Saudi King Blasts Russia and China for UN Veto on Syria

The king of Saudi Arabia lambasted Russia and China for their veto of the United Nations Security Council resolution against Syria and its president Bashar al-Assad.

King Abdullah also indicated that a failure by the UN to agree to a consensus on the Syrian crisis raises grave doubts about the efficacy and credibility of the international organization.

There is no doubt that the confidence of the world in the United Nations has been shaken, the King said in a broadcast on state-controlled Saudi television.

Unfortunately, what happened in the UN, in my opinion, is an unfavorable initiative.”

The comments were apparently the first public statement that the Saudi monarch has made regarding Syria.

Meanwhile, an official at the Arab League said that a group of Arab foreign ministers will consider a proposal to send a another delegation of UN and Arab figures to Syria to mediate the crisis and end Assad’s brutal crackdown against protesters.

A previous initiative by the League failed to resolve the troubles in Syria and put an end to the killings. Various Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, have withdrawn envoys from Damascus.

The Saudis and Syrians have long endured strained relations. Among other things, Syria is a secular, nationalist state with close ties to Russia; while Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and regards itself as the bastion and protector of Islam.

Al-Rai, a Kuwaiti newspaper, reported that the Saudis may recognize and send money to the opposition Syrian National Council to remove Assad from power.

Correspondent Yazan al-Saadi, wrote in the newspaper Al-Akhbar, “It seems that Saudi Arabia has banked on the end of Assad’s rule. The Saudi monarchy certainly hopes that a new government will emerge and that any government which emerges afterward will be more appeasing to Saudi interests. But they also are working to ensure the transitional process does not plunge the region into turmoil.”