AlHijjah 03, 1433, October 19, 2012, SPA -- Prince Dr. Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Chairman of the Saudi Arbitration Team, has visited the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Commercial Arbitration Center in Bahrain. At the venue, he was greeted by Yassin Khalid Khayat and senior officials. In a statement following the visit, Prince Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed pointed that "this a GCC center based in Manama". He said Saudi Arabia, a pioneer in arbitration, has considerably contributed to the establishment of this facility. He added that the center is facing a great challenge that it should work to upgrade its level to those of London, Geneva and New York. Asked whether the Court of Grievances in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia carries the center's verdicts, he replied in the affirmative, adding that they are final and obligatory unless found contrary to the public system. He underscored the importance of separating judiciary from arbitration, noting that the executive regulations of the Saudi arbitration system will be issued soon and that there is no contraction between judiciary and arbitration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For his part, the Secretary General of the center Ahmed Al-Najm pointed to the positive significance of the visit, confirming the importance of the role of the center in the coming phase after the issuance of the executive regulations of the Saudi arbitration system. He added that the rules and regulations of the center emanate from a regional international agreement signed by GCC countries giving Bahrain the status of host and grantor of diplomatic, legal and administrative immunity. However, there is no relation of this center with the legal system in Bahrain or any of the GCC countries, he concluded.
