Saudi U.N. envoy demands permanent Security Council seat for Arabs

[BLACKEAGLE]

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi to the United Nations demanded on Friday a permanent seat for Arabs at the Security Council, saying the U.N. body has failed tackle Middle East issues.

The Saudi ambassador criticized the Security Council as “crippled” by the veto power, which only five countries hold. He said a “just international representation” is needed.

Saudi Arabia rejected last month to take a traditional Arab seat in the Security Council in protest at the body's failure to end the Syria war and act on other Middle East issues,

The Security Council is dominated by its five permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - which have veto power over its decisions.

To ensure diversity, the council's 10 elected members are made up of three from Africa, two from Asia-Pacific, one from Eastern Europe, two from the Latin American and Caribbean group, and two from the Western European and others group. Five are chosen each year to serve two-year terms.

Arab states are split between the Asia-Pacific and African regional blocs and there is an unofficial deal that at least one Arab nation is always represented on the Security Council.

Saudi Arabia was the Arab candidate from the Asia-Pacific bloc. Kuwait had put its hand up to be the next Arab candidate from the group and to run for the 2018-2019 term on the Security Council, which has led some diplomats to speculate that the Gulf U.S. ally could be a capable replacement.

Arab countries have been trying to persuade Saudi Arabia to take up the Security Council seat.

“Kuwait forms part of the efforts currently being carried out to convince Saudi Arabia to reverse its decision,” Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled al-Jarrallah told state news agency KUNA on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia's U.N. ambassador, Abdullah Al-Mouallimi, called on Friday for “rofound and comprehensive” reform of the U.N. 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 Security 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 paralyzed by the abuse of the veto system,” he said.

Syrian ally Russia, backed by China, has vetoed three council resolutions since October 2011 that would have condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and threatened it with sanctions.

Saudi Arabia has warned of a shift away from the United States in part over what it sees as Washington's failure to take action against Assad and its policies on Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Monday and praised the U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia as strategic and enduring, but strains in the nearly 70-year-old relationship were apparent.

(With Reuters)

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/New...ermanent-Security-Council-seat-for-Arabs.html

 

[Arabian Legend]

Finally, this should have been done long ago. The 22 Arab state strongly deserve a permanent seat in the UN. Its either we get it or as the Saudi FM said before that we will turn our back to UN as a whole.

Now Saudi Arabia rejected the non permanent seat next will ditch the UN member seat.

 

[kalu_miah]

Saudi Arabia, as the birth place of Islam, the Custodian of two Holy places, Makkah and Madina and as the leading Arab and Muslim country, should get the permanent Security Council membership.

But UN is not that important, what is more important is to increase the power of Arab and Muslim countries and slowly move out of the dependence on current world powers by becoming more self sufficient in terms of technology and manufacturing. UN is just a legitimizing tool for the powerful countries of the world, nothing less and nothing more. When the power equation changes, UN will also change, not before that.

 

[ResurgentIran]

So it rejected a seat on Security Council at first because the body could not solve regional conflict and is ineffective. But now it is demanding a permanent seat?

Mamma Mia...This is highly erratic behavior and you cant deny it.

 

[Raphael]

Why not a general Muslim seat, as opposed to an Arab one?

 

[Genesis]

Who should occupy it? Don't be the south Africa of BRIC.

It just looks weird.

 

[Serpentine]

So they are basically saying either give us a piece of the cake or the UN is not fair!
Using this logic, many other countries can claim a seat too. UNSC itself is an unelected and unfair system, be it 5 members or 20 members. All countries in the world should participate in world's 'security', not just different groups.

 

[Arabian Legend]

So they are basically saying either give us a piece of the cake or the UN is not fair!
Using this logic, many other countries can claim a seat too. UNSC itself is an unelected and unfair system, be it 5 members or 20 members. All countries in the world should participate in world's 'security', not just different groups.

What cake and pies are talking about it, the Israel-Palestine conflict that has not been solved for 65 years now or the Syrian issue, Lebanon disunity, Iraq instability, Yemen, Somalia or the situation in Libya all of that are arab matters so yeah we strongly demand a permanent seat. We are talking about 22 arab states here so go for it if you have a hand to raise, your hands are already clipped, and your country is deprived and isolated. You represent nothing nor you have any significant role to play . So, You and your logic don't function here sorry but you can't.

 

[BATMAN]

Well-done Saudi Arabia, it was about time UN should be exposed.... i hope western media will keep as quite as they did last time when Saudi Arabia rejected UN seat.

 

[Kompromat]

Why not a general Muslim seat, as opposed to an Arab one?

Because as soon as you mention the word Muslim, a lot of people will have cold sweats

 

[Serpentine]

What cake and pies are talking about it, the Israel-Palestine conflict that has not been solved for 65 years now or the Syrian issue, Lebanon disunity, Iraq instability, Yemen, Somalia or the situation in Libya all of that are arab matters so yeah we strongly demand a permanent seat. We are talking about 22 arab states here so go for it if you have a hand to raise, your hands are already clipped, and your country is deprived and isolated. You represent nothing nor you have any significant role to play . So, You and your logic don't function here sorry but you can't.

Don't get too emotional every time you encounter an Iranian commenting on forum. I didn't talk about Iran taking any seat anywhere, calm down and read my post again.

You want a permanent seat in UNSC? Good luck with that, they are all lined up to give it to you with love.

My opinion is that being selective in this regard is wrong, be it 22 Arab countries or 22,000. All countries have the exact same right in this matter, either all or none.

 

[Arabian Legend]

Don't get too emotional every time you encounter an Iranian commenting on forum. I didn't talk about Iran taking any seat anywhere, calm down and read my post again.

You want a permanent seat in UNSC? Good luck with that, they are all lined up to give it to you with love.

My opinion is that being selective in this regard is wrong, be it 22 Arab countries or 22,000. All countries have the exact same right in this matter, either all or none.

Thats what you said

So they are basically saying either give us a piece of the cake or the UN is not fair!

Implying that the UN has been able to shoulder its responsibilities toward world issues.

You also said this

many other countries can claim a seat too

What importance does other countries have equal to that of the Arab nations.?

Not sure if meant to say that as I see you backing up from it.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

It makes sense.

The Middle East is one of the most important regions in the world in terms of geo-politics, it is silly that they have no representation on the UNSC yet.

 

[Doritos11]

Permanent seat should be the Arab league, not 1 Arab country, theres no unity.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

So it rejected a seat on Security Council at first because the body could not solve regional conflict and is ineffective. But now it is demanding a permanent seat?

Mamma Mia...This is highly erratic behavior and you cant deny it.

Lawlz

There are current a set of sessions in the UN on reforms, and adopting less authoritative policy imposed by the 5 permanent nations on the whole world.