Saudi Arabia rejects UN Security Council seat over Syria

Photo by UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Denouncing “double standards,” Saudi Arabia declined a rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council in protest over how the world body is handling Syria.

A statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that “the manner, the mechanisms of action and double standards existing in the Security Council prevent it from performing its duties and assuming its responsibilities toward preserving international peace and security as required.” Saudi Arabia backs the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The other countries elected to the two-year rotating seats on the Security Council were Chad, Chile, Lithuania and Nigeria.