New York (AsiaNews / Agencies) - For the first time in history , Saudi Arabia has joined the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council , along with Chad , Chile , Lithuania and Nigeria. The vote was held yesterday in News York at UN headquarters. The newly elected nations replace Azerbaijan , Guatemala , Pakistan and Togo. The work of the newcomers will begin on January 1 and will last for the next two years.
The new seat means the Saudi monarchy will have more responsibilities on regional issues in the Middle East, especially on the Syrian situation . For months, the Saudi government has been in favor of sending arms to the rebels, despite the attempts of Western countries and Russia to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict. After the election , the Saudi government indicated that it has no intention of changing its position on Syria and will continue to support the armed rebellion .
These differences have not prevented Bashar Jaafari , the Syrian ambassador to the UN, from congratulating his Saudi counterpart Abdullah al - Moullimi , who commented: " I appreciate your initiative . I hope that in the future our two countries can work together. "
