The United Arab Emirates on Friday strongly refuted the racial discrimination allegations made by Qatar to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva.
“Qatar’s complaints have no legal basis,” a statement by the UAE declared.
“Doha’s complaint before the Committee is part of a malicious Qatari campaign based on falsehoods and aimed at distracting attention from the dire consequences of Qatar’s state-sponsored terrorism,” the statement added, according to the WAM news agency.
UAE further outlined in its statement the measures taken to facilitate the entry of Qatari nationals to the country in spite of Doha’s destructive policies and promotion of extremism in the region.
“When it severed its relations with Qatar in 2017, the UAE took a series of measures in compliance with international law and in response to Doha’s refusal to honor its international obligations. These measures were not meant to target the people of Qatar."
The statement read: “The UAE has instituted a requirement for all Qatari citizens overseas to obtain prior permission for entry into the UAE. Qatari citizens already resident in the UAE need not apply for permission to continue residence in the UAE. However, all Qatari citizens resident in the UAE are encouraged to obtain prior permission for re-entry into UAE territory. All applications for entry clearance may be made for free online or through a telephone hotline.”
Abdullah Hamdan al-Naqbi, Director of the International Law Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and UAE representative before the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, said that the complaint should not have been lodged with the panel in the first place as it had no connection to any form of racial discrimination.
He said that it was yet another Qatari attempt to politicize the committee.
Naqbi continued: “The UAE measures regarding Qatari citizens are compliant with international law and cannot be classified under any forms of racial segregation combated by the Committee whose mandate is to fight all forms of distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin. Accordingly, the UAE can never be accused of violating the agreement in any way."
The statement drew the Committee’s attention to the fact that Qatar is simultaneously filing a similar complaint with the International Court of Justice, urging it to consider Doha’s two complaints as an abuse of the complaint system.
