Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Confirms Illegality of the Siege Imposed on Qatar
New York/ Information Office/ 26 September 2017/ HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi has affirmed the State of Qatar's categorical rejection of the unilateral coercive measures and the illegality of the siege imposed on Qatar.
In a statement at the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement on "Promulgation and Implementation of Unilateral Coercive Measures, in Violation
of International Law and the Human Rights of the Peoples Subjected to Them," held on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, HE Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi said that the State of Qatar affirms its categorical rejection of unilateral coercive measures because they are illegal and contrary to the principles and purposes of the Charter.
HE also affirmed the State of Qatar's readiness for a constructive and direct dialogue on the allegations raised against it and to resolve differences of views.
The State of Qatar, HE added, will continue to support all efforts that contribute to achieving the goals for which the United Nations was established and will recruit the capabilities of the State to work with its partners in the international community to face common challenges and maintain international peace and security.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs drew attention to the land, sea and air siege imposed on Qatar, stressing that it lacks any legal basis and constitutes a flagrant violation of the international law and the international human rights charters.
HE added that although the State of Qatar is able to confront these unilateral coercive measures against the unity of its people, and the broad support it enjoys from the international community, particularly those countries that are keen to abide by the international law, the positive and tangible contributions of the State of Qatar at the international level in various fields and its well-known record of respect for the provisions of the international Charter and law and human rights conventions make it to continue its partnership with the international community in respect of international instruments, particularly the Charter of the United Nations, and to confront any violation of international law.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs added that the international reality has proved that the unilateral measures are becoming a serious challenge to regional and international peace and security and a threat to the collective security system and also straining the collective ability to respond to the challenges resulted from these unilateral measures.
The seriousness of these measures is that they contribute to create an unstable environment, fuel conflicts and help terrorist organizations to achieve their illegal objectives, taking advantage of the absence of coordination between the countries that impose such measures and the targeted state, HE the Minister said.
HE the Minister said that the United Nations derives its legitimacy as a multilateral system from the principles of multilateralism and equality among States to deal with crisis and conflicts at international level and to address the threats to international peace and security through the imposition of sanctions by the Security Council in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations which states that sanctions to be applied when there is a clear threat to international peace and security, or there is an act of aggression.
HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi stressed that the imposition of sanctions should be applied only after all peaceful means have been exhausted for the settlement of disputes under Chapter VI of the Charter and after assessing their short- and long-term impacts, subjecting to regular review, modification and cancellations and working in tandem with other Charter-based instruments to peacefully resolve conflicts.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs warned of the imposition of unilateral coercive measures, pointing out that today the world is witnessing a dangerous trend regarding the imposition of unilateral coercive measures outside the United Nations system, which is a flagrant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. It is also a serious threat to the international order and a flagrant violation of human rights and of peoples subjected to such measures, in violation of the principles of equality, sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, HE the Minister said.
HE the Minister added that those measures seriously violate the mandate of the organs of the United Nations determined by the Charter, specifically the Security Council as it is the only international legal body that can impose sanctions under the Charter.