Saudi denies pressuring UN to remove alliance from blacklist

Saudi Arabia yesterday denied claims that it threatened UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, pressuring him to remove the international alliance from a blacklist of groups that violate children’s rights.

Saudi’s UN Ambassador Abdullah Al-Mouallimi said: “It is not in our style, it is not in our genes, it is not in our culture to use threats and intimidation … and it is not in our nature to conduct ourselves in any such aggressive style as has been reported.”

“We did say such listing and such unfair treatment of Saudi Arabia and the coalition forces would obviously have an impact on relations with the United Nations. This is fishing in turbulent waters on the part of those who are reporting such a thing … all what we need to do is point out the facts, and that’s what we did.”

However, he denied saying Saudi would sever its ties with the UN stop funding its humanitarian agencies.