Saudi Arabia refuses to engage in WTO dispute brought by Qatar

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.