SAUDI Arabia has turned down a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, accusing the world body of “double standards”.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the UN needs to be reformed first.
It stated that the Security Council had failed in its duties towards Syria as well as in other world conflicts.
Saudi Arabia had previously expressed frustration at what it sees as an international failure to act on Syria, where ‘it staunchly backs the rebels’.
The announcement came hours after Saudi Arabia was elected for the first time to one of the 10 rotating seats on the Security Council.
The non-permanent members sit on the council for two years, along with the five permanent members – the U.S., UK, France, China and Russia.
“Work mechanisms and double-standards on the Security Council prevent it from carrying out its duties and assuming its responsibilities in keeping world peace,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in the statement.
“Therefore, Saudi Arabia has no other option but to turn down Security Council membership until it is reformed and given the means to accomplish its duties and assume its responsibilities in preserving the world’s peace and security,” it added.
It said the UN had allowed the Syrian government “to kill its own people with chemical weapons without confronting it or imposing any deterrent sanctions”.
Source: Guardian
