File photo
Saudi Arabia told the World Trade Organization on Tuesday that national security concerns meant it "simply will not engage in dispute settlement procedures" in an intellectual property dispute with Qatar, according to a transcript seen by reporters.
Qatar launched the dispute in October, saying Saudi Arabia was blocking Qatari-owned broadcaster beIN and refusing to take effective action against the piracy of beIN content by a sophisticated pirate operation called "beoutQ".
Representatives of the United States, Egypt and Bahrain supported the Saudi position at a WTO dispute settlement meeting, while European Union and Turkish diplomats spoke up in support of Qatar, a Geneva trade official said.
Saudi oil minister said on Tuesday it was too soon to say if OPEC and its allies would cut production as the terms of a deal remain unresolved, Bloomberg reported.Khalid Al-Falih's comments come as OPEC and its allies are working towards a deal this week to reduce oil output by at least 1.3 million barrels per day, four sources told Reuters, adding that Russia's resistance to a major cut was so far the main stumbling block.Al-Falih told Bloomberg that he saw an oversupplied market, but cautioned that all the members of the OPEC and allies group, needed to come together for a cut to go ahead. (https://bloom.bg/2Qy1SSP)Arab journalists hail Turkey's moves on Khashoggi caseBouteflika unable to receive Saudi crown prince due to flu: Algerian presidency
Saudi energy minister says OPEC's deal to cut output uncertain: BBG