Saudi Arabia turns down UN Security Council seat

Saudi Arabia said on Friday it refuses to accept its rotating U.N. Security Council seat, saying the council is incapable of ending wars and resolving conflicts.

“The kingdom sees that the method and work mechanism and the double standards in the Security Council prevent it from properly shouldering its responsibilities towards world peace,” the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.


On Thursday, Saudi Arabia won, for the first time, a seat as a non-permanent member in the U.N. Security Council.
 
But the kingdom later said it was unable to take its seat until reforms were introduced.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the Council for failing in its duties toward Syria. It said this has allowed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to commit crimes against Syrian people without facing any punishment.

The ministry also said the Council has been unable to resolve the decades-long conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. It also criticized it for failing to transform the Middle East into a region free of mass destruction weapons.

 Source:alarabiya