King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, said Friday that world confidence in the United Nations had been shaken after the world body failed to adopt a resolution against the Syrian regime's deadly crackdown on protests. “We all used to take pride in the United Nations which used to bring us together and not divide us... but what took place does not augur well as world confidence in the United Nations has undoubtedly been shaken,” King Abdullah said in a short televised speech during the reception of the guests of the National Guard who are attending the 27th Janadriya Cultural Festival. “We are going through scary days and unfortunately what happened at the United Nations is absolutely regrettable,” the King said. King Abdullah was alluding to the blocking by Russia and China last Saturday of a UN Security Council resolution condemning the crackdown by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime. “No matter how powerful, countries cannot rule the whole world,” the King said. “The world is ruled by brains, by justice, by morals and by fairness.” On Tuesday, the six Gulf states decided to expel Syrian envoys and withdraw their own over the “mass slaughter” of civilians. Saudi Arabia called Monday for “critical measures” to be taken on Syria, warning of an impending “humanitarian disaster”. Human rights groups estimate that more than 6,000 people have died in Syria since protests erupted in March last year. In Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said in an interview published Friday that the United States and Italy back efforts by the Arab League and its plan to send a new observer mission to Syria. “We agree with the work of the Arab League and its intention to send a new, larger and more assertive observer mission to verify responsibilities and expose the (Syrian) regime,” Terzi told the daily La Stampa after meeting his US counterpart Hillary Clinton in Washington. “This mission could be supported by a group of friends of the Syrian people ... made up of the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union,” he said. The idea would be “to present a broader front capable of radically changing the political balance in a way that respects the democratic will of the country,” said Terzi, a former ambassador to Washington. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed creating a “friends of Syria” group after Moscow and China last weekend vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning the crackdown on anti-regime protests. In his talks with Clinton, Terzi stressed that he favored a “political solution” in Syria and expressed “deep disappointment over the non-approval of the UN (Security Council) resolution that would have given Al-Assad a precise signal to leave the scene or bring an end to the violence.” They did not seriously consider a military option, he said. “It would be risky to think of humanitarian efforts backed by force without (a resolution) being passed by the UN Security Council or the backing of the Arab League,” he added. “This is not the intention of the Americans or the Europeans.”
