UAE counters Qatari claims at UN committee

GENEVA (Special to The Reference) – The United Arab Emirates today submitted its report to the Geneva-based Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in which it dwells on recent Qatari claims.

Qatar had previously claimed that measures taken by the UAE against it as a result of the support Doha offers to terrorism amount to "racial discrimination", in the light of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The UAE presented proof in the new report that the Qatari claims are baseless.

It said the claims moved hand in hand with a Qatari policy of fabricating accusations against other states at international organizations.

The claims Qatar lodged at the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination are part of a PR campaign launched by Doha, the UAE said.

Nonetheless, this campaign is full of mistakes and aim at deflecting attention from the heavy toll on the region from Qatar's support to terrorism and terrorist groups.

The UAE said it had eased the entry of Qatari citizens into it, despite the negative policies pursued by Qatar which backs terrorist organizations everywhere in the world.

It added that it based its decision to cut off diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in the summer of 2017 on international law.

The UAE noted that the boycott was initiated in the face of what it described as Qatari "intransigence" and to force Doha to honor its pledges.

These measures do not target the people of Qatar at all, the UAE said in its statement at the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

It said the new measures included the institution of the visa requirement for Qatari citizens who want to enter the UAE. It noted, however, that to Qatari citizens who want to enter the UAE are not charged any amounts of money for obtaining an entry permit.

Qatari citizens can apply for entering the UAE online or by calling a hotline that was launched in June 2017, the UAE.

It added that the entry permission requirement is applied everywhere around the world and is not tantamount to "racial discrimination" in any logical manner.

Head of the International Law Section at the UAE Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah al-Naqaibi said the issue of the entry permission requirement should have been discussed at the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination at all.

"The complaint has nothing to do with racial discrimination at all," he said.

He described the complaint, meanwhile, as yet a new Qatari attempt to use the committee for political ends.

"The measures taken by the UAE cannot be considered racial discrimination," al-Naqaibi said.

He said Qatar had lodged a similar complaint at the International Court of Justice.

Al-Naqaibi added that Qatar had chosen to file complaints, believing that such an action would cause harm to the countries boycotting it.

"Qatar should have reconsidered its policies and stopped supporting terrorism and extremism," al-Naqaibi said.