AFP, Ankara, 18 Oct 2013 – Turkey on Friday lashed out at the United Nations for failing to resolve international crises, after Saudi Arabia accused the world body of “double-standards” in ending conflicts, such as the civil war in Syria.
 “The United Nations are losing quite a lot of their credibility,” Dogan news agency quoted Turkish President Abdullah Gul as telling journalists in Istanbul.
Gul spoke after oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia — like Turkey a staunch backer of the rebellion against the Iranian-backed regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — rejected a Security Council seat one day after winning it.
 “I understand that Saudi Arabia’s decision aims to draw the international community’s attention to this situation … We must respect their decision,” said Gul.
The Saudi foreign ministry said on Friday Riyadh would not be member of a body that has been unable to tackle long-standing Middle East conflicts or rid the region of the threat of nuclear war.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly called for a reform of the 15-member Security Council to give Muslim nations more clout.
In addition to its five permanent members, the Council has 10 seats that are awarded for two-year periods by the General Assembly, which holds a vote every year for five of the seats.
Saudi Arabia was on Thursday chosen along with Chile, Chad, Lithuania and Nigeria.