Saudi Arabia asked the Security Council to condemn attacks on its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad following the execution of Saudi Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Fair Trials
The Saudi mission to the United Nations said the 47 people executed in the kingdom at the beginning of the week had received “impartial and fair trials, without regard to their cultural, ethnic or sectarian affiliations.”
In a statement, the mission expressed “deep regret” at UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks raising concerns about the charges and the fairness of the trials of those executed, including Nimr al-Nimr.
Al-Mouallimi said Saudi Arabia would “continue to work seriously to support peace in Syria and Yemen.” He added: “We will take part in the forthcoming Syria talks, provisionally scheduled to begin on January 25 in Geneva under United Nations auspices.”
Iran, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, had not confirmed whether it would attend.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic relations, trade links and flights with Iran after protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran over Nimr al-Nimr’s execution.
Al-Mouallimi blamed Iran for interfering in the internal affairs of Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, describing this as a breach of diplomatic rules. He said Saudi Arabia might reconsider diplomatic relations when Iran decided not to interfere in other countries’ affairs, including Saudi Arabia’s.