JEDDAH, 7 May — Saudi Arabia warned yesterday that the credibility of the United Nations and the Security Council was at stake if they did not take decisive action to ensure Israel complied with international resolutions.
“Israel’s non-compliance with UN resolutions sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the prestige of the Security Council and weakens the credibility of the United Nations,” the Council of Ministers said.
The arrogant Israeli stand also challenges the UN Charter and foils UN efforts to achieve security and peace, the Cabinet said, adding that it will only encourage other countries to flout UN resolutions.
The weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, denounced Israel’s rejection of the international fact-finding mission to Jenin and said it was a clear proof of the Jewish state’s crimes.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week disbanded the international fact-finding team after Tel Aviv refused to allow it into the Jenin refugee camp where Israeli troops are accused of having carried out war crimes.
The Cabinet meeting reviewed the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories in the backdrop of the continuing Israeli siege of Palestinian cities and aggression on unarmed Palestinian civilians.
Addressing the meeting, King Fahd urged the Security Council to take a decisive stand against Israel for the success of the ongoing initiatives by different parties to establish peace in the Middle East. “The Security Council must adopt a firm stand against Israel, force it to respect international resolutions and to stop all acts of violence, killings, expulsion and destruction of Palestinian cities,” Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy quoted the king as saying. The Cabinet hoped that the United Nations would play a more decisive role to achieve its noble goals, especially global peace and stability. The meeting urged the international body to stop the aggressions against the Palestinians, restore legitimate Arab rights and establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Cabinet meeting appointed Abdullah As-Saeed of Saudi Aramco as a reserve member of the Higher Committee to Settle Labor Disputes, representing the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Affairs. It also appointed Dr. Ibrahim Al-Musnad as assistant deputy minister for foreign relations and libraries at the Ministry of Education.
Meanwhile, King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, yesterday sent congratulatory messages to French President Jacques Chirac on his re-election.
