WTO to hear Qatar's complaint against UAE

THE World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on Wednesday to hear Qatar's complaint against the UAE over a five-month blockade that has triggered a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf."The WTO's Dispute Settlement Body agreed today to establish a panel to rule on Qatar's complaint regarding various measures imposed by the UAE restricting trade in goods and services with Qatar and the protection of Qatari intellectual property rights," a statement from the Geneva-based trade body said. Qatar turned to the WTO in August, insisting it was the victim of an"illegal siege" perpetrated by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. In the initial WTO filing, Qatar requested"consultations" with the siege countries, a procedural move required by the Geneva-based organisation before a Dispute Settlement Body panel (DSB) can be set up. Last month Doha made an initial request for a DSB to hear its case against the UAE. Abu Dhabi rejected that bid. Qatar then made the request a second time, which triggered the automatic creation of a panel. (AFP)