NEW YORK — Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan underscored the need for responsible international leadership after getting rid of narrow political interests. "To get out of the cycle of violence and crises, we must empower responsible international leadership and foil attempts to export narrow political interests at the expense of the security and coexistence of peoples," Prince Faisal said while addressing the open debate of the Security Council on 'Leadership for Peace' on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in New York on Thursday. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia will continue to support the multilateral international system, seek to develop it and enable its purposes, and restore confidence in its institutions, and is committed to strengthening collective action to achieve security and common development. At the outset of his speech, Prince Faisal thanked Slovenia for inviting the session and praised its positions in support of efforts to consolidate international peace and security, specifically its participation in the international consensus and its historic recognition of the State of Palestine. The foreign minister stated that the UN meeting comes at a time when the pace of conflicts and crises is escalating, common challenges and threats are multiplying, and the crisis of confidence in the multilateral international system and its ability to achieve the hopes of people for a future of peace and development is growing. "These circumstances require us to assess the state of international multilateral action and the reasons for its decline in resolving crises and addressing common challenges. Perhaps serious consideration of accelerating the process of reforming the Security Council has become more urgent than ever before," he said while emphasizing that restoring respect for international charters and norms comes through applying international law and humanitarian law and holding its violators accountable without selectivity." Prince Faisal stated that the challenge is not limited to the inability of the peace and security system and international institutions to respond to these challenges but extends to the absence of "leadership for peace." "Making peace requires courage in making difficult decisions. Behind every disruption of peace processes and political settlements, we find some political leaders who prioritize their personal interests and partisan considerations over collective interests and regional and international peace, which has clearly reflected on the efficiency of international organizations, and the Security Council in particular, in performing their duties." Prince Faisal noted that the absence of serious international action to stop the ongoing Israeli military escalation is conclusive evidence of the shortcomings and weakness of the international political will in the multilateral international system. He noted that the Kingdom believes that peace is the foundation that paves the way for cooperation and development and protects their sustainability. The debate was also attended from the Saudi side by Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Wasil and Director General of the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulrahman Aldawood.
