Saudi ambassador and Permanent Representative at the United Nations in Geneva Faisal Trad has highlighted Saudi keenness to promote human rights at all levels. In a statement before the Human Rights Council, he said that the kingdom which adopts Islam as a constitution and platform, was and still is keen to promote human rights at all levels according to Islam. The ambassador's statement came during an interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The ambassador explained that the Kingdom established the Human Rights Commission in 2005 to promote human rights and recently signed a memorandum of technical cooperation with the UNHCR. The implementation of the road map for workshops and seminars during the next three years has begun and until now, four activities have taken place, he said. On the Palestinian suffering, the ambassador called on the international community to bear its historic responsibility to take the necessary decision toward Israel. On the suffering of the Syrian people, the ambassador stressed calls by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the international community to continue condemnation of the ruling Syrian regime; hold it responsible for the terrorism it practices against its people and the country's neighbors; refer it to the International Criminal Court through the UN Security Council; face the rise of extremist forces in Syria; and complete the removal of Syria's stock of chemical weapons. The ambassador praised the positive efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of human rights. The ambassador stressed that the kingdom believes that proclaiming the universality of human rights does not mean the imposition of the principles and values that are incompatible with our values, our Islamic religion, our principles and our heritage, stressing the need to respect these differences and not use them as a way to intervene in the internal affairs of states under the pretext of the need to impose this change on them. The Saudi ambassador and Permanent Representative at the United Nations in Geneva renewed demand for respect of the right of states and societies and their direct responsibility in choosing the method, approach, values and principles appropriate for them to promote and protect human rights within their communities. At the end of his statement, Ambassador Faisal Trad expressed sincere appreciation and thanks to High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay for her support and promotion of human rights during her past six years tenure.
