UAE calls on US Congress to review JASTA

GENEVA, 26th October, 2016 (WAM) – The UAE has called on the US Congress to review the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), passed by the Congress recently. "The law undermines the foundations of international relations," said Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC) while addressing the 135th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva, in the presence of 1,000 parliamentarians representing 100 countries. The JASTA narrows the scope of the legal doctrine of foreign sovereign immunity. It also amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act in regards to civil claims against a foreign state for injuries, death, or damage from an act of international terrorism. Dr. Al Qubaisi called for discussing human rights issues, regional conflicts and international crises as well as issuing the international parliamentary declaration on tolerance as it is a main reference for the values of justice, openness, moderation and co-existence. She urged the IPU to include in its communique the rejection of the JASTA, which ignores the principles of international law regarding the legal doctrine of foreign sovereign immunity. The FNC speaker warned that the failure of the international community in dealing with various crises had led to the spread of terrorism and extremism, which find appropriate strongholds in areas of conflict. These sanctuaries must be addressed in order to eradicate them at intellectual and field levels, she noted. She also called for changing the current concept of "international crisis management" by getting rid of current crisis management mechanisms, and focussing on the search for a comprehensive, integrated and viable settlements. Over five days the participants will be reviewing the role of parliaments regarding the emergency response to human rights violations, freedom of women and their participation in the political process, as well as a public debate on the political, economic and social conditions in the world. She stressed that the UAE has made the sacrifices to safeguard peace, dignity and legitimacy. It did so in Lebanon in 1976, Somalia in 1992, Bosnia-Herzogovina in 1996, Kosovo in 1999 and then clearing mines in Lebanon since 2001, Afghanistan in 2003, fighting against Daesh since 2014 and then against Houthi occupation of Yemen since 2015. The FNC Speaker stated that the UAE, which is a member of the international coalition to fight terrorism and the seizure of power (coup), contributes to supporting the stability and recovery, and accelerating the development of the countries suffering from conflicts. She cited that the UAE has been contributing to rebuilding the liberated Yemeni cities. It rehabilitated the health and education sectors in the areas liberated from Daesh in Iraq, and also rehabilitated the oil infrastructure in the Libyan areas liberated from Daesh. The UAE supports the stability and development in Somalia and Mali, and also supports the vital development projects in Comoros, Eritrea and Ethiopia, she added. The UAE’s humanitarian aid in one year touched US$48 billion, making it world's major humanitarian aid donor as per its GNI, according to the report issued by Organisation of Economic Cooperation Development, Dr. Al Qubaisi said. She called for strengthening the role of parliaments in the trial of war criminals and punishing perpetrators of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court. The IPU is developing a vision or a proposal in this respect, Dr. Al Qubaisi said. – Emirates News Agency, WAM - http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates-international/1395301778597.html