ICAO refuses to politicise Qatar airspace crisis

Manama : The Montreal-based Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has refused to politicize Qatar’s air navigation crisis. 

The ICAO clarified this in its decision regarding Qatar’s complaint against the four Arab states calling to fight terrorism. The Council recognized the existence of political issues among the states and that the concerned states should address them in appropriate international forums away from ICAO.

In its resolutions, the Council urged all member states of ICAO to continue cooperation to enhance the safety, security, efficiency and sustainability of international civil aviation. It also appreciated the four Arab states for their spirit of cooperation during the special session, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The council also welcomed the commitment of the four Arab states to continue technical consultations under the umbrella of ICAO to ensure the application of technical solutions, and requested the secretariat to provide information on a regular basis as well as to submit an updated report for consideration by the Council at its next session.

The Council appreciated the initiatives of its general secretariat and the states concerned for making emergency arrangements in the Gulf region. It requested the secretariat to continue to coordinate with concerned states as well as their neighbouring states to ensure the speedy implementation of emergency arrangements.

In Manama, commenting on the ICAO decisions, Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed said: “The decisions taken by the organisation confirm the validity of the technical measures adopted by the four concerned countries and affirm the neutrality of the organisation and its adherence to the role for which it was established – to maintain the safety of civil aviation around the world.”

He commended the refusal of the Organisation and its Council to engage in political matters with all its members stressing that such discussions should take place in specialised forums and that ICAO discussions should be limited to technical matters.