A general view of a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva
UNITED NATIONS: Saudi Arabia officially notified the United Nations yesterday of its decision to reject a seat on the Security Council, which UN diplomats said clears the way for the likely election of Jordan as a replacement.
The 193-member General Assembly elected Saudi Arabia last month for a two-year council term from January 1, 2014 but Riyadh declined the position a day after the vote in protest of the council’s failure to end the Syria war and act on other Middle East issues.
Western diplomats said on Friday it appeared Jordan had agreed to replace Saudi Arabia after dropping out of a race against Riyadh for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
Jordan’s place on the Security Council would need to be approved by two-thirds of the General Assembly. Saudi’s official letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon allows for a new election to be called.
“I wish to inform you that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to advise you that Saudi Arabia will regrettably not be in position to assume its seat in the Security Council to which it was elected,” Saudi Ambassador to the UN, Abdullah Al Mouallimi, wrote.
He attached to the short letter a copy of a foreign ministry statement issued a day after the Security Council election and outlines Saudi’s decision to decline the seat.
Al Mouallimi called on Friday for “profound and comprehensive” reform of the Security Council that includes expanding its membership and “abandoning the veto system or restricting its use.”
“The Security Council has failed to address the situation in the Palestinian and Arab occupied territories, an issue under consideration by the council for more than six decades,” Al Mouallimi told a General Assembly debate on council reform.
“The Syrian crisis continues, with a regime bent on suppressing the will of its people by brutal force, killing and displacing millions of people under the watch and sight of a council paralysed by the abuse of the veto system,” he said.
Reuters
