Saudi Arabia rejected a seat on the UN Security Council in an unprecedented move Friday, blaming the leading international body's "double-standards" and failure to resolve the Syrian and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. At least one analyst said the snub also reflected Riyadh's disappointment with the diplomatic opening between ally Washington and archfoe Iran, which it accuses of interfering in regional states.
Diplomats at the United Nations expressed shock at the move to decline the coveted seat, for which many countries spend years campaigning, with one envoy saying it was "totally unexpected." "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 a day after the country won the seat.
"Therefore Saudi Arabia... has no other option but to turn down Security Council membership until it is reformed," its statement said. Oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia - a staunch backer of the rebellion against the Iranian-backed regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - won the seat Thursday for the first time ever. Saudi UN Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi welcomed the election as a reflection of Riyadh's "long-standing policy in support of moderation and in support of resolving disputes in peaceful means." But the foreign ministry on Friday said Riyadh would not be member of a body that has been unable to tackle long-standing Middle East conflicts or to rid the region of nuclear weapons.
Saudi analyst Abdulaziz Sager, who heads the Gulf Research Centre, said Saudi Arabia wanted to send the world two messages. "First it wanted to show that it is a power to be reckoned with (by securing 176 votes in the 193-member UN General Assembly). And then it decided to act from a position of strength," he said. By declining the seat, it is expressing its "indignation" with the veto-wielding five permanent members of the Council and its "displeasure" with US policies in the region, mainly Washington's desire to engage Iran. "Saudi Arabia believes Iran is interfering in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain.. and that the United States is willing to let Iran play a role in the region," Sager added.
The United States, a Saudi ally, is one of the five permanent members of the council along with Russia, France, Britain and China. Russia, a strong backer of the Damascus regime, criticised Saudi Arabia's decision, saying its attack on the Council over Syria was "particularly strange." France, which along with the United States and Britain has pressed for tougher action against the Syrian regime that has been blocked by Moscow and Beijing, said it shares Saudi Arabia's "frustration" at the council's "paralysis."
No precedent in Council history Security Council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were stunned by Saudi Arabia's refusal. "This is totally unexpected. We all had to look into the Council history for a precedent and there is not one," said a Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Saudi foreign ministry statement pointed specifically to the nearly three-year civil war in Syria and the protracted Palestinian-Israeli conflict as key reasons to decline a council seat.
"Failing to find a solution to the Palestinian cause for 65 years," it said, has led to "numerous wars that have threatened world peace." The ministry also criticised the body's "failure" to turn the Middle East into a region free from weapons of mass destruction - including nuclear arms - in a reference to Iran and Israel.
Riyadh has been a vocal critic of the Council's handling of the conflict in Syria that has killed some 115,000 people since March 2011. Last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal refused to speak or even hand out a copy of a speech at the General Assembly in anger over the council's deadlock on Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"It was a sign of the frustration felt," said Nawaf Obaid, a visiting fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center and an advisor to Saudi officials. In addition to its five permanent members, the Security Council has 10 seats that are awarded for two-year periods by the General Assembly, which holds a vote every year for five of the places. Saudi Arabia was chosen along with Chile, Chad, Lithuania and Nigeria.
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