RIYADH: The Middle East Law Conference organized recently in Rabat, Morocco, by the Saudi Law Training Center (SLTC), lauded the institutional and judicial reforms initiated under the leadership of King Salman.
Dr. Majed M. Garoub, SLTC president and chairman, said on Sunday that the reforms have led to the formation of the Anti-Corruption Commission which is expected to attract international investments to the Kingdom.
The SLTC will also organize next month a forum on laws in the Kingdom and other Middle East countries in Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D.C.
In November 2017, the Jeddah-based law center also organized a forum in London on the economy of the Kingdom.
Dr. Yousef Aljaber, member of the board of directors of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration, lauded the initiative in holding the conference.
He said he followed the conference “and what drew my attention is the geographical dimension of the speeches delivered during the conference, which linked two continents.
“We really need such voices to believe in the importance of these alternative means of the natural judicial system,” he said.
He described these as “effective and quick means of resolving disputes. One of the main characteristics is the specialization, which is the basic criterion in the selection of arbitrators.”
“If we assume that there is an arbitration case related to oil and energy, experts are chosen in this field. This is necessary to understand the subject of the dispute and to find the best law to be applied,” he said.
He added: “I personally tend to favor institutional arbitration rather than individual, since it’s more disciplined and abstract. In the Kingdom, a great institution has been founded, which is the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration.
“I hope that all partners will cooperate with it since it’s considered the finest local arbitrator,” he said.
Dr. Garoub added that the conference recommended the establishment of an international arbitration center between Arab and African countries.
“If and when this materializes, it will facilitate and help in the settlement of commercial disputes that may arise,” Garoub told Arab News.
Garoub added that with the establishment of the center, great opportunities for business growth in the Middle East and North Africa region can be expected.
He added that the arbitration center will “build a platform for cooperation and partnerships between centers of arbitration and mediation at the Arab and African levels.
“The arbitration center will also provide support in the fields of training and rehabilitation with emphasis on human rights culture in the subjects of arbitration and mediation,” he said.
He added that it will also support Arab and African arbitrators at the level of international arbitration centers and ensure observance of accuracy and clarity in the drafting of contracts to avoid disputes.
He stressed the importance of institutional mediation in resolving banking issues and adopting a code of ethics of arbitration and the dissemination of Arab and African arbitration decisions.
“This will enable Arab and African arbitrators to enrich their knowledge on arbitration for a more effective resolution of conflicts,” said Garoub who has 25 years of law practice behind him.
Asked why the forum was held in Rabat, he said there were a host of reasons, “First, it was because of the patronage of the Moroccan king. The forum was one of the biggest events we have organized outside Saudi Arabia.”
He said the second reason was “it was a partnership between the Ministry of Justice of Morocco and the Supreme Institute of Justice, which is a school for judges.”
The third reason is the fact that “there’s a great business development in Africa and Arab countries where an arbitration center is needed to solve commercial disputes.”
The conference was attended by 200 ministers, presidents of supreme courts and commercial courts from different countries, major law firm representatives as well as representatives of the International Court of Arbitration at the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce.