After suffering from financial and opportunity losses following the economic blockade, Qatari companies that have filed complaints with the Compensation Claims Committee have a “very strong case” against the siege countries, a senior official of Qatar Chamber has said.
“We estimate the losses in billions of dollars but the chamber had already sent all the documents to the committee and they have already taken procedures and appointed lawyers…but this process will take a long time,” chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani told reporters at the Qatar Chamber headquarters.
Responding to a query as to which courts will handle the cases, Sheikh Khalifa said: “It all depends on the committee. Qatari businessmen who are suffering and lost a lot of money from this blockade had already submitted documents needed to build a case, and the committee is already dealing with international law firms to take legal action, which could be done in any part of the world.”
According to Sheikh Khalifa, more than 800 Qatari companies out of the more than 1,000 applications were reviewed and selected before being submitted to the committee.
“Qatar Chamber prepared a questionnaire, including the criteria for Qatari companies to help them determine the losses incurred, and the applicants were asked to justify these losses and to attach the necessary documentation,” Sheikh Khalifa told Gulf Times.
In July, Qatar Chamber had launched an initiative aimed at identifying losses sustained by Qatari companies from the economic blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies.
In a statement, Qatar Chamber said it had published an online questionnaire on its website to monitor and identify the extent of the damages caused by the economic blockade to Qatari companies.
The questionnaire will aid the Compensation Claims Committee in addressing the claims not only made by Qatari companies but also government bodies, authorities, ministries, private companies, and public institutions and individuals, the statement said.
“The chamber is very interested to collect accurate and true information on the extent of the actual damages Qatari companies have sustained due to the unfair blockade,” said Saif bin Yousef al-Kuwari, who heads the Committees & Business Councils Department and the Economic Committee for identifying damages caused by the blockade.
Sheikh Khalifa also said Qatar is attending a GGC-wide meeting slated “in November or December in Muscat.”
“There was a GCC meeting held last week in Azerbaijan and Qatar Chamber and Qatar Businessmen Association attended, and we will attend every GCC or Arab League meeting. Even if they (siege countries) don’t want to come, we will still attend these meetings,” he stressed.
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