In a statement carried on the Saudi Press Agency, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah called for “crucial measures to protect innocent lives and end the bloodshed,” and warned that the violence threatened “unfavorable outcomes for the Syrian people and the stability of the region.”

The king said the international community should “not stop their genuine efforts to find a solution to this crisis” but did not single out China or Russia for their veto of the Arab plan at the UN Security Council.

The two permanent Security Council members vetoed the resolution on Saturday that would have urged President Bashar Assad to pull troops from cities and allow a political transfer to begin because it did not blame rebels for any part in the violence.

Riyadh condemned Syria in August for its violence in suppressing an uprising that called for the introduction of democracy, and was the first country to withdraw its monitors from an Arab League observer mission to the country last month.