Saudi diplomacy is known for its discretion, its preference for negotiating through back-channel discussions, and its unwillingness to come out strongly into the open. For this reason, it was particularly significant when Saudi Arabia turned down a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council on 18 October, citing the body's failure to fulfil its responsibility to keep world peace, and specifically its failure to resolve the situation in Syria. The statement by the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs added that Saudi Arabia "has no other option but to turn down Security Council membership until it is reformed and given the means to accomplish its duties". As well as specifying the Syrian conflict, the statement referred to the unresolved Palestinian issue, and what it termed the UN's "failure" to remove weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) from the Middle East.
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