NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia on Friday accused UN Security Council members and world powers of practicing a double standard while dealing with international conflicts.

“How can these countries call for the protection of civilians during military conflicts while they vote against a decision to protect those civilians?” asked Khaled Al-Nafeesi, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the United Nations.

He was referring to the rejection by some UN member countries of the Goldstone report on Israeli excesses against the Gazans during its three-week-long assault of Gaza early this year.

Judge Richard Goldstone and his commission members found that Israel had flagrantly violated the international law by killing 1,170 Palestinian civilians during the 22-day conflict, the Saudi official said while addressing a special session of the UN Security Council.

“Had such a commission been set up some 40 years ago and a thorough investigation conducted about Israeli atrocities since then, we would have received a very painful report that would have been shameful for Israel,” Al-Nafeesi said. He said Saudi Arabia upholds the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries.

Al-Nafeesi urged members of the UN Security Council to take into account the views of countries that don’t have permanent seats on the council in order to strengthen its credibility and effectiveness and enhance the openness and transparency of its work.

“In order to achieve this goal, the Council members, especially the five permanent members, should have political will, firm determination and sincere desire,” he said, adding that these countries bear the responsibility of realizing the aspirations of member countries and their peoples without any bias. Al-Nafeesi called for equal treatment in the protection of civilians during armed conflicts without prejudice toward different races or nations. “We should end double standard in this regard.”

He said the debate on the issue of the protection of civilians must not be restricted to the Security Council but should also be done by other UN organizations.