Saudis Step Up Criticism Of UN Security Council
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 23 October 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Saudis Step Up Criticism Of UN Security Council , 23 October 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/526fbaee4.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United Nations has sharply criticized the UN Security Council, just days after his country rejected a seat on the UN's most powerful body.
In comments on October 22 in New York, Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi attacked the Security Council for failing to resolve the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for failure to act to end the civil war in Syria, and for failing to convene a conference on creating a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.
On October 18, Saudi Arabia took the unprecedented step of rejecting a rotating seat on the Security Council shortly after the UN General Assembly elected the country to serve a two-year term.
UN ambassadors from Arab countries met on October 19 in a bid to persuade Riyadh to change its position.
