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Toronto – Qatar’s World Trade Organization (WTO) representative, Ali Alwaleed al-Thani, announced the country has launched formal proceedings again the three countries who imposed a trade embargo against them in early June.
In an interview with Reuters in Geneva on Monday, Al-Thani indicated Qatar has begun the process of “requesting consultations” with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. This is the first step in the WTO’s process for formally resolving trade disputes between countries.
The three bloc members will now have 60 days in which to settle the dispute. If the deadline is not met, they will face a ruling by the WTO and possible trade sanctions leveled against them.
According to the same source, Al-Thani revealed that the boycott will be raised at a meeting of the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, also being held Monday.
The trade embargo against Qatar began immediately after the three countries and Egypt announced they were breaking off all diplomatic ties with the country on June 5, over its alleged financial ties to terrorist organizations. Qatar has vigorously denied the allegations from the onset of the crisis.
On June 22, the bloc presented Qatar with its list of thirteen demands for ending the crisis. Qatar, however, rejected the list as “unworkable,” prompting the bloc to revise their demands to a collection of six principles, which it presented to Qatar on July 19.
Despite considerable international pressure exerted on both sides to end the dispute through dialogue, the crisis has remained in a stalemate and threatens to become more protracted still.
