UNITED NATIONS — Just hours after winning a coveted place on the U.N. Security Council for the first time, Saudi Arabia did a stunning about-face Friday and rejected the seat, denouncing the body for failing to resolve world conflicts such as the Syrian civil war.
The unprecedented move at the United Nations appeared largely directed at Saudi Arabia’s longtime ally, the United States, reflecting more than two years of frustration.
The oil giant and the superpower are at odds over a number of Mideast issues, including how Washington has handled some of the region’s crises, particularly in Egypt and Syria. It also comes as ties between the U.S. and Iran, the Saudis’ regional foe, appear to be improving somewhat.
The Saudis were displeased that the U.S. backed off threats of military strikes against Syria in response to its alleged use of chemical weapons. In Egypt, Washington has been critical of the military after it toppled President Mohammed Morsi, while Saudi Arabia has strongly backed the coup, giving billions of dollars to the new army-backed government.
Saudi Arabia’s reversal surprised U.N. diplomats and officials who had just welcomed the kingdom to a two-year term on the U.N.’s most powerful body for the first time.
“They should have thought of that before competing for the seat,” said Guatemala’s U.N. Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, noting that the Saudis were lobbying for support right up until the vote.
The Saudi statement was especially critical of the Security Council’s “inability to perform its duties” to end the 2½-year conflict in Syria, saying this has enabled President Bashar Assad’s regime “to kill its people and burn them with chemical weapons in front of the entire world and without any deterrent or punishment.” The Syrian regime denies using chemical weapons.
