UN's top court dismisses Qatari suit against UAE

International Court of Justice's final judgment says Qatar's allegations lacked merit

The International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled that Qatar's racial discrimination case against the UAE had no merit. AP.

The UN's highest court on Thursday dismissed a case brought by Qatar against the UAE, alleging it had imposed measures that amounted to racial discrimination.

The International Court of Justice upheld objections raised by the UAE that the measures it and other Gulf states imposed on Qatar were based on nationality and not racially motivated.

The court, now known as the World Court, delivered the non-appealable judgment at a plenary session at the Peace Palace in The Hague.

The ruling found that Qatar’s attempts to base its complaint on the UN's 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination lacked merit, and so the court had no jurisdiction in the dispute.

Qatar made the complaint to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination on March 8, 2018.

It objected to action taken by the UAE after a breakdown in relations between the two states and subsequent boycott of Qatar by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt in 2017.

But the Court held that the UAE's actions could not be racial discrimination in accordance with the convention.

"The Court finds that the term 'national origin' … does not encompass current nationality," the judgment said.

"Consequently, the measures complained of by Qatar … do not fall within the scope of [the international convention]."

The President of the Court, Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, read out the decision.

Dr Hissa Al Otaiba, the UAE agent and ambassador to the Netherlands, represented the UAE at the session.

Abdullah Al Naqbi, director of the international law department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, welcomed the ruling.

Mr Al Naqbi said the UAE had worked to implement all of its obligations in accordance with the Al Ula Declaration of January 5, 2021, and has lifted all measures against Qatar under the declaration issued on June 5, 2017.

He said the UAE was striving to achieve full compliance with the Al Ula Declaration and welcomed all efforts at co-ordination in the region.