constructive unconditional dialogue.
In this context, she reiterated Qatar's appreciation for the efforts of Kuwait's Amir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.
